WRITER.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10 stars

128 pages

Graphic Novel, Adventure

Spoiler-Free section

Although I love the newest Peter Parker, I also have a soft spot for Miles Morales as Spider-Man. They both have their charms. This book to me was not bad, although I felt that the villain’s motive was kind of dumb and unrealistic.

Miles is having trouble balancing friendships, school, and family with his super hero duties. He gets in trouble with his teacher after showing up with a black eye and a bit of attitude and he tells his friend Ganke that he couldn’t understand what Miles was going through as a hero. He stood up his friend Tiana, adding strain to another friendship.

Even worse – the regular baddies are getting high tech upgrades somehow. Luckily, Miles joins forces with Misty Knight, a detective and super hero. He is thrilled to be working with another Black hero. Although he has difficulty with typical detective skills such as waiting patiently, the two of them hit it off pretty well.

Agent Gao warns Miles not to interfere with police work, but Miles keeps wiggling out of trouble. It helps that Misty Knight claims she has taken him under her wing.

Spoiler time!

Raneem Rashad, her villain name being Rabble, had dubious motives. Miles won a lottery, allowing him to go to a prestigious school. Raneem acts like he personally stole her life from her and killed her parents, simply because he has money now and she did not. Apparently she entered the lottery too and her number was close to the winning number.

I would say her cause – justice for the poor – was admirable, but her reason for hating Miles was unconvincing. At first, I appreciated how she gave food to a homeless woman and thought this added layers to her personality. But as the story went on, I had little sympathy for her, especially when she kidnaps Miles’s friends and starts an explosion and fire in his parent’s house. In the end, she blows herself up in a last-ditch effort to punish Miles. I found their whole interaction to be disappointing.

I loved how Misty Knight took Miles on as an intern at the end and found a temporary place for the Morales family to live. I’m a sucker for a happy ending, and they worked together well as a team, so it seems fitting.

Overall, I would say that this book is decent, nothing groundbreaking, but it’s a good read.