MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY: What If…? Miles Morales (2022) #5 REVIEW

We are all counting down the days to when we get to see Miles Morales once again on the big screen, jumping from universe to universe in his next couple of movies starring him, Gwen and the rest of the gang. In the meantime, we have exciting and energetic comic book events like this one to keep us occupied. The plot is very simple: different versions of Miles Morales from across the multiple universes assemble and gather together to save all of reality from the group of various Uncle Aarons. What makes this comic book a wonder to read is seeing Miles Morales as all sorts of characters, from Captain America to Thor to Hulk to Wolverine… you get the point!

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

Published:

July 06, 2022

Writer:

Cody Ziglar

Penciler:

Paco Medina

Cover Artist:

Paco Medina

HOW MANY MILES DOES IT TAKE…TO SAVE THE UNIVERSE?! What if…the many Miles of the multiverse assembled to overcome a threat against all realities? The Prowler enacts the final phase of his evil plan alongside LOKI, SABRETOOTH, and CLASSIFIED! Spider-Man’s gonna need some help on this one – good thing CAPTAIN AMERICA, WOLVERINE, HULK, and THOR have his back!

PROS:

• The major positive factor that this series has going for it is that it is very interesting and entertaining to see how Miles Morales translates when he is converted into all sorts of different Marvel superheroes. You then realize that it is not the suit or the powers that make the man… it is the hero within that determines it all.
• The action in this issue is a perfect climax and end to the series, with all the different Miles Morales versions going head-to-head with the sinister versions of Uncle Aaron. It was fun to see Hulk throwing around Wolverine like a cannon ball, and it was epic to witness Thor summoning all the power of thunder and lightning from the heavens above. It was cool to see him shine, especially during this week’s grand opening for Thor’s latest movie.
• It was very touching at the end seeing Miles Morales, Spider-Man, taking comfort in the fact that he knows there are multiple versions of him spread across all of reality taking care of their own respective worlds. In a sense, he was able to make a new family with his new brothers, and it will be fascinating to see them collaborate again for more adventures in the future. Perhaps we will get to see even more versions of Miles Morales in his upcoming movies.
• The art and visual team did an excellent job in executing their own takes on the different versions of Miles Morales. The big fight at the end of the issue was also a blast to just gaze and stare at… the characters really came to life and popped out of the pages.

CONS:

• I think the villains could have seriously leveled up. The heroes took them down too easily, and it would have been awesome to see Uncle Aaron take the bigger names of baddies upon himself.
• It also would have been nice if more characters from the Spider-Man family appeared, on both sides, to make for an even more epic clash of titans. I am sure there could have been a way to bring Gwen into the mix somehow, but maybe they are saving that for the next volume. Oh, and before I forget, maybe next time Ganke can play a bigger role as well. It’s always nice to see him helping out his best friend in times of need.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Overall, this was a very fun read. You don’t have to use much brainpower for this one, but sometimes you just need that kind of light fix for some enjoyable reading. Again, this is a book that really centers itself on Miles Morales, so it may not cover the expectations if you are wanting all sorts of Spider-Man characters to do their own little cameos. But just take this one as an appetizer for the crazy and insane action we are going to get very soon when the next couple of Miles Morales movies hit the cinemas. Have a great weekend, everybody, and let me know what you think about Thor’s latest cinematic outing.