WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham #3, by Zeb Wells, Will Robson, Erick Arciniega and VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
Universe-jumping is a tough job, but Spider-Ham and Spider-Man make it fun with some light hearted jabs at the distinguished competition. In Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham #3, the web-headed pair jump into a dark and gritty universe in the style of Frank Miller and Klaus Johnson's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. This homage is full of inner monologuing as Peter and Peter stand on a rooftop overlooking a gloomy city.
The issue opens with the dynamic duo fighting their way though Nazi Germany, before making the jump to what seems to be the DC Universe -- though this is not to be confused with the same DC Universe that Donny Cates recently annihilated in Thor. Spider-Ham takes a much beefier form that has the same mass and build as Miller's older version of Batman. It doesn't take long before Spider-Man asks to leave because that universe is bumming him out. The Bee-Yonder blips them over to another universe to chase the villain.
Homages to The Dark Knight Returns always seem to have a certain number of boxes to check for references to the city. The biggest of them all is the iconic cover, with Batman leaping in front of a bolt of lightning. Nearly every series has paid homage to this in one way or another, but Spider-Ham uses it in the actual story, since the portal they use to jump through the universes resembles lightning. In addition to a more muscular Spider-Ham, the spider symbol on his chest is much larger and thicker, similar to Batman's chest symbol. Artist Will Robson goes so far as to give Peter Porker a cape made of webs. In one panel, he stands in almost the exact same pose as Batman from The Dark Knight Returns #2. Erick Arciniega's color palette is full of dark blues like Lynn Varley's, which drives home the similarities even more and helps the tribute land.
Spider-Ham's dialogue swiftly changes from a cartoony rhyming scheme to a dark, broody inner monologue in a lighthearted jab at the typical tone of a Batman comic. When Spider-Ham says the word "night," it's spelled with a "K," in reference to the Dark Knight himself. Spider-Ham also describes where they are as a "city-hell," which obviously means Gotham. Batman is often brooding over his deeply troubled city, especially in The Dark Knight Returns, where everything is just very grim. Eventually, Spider-Man finally interrupts the monologuing to tell Spider-Ham to stop brooding so they can leave.
Spider-Ham does make fun of DC's grittiness in this issue, but it's all in good fun. The Pig-Knight gag is chock full of well crafted references to one of the most iconic comics ever.