Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Marco Renna

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Federico Vicentini & Rachelle Rosenberg; Logan Lubera & Rachelle Rosenberg; Geoff Shaw & Romulo Fajardo Jr; Todd Nauck & Rachelle Rosenberg

Designer: Gabriel Mata

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: June 25, 2025

 

Miles was supposed to be at Brooklyn Visions Academy. Gust was easing Shift through his first day at Eastside Academy of the Arts. Dr Keisha Kwan was pouring herself a cup of coffee in her comfortable office. Then, Kwaku Anansi pulled them into his song. Along with Hercules, Ares transported them to Mount Olympus. There, Anansi's champions face off against Ares' champions: Zip Zephyr, War-Cry, Pyrrha, and Philomelus.

 

Can the spider god's champions defeat the God of War's divine Defenders? And will anyone steal the books from Gust's open school locker? Let's offer sacrifices to our lords above, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34, and find out!

 

Story

Keisha enjoyed working in the office, but Dr Sasquatch nudged her out of her comfort zone. Instead of video counseling, she has met with Miles. But when Ares transports her to Mount Olympus and forces her to fight Philomelus, Keisha reveals the trauma she’s worked to hide. Like Bruce Banner and Dr Sasquatch, gamma radiation has changed Keisha. So, the mild-mannered psychiatrist gives the ancient tiller of the soil a WWF therapy session in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34.

 

Shift's origins as a pawn in someone else's game still traumatize him. Agent Gao forced Gust to fight on her Cape Killers squad. Once again, others control Shift and Gust in Cody Ziglar's story. Both feel overwhelmed by being drafted to fight gods in an Agon. Agent Gao (or War-Cry) has told Zip Zephyr that superpowered individuals are dangerous because they often hide in plain sight. Whether they like it or not, Mount Olympus reveals that Gust and Keisha are more powerful than they realize in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34.

 

Miles may not know what Anansi wants from the contest, but Ares and his followers crave power. Ares and his champions believe they are entitled to positions of status and haven't gotten the respect they deserve. While Ares grants Agent Gao an upgrade by becoming his avatar, it's unclear what he can offer the others. But even if they help him win the Agon, it's hard to believe they'll ever win Ares' respect. 

 

 

 

Art

Keisha's muscles bulge as she tosses Philomelus his plow. Then, Keisha shows the Greek god she doesn't need weapons to win her fights. While her actions shake Zip and Pyrrha and irritate Ares, Agent Gao seems unmoved. But then, after losing the Harpe to Deadpool, perhaps "War-Cry" prefers to remain in the background. Throughout Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34, Anansi is in his element. While Hercules cheers on his team, Marco Renna shows Anansi crossing his arms over his chest, swelling like Ant-Man, or perching atop a broken pillar like Simeon Stylites. And all the while, the spider-god smiles, plays cat’s cradle with webbing, or shoots the air with finger guns.

 

The yellow and orange sky gives Mount Olympus an otherworldly feel. Keisha and Philomelus kick up the reddish dirt amid the pinkish-white stone pillars, pediments, battered temples, and empty stadium. Ares' helmet and Pyrrha's armor radiate a golden sheen, while Zip Zephyr's bluish-white cyclones complement Pyrrha's white and blue water jets. 

 

 

 

Bryan Valenza's nuanced palette grounds the otherworldly confrontations. Pyrrha's striking red hair and skirt foretell a later challenge that forces Ares to press his hands against his head. But then, Shift's body language suggests what Miles, Keisha, and Gust must feel: that The Gods Must Be Crazy!

