Miles Morales Spider-Man 1 Featured Reviews 

Don’t Miss This: “Miles Morales: Spider-Man” by Saladin Ahmed, Javier Garron & David Curiel

By | August 14th, 2019
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

There are a lot of comics out there, but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week we are looking at “Miles Morales: Spider-Man”.

Who is This By?

“Miles Morales: Spider-Man” is written by Saladin Ahmed who has been making waves in Marvel over the past few years by writing the Eisner winning “Black Bolt” series, “Exiles”, and recently picking up the reins on “Ms. Marvel.” Ahmed had a huge task by being the first author to take on Miles in a solo title since Brian Michael Bendis and the character’s debut. Ahmed also had to live up to the hype brought on the character brought on by the Oscar Winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse which gave a version of Miles that resonated with audiences and was unique from the one seen in the comics.

Joining Ahmed is Marvel Young Gun, Javier Garrón who is given a lot of interesting stories to work with. Garrón has worked on a number of Marvel titles in the past few years but “Miles Morales: Spider-Man” feels like a book that’s going to be a book that’s going to make him someone to watch in the industry.

Alitha E. Martinez, Vanessa R. Del Ray Ron Ackins, and Dexter Vines joined the party on “Miles Morales: Spider-Man” #7 for a day in the life issue.

David Curiel colors the book and adds a lot of vibrancy and depth to Garrón’s linework. VC’s Corey Petit bridges the gap between Bendis’s run in terms of keeping similar location texts but pushes the lettering into the future by abandoning the “Ultimate” lettering from Mile’s time on Earth 1610.

Who is this… “Miles Morales”??

Miles Morales is in high school trying to balance his commitments to his family, his friends, his schoolwork all while fighting crime and keeping his neighborhood safe. Classic Spider-Man stuff but in a different community, with different characters and a different voice.

Whether you have been reading Miles since 2011, saw Into the Spider-Verse, or just have been curious who this other Spider-Man was, this series has you covered. There does not seem to be a driving goal of this book or rising action but “Miles Morales: Spider-Man” gives Miles Morales and his world much needed fleshing out and forward momentum from what felt like a stalled series under Bendis’s authorship.

Oooh ok but why should I buy?

“Miles Morales: Spider-Man” stands out for me primarily for how much it embraces the elements that make Miles Morales so different from Peter Parker. Since Miles’s debut, he’s been the biracial Spider-Man and not much else in terms of development or characterization. Peter Parker is smart, broke, and unlucky and Miles is…also Spider-Man. Everyone knows Aunt May, Mary Jane, and Gwen Stacy and now Saladin Ahmed, Javier Garrón, David Curiel and Corey Petit are working overtime to make readers want to remember Ganke, Judge, Uncle Aaron, and Barbara Rodriguez. We all know Miles lives in the Marvel Universe but the Marvel Universe constantly derails the chances for Miles to develop a corner within it.

Ahmed and Garrón are also building a Brooklyn that feels like Brooklyn and a young Afro Latinx Miles that sounds and looks like an Afro Latinx teen. Javier Garrón will always have my respect for being bold enough to give Miles some waves and a fresh cut. That plus his styles for Miles and his classmates are giving comic fashionistas Kris Anka and Kevin Wada a run for their money. My man Miles has never looked better.

Garrón really gets to flex his storytelling and building a visual vocabulary for Miles Morales. Where Ditko and Romita built what Peter Parker looks like as Spider-Man, Garrón is building a fresh look (not just in fashion) for Miles. The way Miles fights is so different from Peter through his invisibility and venom blasts and Garrón and Curiel do so many interesting visual cues to make these abilities stand out. Even in a slice of life issue, like “Miles Morales: Spider-Man” #4 Garrón gets to pull out the stops in doing an almost Chibi style of Miles and his friends which is something so incredibly different and makes me want more of this visual experimentation.

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Ahmed also is making Miles a more appealing character by really getting what Miles and his friends sound like. Writing authentic voices for characters of different backgrounds is something I feel like a number of writers shy away from for fear of seeming ignorant, forced, or getting it wrong entirely. However when Miles tells goons they can catch hands, I, a younger Black reader, I personally enjoy Ahmed constantly going for it and not having Miles just sound like any other white superhero colored in brown which is how a number of other Black characters feel in this recent wave of more diverse characters. Miles also is facing more immediate challenges. Ahmed is not writing like Bendis and spacing out beats over many issues. Miles’ girlfriend knows he has a secret and it’s going to be discussed right here, right now instead of issues later.

The plots to these stories are not breaking the mold for superhero stories but as a fan of Miles Morales since his debut, I have wanted a run like Lee/Ditko that made Peter Parker into Peter Parker and wildly enough Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse established who culture is recognizing as Miles Morales and the comics have to play catch up. The plot is traditional superhero fare but for me, the draw is not what’s going to happen but what is Miles going to do about it. Miles Morales finally feels like he’s escaping the shadow of Peter Parker and I keep coming back to see what makes a Miles Morales story different and new from a Peter Parker story.

Ok bet. How can I read it?

The first six issues are collected in “Miles Morales Vol. 1: Straight Out of Brooklyn” available in comics shops and ComiXology. “Miles Morales: Spider-Man” comes out monthly and coming out today is “Miles Morales: Spider-Man” #8.


//TAGS | Don't Miss This

Kenneth Laster

Kenneth is a cartoonist, critic, and cryptid somewhere in the crumbling empire of the United States. Hit him up on twitter @disasterlaster to see dumb jokes and artwork.

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