Sometimes, it takes two Spider-Men to do whatever a spider can. But Peter Parker and Miles Morales together might not be enough to overcome what Rabble has in store. Miles Morales: Spider-Man #42 is written by Cody Ziglar, drawn by Marco Renna, colored by Bryan Valenza and lettered by Cory Petit.
As I finished reading the final issue of Cody Ziglar’s Miles Morales run, the Stevie Wonder song “Higher Ground” started playing in my head like the music you hear at the end of a movie. Although I had forgotten what this song was called until I asked, its bluesy groove and the lyrics “Keep on” have been stuck deep in my head ever since I saw this song performed live on TV years ago.
In the three-plus years since Ziglar’s run began, Miles has been through it. He had his family and home threatened, started therapy, became a vampire and fought literal gods. Now, issue #42 concludes “The Ravager Saga” that began in issue #1 by putting Miles into a web of regret from which he just barely manages to untangle himself.
When I first saw the final arc of the series was called “Web of Regret” in issue #40, I initially thought it was because Miles’ past was coming back to haunt him yet again through Rabble, his troubled female archenemy who bears a grudge against him. I talked about relating to her anger in my tribute to Ziglar’s run, and part of me hoped Rabble’s anger would abate by the end of the issue.
Then again, that’s not realistic, even for a fictional comic book story. As Miles sums up late in the issue to Rabble, “You were sent out into a world you weren’t equipped to handle, with no support system. It’s not fair and it sucks and it’s okay that you’re upset.” Of course, for Rabble, upset is putting things lightly. For those who haven’t read the previous issues, Rabble, aka Raneem, has attacked Miles a few times. When The Assessor, an AI program that was modified by Rabble, is revived in issue #40, Rabble ends up getting more than she bargained for when she and Miles are attacked.
Speaking of Miles, he is still trying to help Raneem out despite everything she’s done, which speaks to his compassion and Ziglar’s emotionally charged writing style. However, he runs into trouble in issue #41 when The Assessor hacks Miles’ vibranium suit, causing him to nearly be defeated. But Miles’ desperate prayer for help causes Anansi to summon Peter Parker to aid Miles and even the odds a bit.
I wasn’t expecting Peter to make an appearance and didn’t care for it at first. I wanted Miles and Raneem to work together to defeat The Assessor, but that’s not what happened. Thankfully, Peter’s trademark quips and some helpful advice he gives Miles in the battle’s aftermath made me warm up to him.
Of course, it also helps that Peter and Miles’ battle is enhanced by the team of artist Marco Renna, colorist Bryan Valenza and letterer Cory Petit. One of my favorite pages is when Peter webs up some of The Assessor’s clones together and pitches them like a baseball. Miles then slices them up with his venom sword with a satisfying “SLUNK.” It is a visually satisfying series of panels that showcase Miles and Peter’s camaraderie and teamwork.
While the majority of Peter and Miles’ fight with The Assessor is an external one, Rabble’s battle against the rest of him is internal, and emotionally raw. The Assessor uses Rabble’s trauma against her in a way that traumatizes her more than she already was, breaking her not in body, but in spirit. Perhaps if she hadn’t been left to fight him alone, the outcome would have been different.
As a result, Raneem becomes unhinged with anger and fights Miles yet again. I really appreciate Miles trying his best to reason with her while fighting her and only hitting her really hard when he realizes he is out of options. In the aftermath, Miles is forced to learn a painful lesson when he asks Peter, “How do you help someone who doesn’t want to help themself?” Peter replies, “That’s easy, partner. You just keep trying.”
Although Raneem disappears by the end of the issue, Miles wants to believe she can be helped eventually.
As a caregiver to a parent with dementia, I’ve had to learn this lesson many times since my mom’s diagnosis last year. Hell, I had to learn it as recently as last night, when a simple conversation about food turned into one of paranoia and emotional testing. There are times when my mom just doesn’t want my help when I try to get her out of the house more or when she misplaces things and thinks my deceased dad took it. But I keep trying to help her, because it’s the right thing to do.
Even though Ziglar’s run has ended, I know Miles will return one way or another [Ed. note: As announced Wednesday, Miles Morales will return in Reborn: Ultimate Impact #1, coming this May from Chris Condon and Stefano Caselli]. I also know he’ll keep trying and aiming for the highest ground, even when it’s hard. He’ll keep going, and so will I.
Latonya "Penn" Pennington is a freelance contributor whose comics criticism can be found at Women Write About Comics, Comic Book Herald, Newsarama and Shelfdust, among others. Follow them @wordsfromapenn.com on Bluesky.
