In this review of Miles Morales: Spider-Man #2, Miles and Valentina continue getting to know one another as Revenant continues his revenge against the Morales family.
MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #2
Written by: Bryan Edward Hill
Art: Nico Leon, Valentine De Landro
Main Cover: Simone Di Meo
Variant Covers: Cafu, Sara Pichelli, Nico Leon, Taurin Clarke, Netho Diaz
Page Count: 27 pages
Release Date: September 23, 2026
This review contains spoilers
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #2’s chronological story begins with a flashback, showing Jeff Morales’ betrayal of Martin Moore. It’s revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Caldwell had Jeff manipulate Martin because Martin was the easiest way in. Jeff was against it, knowing Martin is against Fisk’s drug empire. Moore only wanted to make a wage doing something simple like managing accounting ledgers.
Caldwell retorts by saying that Martin is actively contributing to people genuinely being harmed, even if he’s not directly producing the drugs. Jeff is conflicted but gives in, striking a bond with Moore. Moore vouches for Jeff after learning he has a kid on the way. Jeff gets in and reveals the factory location. S.H.I.E.L.D. commences the raid and Martin can tell that Jeff was the culprit.
In the present day, Miles is on a date with Valentina, taking her to the Japanese tea spot Ganke picked out in the last issue. During their conversation, she states one of her shortcomings is being blunt. Val is very straightforward, saying she wants to take their relationship seriously and desires honesty. Continuing, she wants to know the secrets plaguing Miles’ mind, creating an obvious conundrum since he’s thinking about Spider-Man stuff.
As the two continue the conversation outside, Revenant attacks the hospital where Miles’s mom works. Miles leaves Val, remarking his mom is in danger before swinging in as Spidey.
Rio is thankfully safe and stands up to Revenant before Miles arrives. As they fight, Martin charges Miles with enough energy to make him explode. Spider-Man doesn’t have enough time to expel it, instead opting to get away from people. He swings into the air before suffering an explosion.
Analysis
Martin’s sense of morality was a grip while reading Miles Morales: Spider-Man #2. It’s engaging because it’s conflicting. The first instance of it is him showing a distaste for Fisk’s business, despite helping run it. The second is where he states he doesn’t want to kill Spider-Man, commenting on how young he is. Yet, he charges him with enough energy to cause a miniature explosion, which could kill him. The contrast in his morality and actions creates an unpredictable character, and I have no idea how or if Miles will be able to talk him down. But best believe I’m interested in seeing him try.
The growing relationship between Miles and Valentina is also charming. I do think their conversation could have flowed a little better, as some of Val’s lines are vague. But besides giving Miles a new love interest, she hints at conflicting with his double life.
When Miles says that he has to leave because his mom works at the hospital, he got away with a valid excuse this time. But in the future when Miles is with her and has to swing into an emergency as Spider-Man? He won’t get that luxury, forcing him to create a lie and clash with Val’s desire for honesty. Additionally, Val is portrayed as intuitive, being able to tell when secrets are on his mind. That intuition can come in handy when he lies to her, creating captivating tension.
The big flaw I had with the issue—besides the lack of a strong emotional anchor–was that during the flashback scenes, Jeff’s facial expressions did not properly match his feelings. The dialogue did the hard work by sinking in Jeff’s displeasure with his task, but the minimalist art style doesn’t properly show his internal conflict.
Final Thoughts
The fighting is fun and the relationship building is good in the second installment of Miles Morales: Spider-Man. It’s not without its flaws, but it does a solid job in being engaging.
