Writer: Cody Ziglar
Artist: Marco Renna
Colorist: Bryan Valenza
Letterer: Cory Petit
Cover Artists: Federico Vicentini & Neeraj Menon; Logan Lubera & Rachelle Rosenberg; Paco Medina & Edgar Delgado; Pere Pérez & Rachelle Rosenberg; Simone Di Meo
Designer: Gabriel Mata
Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe, & C B Cebulski
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 9, 2025
Kwaku Anansi delights in expanding his web of stories. When Blade violates Miles Morales’ trust, Anansi spots an opportunity to grow closer to one of his spider-totems. The spider-god waits until Black Panther brings Miles into Bast’s realm. Then Anansi cures Miles by making him fight Black Panther. Only this time, Varnae possesses Black Panther instead of Blade.
Now, as Anansi prepares to battle Ares, Miles wonders why the spider-god healed him. Was he just a pawn in Anansi's schemes? And has Miles' healing inadvertently endangered Jaime, Gust, and his hulking therapist, Dr Keisha Kwan? Let's offer sacrifices to our lords above, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #35, and find out!
Story
Anansi expands his web of stories because he values his spider-totems. His champions will help him tell a story for the ages. But like Miles, Anansi’s story is filled with pain and loss.
In Miles Morales: Spider-Man #35, Anansi tells how Ares, unhappy over not fitting in on Olympus, decided that misery loves company. When the god of war initiates a conflict to grow closer to Athena, Ares sparks a battle between himself and Anansi. But others halt the battle, leaving both combatants dissatisfied.
When Ares enlisted Zip Zephyr and Agent Gao's aid and requested an Agon, Anansi asked Miles to trust him. But Miles dislikes being used and endangering the people in his life. Miles demonstrates how much Dr Kwan has taught him by reasoning with the gods. His constructive criticism delights Anansi. Ares is not amused.
As Cody Ziglar contemplates how privilege and distinction can lead to division, he shows the difficulty of accepting inequality. Ares promised Zip Zephyr ascension and respect. But regardless of how powerful he becomes or how much he wins, Ares demonstrates his inability to learn from his and his family's mistakes in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #35.
Art
While Hercules enjoys feasting with the gods, Ares frowns, and Athena looks glum. When Zip rushes to fill his goblet, Ares kicks the wineskin into the wind god's face. Compared with the gods' unproductive day, Arachne works in her studio. Marco Renna shows Anansi wearing a suit and shoes to honor the Human who finds more satisfaction in her weaving than the gods do in their laxity.
Bryan Valenza colors the webs connecting scenes from Anansi's past light green. Long before Ares renamed Agent Gao, the original Alala wore the same blue, white, and gold as she fought alongside him. A green-blue wave reminds us why Ares chose Pyrrha to support him once again. But the gods Pyrrha despises see their children battling in the orange-brown sky. The combatants’ causes shine as brightly as their attire in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #35. Yet their elders are more concerned with the smoke rising from the beige, tan, and lavender-gray land below.
Cory Petit thwips uppercase letters into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes as shadows fall on Anansi, Hercules, and Ares. White block letters locate us in time and space, while music notes spill from Arachne’s lips as she weaves her spell over Anansi. Ares, Zip, Philomelus, and Pyrrha utter diagonal letters in balloons with colored borders, while Miles interrupts Anansi's retelling with white words in red boxes. The words grow bold for intonation, enlarge for volume, and rarely shrink. Sound effects showcase Anansi's zeal to right a great wrong and Ares's determination to win regardless of the cost. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Anansi revels in inspiring stories. But one story troubles him because it remains incomplete. Hercules' kin may have invented Greco-Roman Wrestling. But as Anansi demonstrates that even gods can struggle to "get over it," the spider-god risks reenacting a Greek Tragedy in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #35.
Rating 9.8/10
To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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