As a gang war rages on across New York City, the superheroes of the Marvel Universe have had their hands full with… killer robots?! It’s Spider-Man and Wolverine versus the mutant-hunting Stark Sentinels in this week’s Wolverine #40, and over in Luke Cage: Gang War #2, Mayor Luke Cage’s team of illegal street-level vigilantes is at war with Alistaire Smythe’s Sentinel-sized Spider-Slayers. And after writer Cody Ziglar gave Miles Morales the ability to channel his bio-electricity into a “Venom-Saber” — a homage to Dragon Ball Z’s Vegito and Gundam’s beam-saber — Brooklyn’s Spider-Man used his newfound power to fight a mecha in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #13.
After saving Manhattan from a territorial dispute between Crime Master and Ringmaster in Amazing Spider-Man #39, Team Spidey decided to divide and conquer: Hell’s Kitchen (Daredevil), Downtown (Spider-Woman), Murray Hill (Spider-Man and She-Hulk), and Brooklyn (Miles). Mayor Cage told the team that the Hobgoblin was making noise in Brooklyn, so this week’s issue of Miles Morales saw a solo Spidey head home to protect his borough.
Instead of Hobgoblin, Miles found a city block frozen over by the magic staff-wielding Frost Pharaoh and his acolytes, who were at war with the bumbling Bumbler and his gang of Buzz Boyz. Recalling his training from Colleen Wing and his mentor Misty Knight, the Daughters of the Dragon, Miles quickly swatted the bee-themed baddies with his Venom-Saber. The issue included a battle against Frost Pharaoh’s giant frost mech, which prompted this surprised reaction from Miles: “Frost Pharaoh got a Gundam?!”
Miles tried to pierce the mecha’s armor, but suffered the icy blast of the robot’s frost cannon, freezing his web-shooters. When Colleen arrived with Misty and plunged her sword into the armor, Miles channeled an electric Venom-Blast into the conductive metal to fry Frost Pharaoh and his mecha.
But the biggest shocker was on the issue’s final page. As Miles formed a temporary alliance with Hightail and the Cape Killers — newcomer Jade Jackson, a.k.a. Gust, and recurring Spider-foe Scorpion — the Hobgoblin recruited his former team mate from the Sinister Six to help with his “spider problem”: the Prowler, a.k.a. Aaron Davis, a.k.a. Miles’ uncle.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #13 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.