Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
We are a family of Marvel fans due in large part to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) franchise of films that now spans a decade of box office hits. We own a Marvel encyclopedia that guests of our home often flip through when they visit. We also have Marvel posters hanging on the walls of our basement theater, from Civil War and Black Panther. Conversations are had about the Sokovia Accords and who stands to gain the most from the Superhuman Registration Act. There is a divide in our home between Team Cap & Iron Man; with valid arguments from both sides.
Aside from my enjoyment of the MCU movies, I hadn’t given much thought to picking up a Marvel comic but after reading Jason Reynolds Marvel YA Novel (Miles Morales: Spider-Man), I’d been hoping to read more about this friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. I found volume one of Spider-Man: Miles Morales at my public library and decided to give it a try. I was NOT disappointed!
In volume one, Miles is having a difficult time balancing his larger than life gig as a member of the Avengers with school, friends, and family. His grades are suffering. Mom, wanting him to get his act together calls in the big guns…grandma! And she sure let’s him have it! Convinced that he is somehow caught up with drugs and other detestable deeds, she takes his phone and hires a P.I. to figure out what he’s got going on. It just doesn’t make sense to her that a kid who was a great student is suddenly having so much trouble in school. Meanwhile, his best friend Ganke gets starstruck and spills Miles’ secret to the new kid at school who happens to be a mutant. Furthermore, someone is after Spider-Man because his vigilante lifestyle is no good for those trying to conduct business of the criminal sort.
All in all, this was an adventure of a story that I am glad I decided to dive into. I appreciated the sense of humor, the illustrations and coloring throughout. I liked that Brian Micahel Bendis hooked me from the very start and made me curious to know more about the secrets that have yet to be revealed about the Morales family. I have since requested the subsequent volumes from my library and I can’t wait to pick them up.
One last note, while I would love to see Miles Morales on the big screen, a part of me wonders if Netflix has any interest in bringing his story to life? I guess that could be a good or bad idea, depending on how you feel about their present Marvel (non-MCU) offerings.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Trailer
Shout-Outs
- I found it very interesting that after writing Marvel Comics, Brian Michael Bendis is now writing for DC Comics. My daughter did explain to me however, that it is not uncommon for authors to write for both. At any rate, here is an article about the evolution of Miles Morales | https://io9.gizmodo.com/brian-michael-bendis-on-the-evolution-of-ultimate-spide-1756865129
- Sara Pichelli (illustrator) | https://www.marvel.com/comics/creators/9408/sara_pichelli
- Justin Ponsor (colorist) | https://www.marvel.com/comics/creators/360/justin_ponsor
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