 

Cory Petit thwips uppercase letters into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. White block letters introduce the singers of Anansi’s latest hit single. Ares, Zip, Philomelus, and Pyrrha utter diagonal letters, but Zip never gets the colored balloon borders that his high-born status deserves. The words grow bold for intonation, enlarge for volume, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects enliven challenges that sadden Keisha, enrage Ares, and perhaps hint at why Miles thinks of Ms. Marvel more often than Starling. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Ares has an axe to grind. Instead of battling Kwaku Anansi, he fights through intermediaries. While Ares belittles his followers and inflicts pain, Anansi preaches the value of togetherness. And once again, the spider-god reminds us that force and brutality are not the only way to achieve victory in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #33 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Marco Renna

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Federico Vicentini & Neeraj Menon; Logan Lubera & Rachelle Rosenberg; Taurin Clarke; Rogê Antônio & Marcelo Maiolo

Designer: Gabriel Mata

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 14, 2025

 

Kwaku Anansi has been silent and alone for too long. So he dubs Miles Morales his herald and explores life in Brooklyn. But Ares, the God of War, takes umbrage at Anansi's pact with Miles. He enlists Zip Zephyr and upgrades Agent Gao to War-Cry to prevent Anansi from breaking ancient pacts. When Anansi senses Ares' meddling in his new story, the spider-god enlists Thor's and Hercules' aid. Will Brooklyn play host to a battle of the gods? Let's offer sacrifices to our lords above, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #33, and find out!

 

Story

After living in fear of others, Shift braves a life above ground in New York. Miles gives him a new name, and Mayor Cage finds him a school. But Jaime finds gaining acceptance among people he doesn’t know more difficult than posing as Miles at Brooklyn Visions Academy. After achieving the seemingly impossible in overturning Fisk’s Law, perhaps Luke Cage selected the Eastside Academy of the Arts for a reason. Where other students see an insecure, swole dude, one person welcomes a new friend.

 

When Ares requests an Agon in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #33, Anansi readily accepts. The rules of the formal confrontation specify two four-person teams. Even though Miles doesn’t know who fights for Ares besides Zip Zephyr and War-Cry, Miles must choose who will fight with him and Hercules. Forced to decide which of his friends may die, Miles again battles the stress that has often threatened to overwhelm him. But like Ghostbuster Ray Stantz, whether Miles wants to choose anyone or not, his spider-god summons the people Miles thinks of.

 

Cody Ziglar’s story concerns how we regard surprise. Do we look for unexpected challenges or dread them? Do we welcome new experiences or seek a pattern to define our days? While each god wields trickery to gain an advantage, Ares seeks revenge for past slights. Anansi welcomes a contest that will inspire heroes in the future. After struggling to manage his stress, Miles must decide if he trusts the god who endangers his friends in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #33. 

 

 

 

Art

When Jaime approaches carrying his tray and sporting a smile, two boys wearing hoodies abandon the table, leaning forward. As his smile flees, Jaime hunches forward, showing less delight in his food than when he ate with Ganke and Miles’ friends. But when someone wearing a gleaming leather jacket and a confident expression joins him, Jaime relaxes, and his smile returns in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #33.

 

Compared with Jaime and Jade's reunion, a tense confrontation occurs outside Brooklyn Visions Academy. While Thor, Hercules, War-Cry, and Zip Zephyr prepare for battle, Ares looks self-assured. Miles seems poised for a nervous breakdown. 

 

 

Kwaku Anansi may not wear the rich blues and golds of Ares’ team. Nor does he wear a uniform as colorful as Miles' red, black, and purple Wakandan spider-suit. Yet a smile never lingers far from Anansi's face. Adorned in black fabric and beads, with bright blue and orange body-paint and feathered-mask, Anansi radiates a love for life and gratitude for every new situation.

 

As Bryan Valenza lavishes a bright color palette on Marco Renna's appealing characters, a tense confrontation, and a climactic fight, Cory Petit thwips uppercase letters into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Miles' thoughts appear as white letters in red narrative boxes, while white block letters introduce the singers of Anansi’s new song. Two others join Zip's diagonal-lettered chorus. The dialogue grows bold for intonation, enlarges for volume, and never shrinks. Sound effects help us hear resounding thunder, teleportation, and a world-traveling axe that puts Phileas Fogg to shame. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

Final Thoughts

His active lifestyle and battle with stress blind Miles to others' struggles. Like Peter Parker, his friends must spell out their difficulties for him. But when circumstances force him to endanger the people in his life, Miles discovers that someone whose life seems perfect also faces daily struggles in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #33.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #32 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Marco Renna

