MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY- Miles Morales: Spider-Man #9 REVIEW

It is a great time to be a Miles Morales fan. With the recent animated movies gathering so much positive feedback, and with the upcoming Playstation 5 video game being hyped as potential ‘Game of the Year’ material, our favorite wall-crawling, web-slinging superhero is enjoying his time in the spotlight. And it also helps that his comic books are among the strongest titles in the Spider-Man family of books, right now, as we speak. This past week’s issue is yet another testament to how Miles Morales can deliver on hard-hitting action against his gallery of rogues, while at the same time show himself to be a very human, vulnerable, and ultimately incredibly relatable character. Not only does Miles Morales have to face off with the Hobgoblin this time around, but he also has to come to terms with his recent traumatic history… and the direct effect that it has on his powers. If Spider-Man cannot rely on his Spider-Sense, then what does that make him?

OFFICIAL MARVEL DESCRIPTION:

Published:

August 09, 2023

Writer:

Cody Ziglar

Penciler:

Federico Vicentini

Cover Artist:

Dike Ruan

VS. HOBGOBLIN – TO THE DEATH! MILES MORALES, A.K.A. SPIDER-MAN’s, battle against the HOBGOBLIN reaches a fever pitch, pushing Miles to his limits – AND BEYOND – awakening new powers that could save the day…or utterly consume and destroy the wall-crawler for good!

PROS:

• In my recent reviews, a common complaint I always throw around is the fights being too short or quick for my liking. Maybe I’m just so used to long anime battles that are drawn out across multiple episodes, but there’s just something so special about having Spider-Man trade punches with an enemy for a whole issue, or even more. And this is definitely what we get this week. Spider-Man and Hobgoblin really go at it hard, and what makes the clash even more brutal is the fact that both fighters are going through psychological breakdowns. Hobgoblin sounds like he is talking delusional nonsense, following a mysterious voice in his head, while Miles Morales is trying to conquer his recent traumas, which are directly affecting his powers.
• Starling is proving to be an excellent partner to Miles Morales, and a very deserving leading lady in her own way. Starling continues to urge Miles to seek out therapy to work through recent harrowing events, but at the same time, she is also doing half of all the superhero work, as she deals with a sarcastic and problematic artificial intelligence with important knowledge of the entire scheme of the big bad guys.
• Visually, this issue is a treat, mainly because of the battle between Miles Morales and Hobgoblin. But more than just the pugilism, the creative team also effectively portrays Miles’ inner conflicts and demons. It was real tough seeing him cry like that in front of his girlfriend. You end up almost reaching out to the pages of the comic book, in order to put your comforting, consoling arm around our hero’s shoulder. Hobgoblin’s insanity is also professionally and expertly depicted in this issue, and you can’t help but worry, as well, for the poor guy’s sanity. It’s obvious that he is not really in control of his actions. Being a mere puppet in the larger scheme of things just means Hobgoblin is going to have to deal with way more than just his friendly neighborhood archnemesis in the future.

CONS:

• G.A.R.E. can be a really annoying pain in the butt. They could have at least made the robot a little bit cuter.

FINAL GRADE: A++

At this point, we’re all just watching Miles Morales continue to grow and develop as a man, and as a superhero. It’s a blessing that his popularity has really taken off all around the world, and the continued success, in effect, leads to more quality comic book stories that add to the already rich and diverse lore of Spider-Man. Hobgoblin makes for a perfect villain because he is both deadly and crazy… which is not a good mix right now for a Miles Morales practically on the verge of breaking down any second now. All in all, this has been a great year for Miles Morales, and there is no slowing down the hype train any time soon. So we might as well just grab our popcorn and watch all the glorious Spider-Man events unfold before our very own eyes.