Hey all, Dani here.
The reviews just keep on coming. And it’s fitting that I’m talking about a superhero today because I’m going to see Avengers: Endgame tonight. I don’t know that I’m ready to see this culmination of the Avengers arc, but I’m excited to see how it ends, as well as how it opens up new doors for the next arc in the MCU. Today though I’m not talking about any of the characters currently in the MCU. I’m talking about the Miles Morales version of Spider-Man, so let’s just swing into the review.
Summary
“Everyone gets mad at hustlers, especially if you’re on the victim side of the hustle. And Miles knew hustling was in his veins.”
Miles Morales is just your average teenager. Dinner every Sunday with his parents, chilling out playing old-school video games with his best friend, Ganke, crushing on brainy, beautiful poet Alicia. He’s even got a scholarship spot at the prestigious Brooklyn Visions Academy. Oh yeah, and he’s Spider Man.
But lately, Miles’s spidey-sense has been on the fritz. When a misunderstanding leads to his suspension from school, Miles begins to question his abilities. After all, his dad and uncle were Brooklyn jack-boys with criminal records. Maybe kids like Miles aren’t meant to be superheroes. Maybe Miles should take his dad’s advice and focus on saving himself.
As Miles tries to get his school life back on track, he can’t shake the vivid nightmares that continue to haunt him. Nor can he avoid the relentless buzz of his spidey-sense every day in history class, amidst his teacher’s lectures on the historical “benefits” of slavery and the modern-day prison system. But after his scholarship is threatened, Miles uncovers a chilling plot, one that puts his friends, his neighborhood, and himself at risk.
It’s time for Miles to suit up.
My Thoughts
Rating: 4 stars
This was a pretty quick read, and it was good, especially since I read it shortly after I saw “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.” However, I honestly have to say that I would have liked to see a little more time with Miles out and about as Spider-Man. I enjoy the web-slinging aspect of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and this tale did not have a lot of that.
A vast majority of the story is focused on alter-ego Miles Morales. Which isn’t bad, but I wasn’t exactly prepared for it. Still, the story was interesting, and I’m going to have to read more following Miles in the future. A great deal of the story is focused on Miles at his new school, as he tries to figure out how to balance all the parts of his life.
But his spidey-sense is acting up, and it makes everything in his life more complicated.
Oh, and can I say that I kind of like that this isn’t exactly his origin story? He’s been a superhero for a little while, and his Dad knows that he’s Spider-Man which is cool–though they both agree that it needs to stay a secret from Mom; she’d worry too much. There is a nice focus on the family dynamic, and I like that.
So yeah, this was an enjoyable read, and now I want to watch Into the Spider-verse again.
Where to Buy
You can pick up your own copy of this book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or your local independent bookstore.
Free State of Geek 
I’m with you… I wanted a little more in the suit, but was happy with what it was though. I read it right before Spider-Verse and it got me fired up for the movie.
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That’s great. I think I was possibly more critical of the book since I read it after seeing Spider-verse. But it’s okay. Not every superhero entry is going to earn 5 stars, and I think 4 stars is still a great read, so I’m happy to learn more about this incarnation of Spidey.
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Me too! I don’t read too many superhero comic so this was my first run-in with Miles.
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I’ve read new Ms Marvel, Kamala Khan, and I’ve read a little Carol Danvers Captain Marvel. Oh, and the Watchmen, but that’s about it. I need to try picking up some others at some point.
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I’d like to jump into more, but I always feel like I’m going to be missing out in some way if I don’t start at the beginning. But there are several arcs I could start at.
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That’s how I feel. At least with Miles there’s an easy to find starting point because he’s still relatively new. But try to jump in with X-Men or Fantastic Four or any of the Avengers and there are just so many restarts.
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