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Federico Vicentini & Neeraj Menon; Logan Lubera & Rachelle Rosenberg; Meghan Hetrick; Skan

Designer: Gabriel Mata

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 2, 2025

 

Miles and Shift teamed with Deadpool and Ellie to confront Agent Gao, Output, and Midas. While Miles entertains Kwaku Anansi, a mysterious stranger gives Agent Gao a boon. Miles shines in a new suit from Black Panther, but Agent Gao sparkles in the Armor of Achilles.

 

As Agent Gao has a gripe with Spider-Man, her benefactor has a score to settle with Miles’ constantly commentating companion. Will Brooklyn's Spider-Man be drawn into a war between the gods? And who else will they enlist in their ranks? Let's offer sacrifices to our lords above, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #32, and find out!

 

Story

When Percy Jackson's powers manifested, he discovered a magical world that dwelt alongside ours. Like Percy, Zip Zephyr yearns to be worthy of his ancestors. Unlike Percy, Zip wields his trusty Sākos on those he likens to animals. Zip wants to breathe life into his heritage. But every time the demigod tries to revive the glorious old days, Brooklyn's Spider-Man strikes him down.

 

While Zip yearns to remind mortals that Boreas and the great winds play a significant role on Earth, Miles wants life to slow down in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #32. After wrestling with Rabble, Vampirism, a possessed Black Panther, and hired assassins, being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man sounds like a breeze. Thankfully, Dr Kwan listens to his concerns and encourages Miles to share his struggles with others. She reminds him that quick fixes are more mythic than realistic while encouraging Miles to take responsibility for the people and things he allows into his life.

 

Miles once berated Peter Parker for putting their friendship on the back burner. But the people around him ride Miles when he returns to school. The ways Miles treats them for granted return to Miles in Cody Ziglar's story. As much as he dislikes Kwaku Anansi, the god treats his herald like Miles treats his friends and brother. While the spider god demonstrates affection for Miles, Anansi barges in on his thoughts, interrupts his concentration in class, and embroils Miles in his deceptions in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #32. And just as Miles' decisions and actions endanger his friends, Anansi drags Miles into divine danger. Still, Anansi likes music. If only the spider-god didn't prefer martial melodies!

 

 

 

Art

Birds flutter overhead, and squirrels scamper along tree branches as Miles and Dr Kwan walk through the park. The therapist smiles at her purple-and-red suited companion as he bemoans his failures. In the Raft, Zip frowns at a drill press while a guard watches the inmates operating power tools in the shop. Zip's frown deepens as he sits on a backless seat in the cafeteria. His eyes widen when a man in a hat and coat addresses him. But when the god of war appears, Zip hides his features behind his hand.

 

After the soft greens, blues, and browns of the park, Bryan Valenza lavishes orange and gray on the convicts in the Raft. Ares’ gold helmet links with the laurel leaves adorning Zip’s noble brow. When Marco Renna shifts attention back to Miles' school, Anansi's blue-and-orange body paint pays homage to Zip's prison attire, Miles' jacket, and the wind demigod's finer raiment. But bluish-white heralds the most destructive power in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #32.

 

Cory Petit thwips uppercase letters into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Miles' thoughts appear as white letters in red narrative boxes. Thor’s dialogue grows bold and swells, while Zip’s thoughts and words worship diagonals. The dialogue grows bold for intonation, enlarges for volume, and shrinks for lowered and distant voices. Sound effects enhance divine windstorms, crashing thunder, and Zip repaying the most brutal punch Miles has ever thrown. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a copy for review. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

After Doctor Doom chooses Peter Parker to battle the scions of Cyttorak, Kwaku Anansi embroils Miles in a contest between gods and demigods. Miles is less keen than Zip Zephyr to be accorded honors and respect. But regardless of their differing heritage, both must demonstrate their worthiness to ride in the chariots of the gods in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #32.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.