Marvel: Miles Morales: Shock Waves: Spider-Man graphic novel

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Leon: I think for a while there, things were getting a bit grim in the superhero world, so I’m very much enjoying this renaissance of heroes just being wholesome and relatable. I’m very much looking forward to kids having easy access to a really fun, feel-good story. This story really combined everything you expect from comic heroes while also involving real life events like the earthquakes Puerto Rico was hit with. Mile's has family on the island as his mother grew up there and she's fundraising to send aid. Miles is so pre-occupied with balancing school and being a hero that's he's really neglecting his family life. So this story is really about him finding that balance between being Spider-Man and spending time with family and friends. When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day. And make no mistake, teaming up with Scholastic is a license to print money. DC’s kids and YA lines have been very successful in both bookstores and even comics shops. This Marvel line will be no different.

A teenage Spider-Man has to balance his life as a superhero with being a student at a prestigious private school. Miles Morales is a normal kid who happens to juggle school at Brooklyn Visions Academy while swinging through the streets of Brooklyn as Spider-Man. After a disastrous earthquake strikes his mother’s birthplace of Puerto Rico, Miles springs into action to help set up a fundraiser for the devastated island. But when a new student’s father goes missing, Miles begins to make connections between the disappearance and a giant corporation sponsoring Miles’ fundraiser.

I liked this! Miles Morales is a sweetheart. He’s caring, and conscientious and funny, and the family and friends surrounding him are great. The story begins with Miles swinging from rooftop to rooftop, and through the streets of Brooklyn. All while he explains what it is like to adapt to his new life and powers as Spider-Man. He helps an old lady cross the street, takes selfies with fans, stops a robbery, and details that he got his newfound powers because he was bitten by a genetically engineered spider. Additionally Miles explains his relationship with Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, who is a friend and mentor. Though they stay in their own neighborhoods, Queens for Peter Parker and Brooklyn for Miles.

Grunenwald: Were there any particular stories or influences, Spider-Man or otherwise, that you drew from while working on the book? Harrison Snow, wealthy CEO of Serval Industries, who has been exposing people to Terrigen to turn them into super-powered servants, including Kyle’s dad, and his two “interns” Vex and Trinity Leon: I think Justin gave Miles a voice that feels authentic to the character and its world. He was passionate about the project and once we hit a point where we understood how each other worked, it was smooth sailing. Honestly that’s the best type of co-worker anyone can ask for. Reynolds: I hope they see a Miles they recognize, story and art alike—but I also hope we added to his legend, even if just a bit. That we honored his humor, integrity, and empathy—all while letting him be a fun, though not-always-perfect, kid. Written by Justin A. Reynolds and illustrated by Pablo Leon, the story is split into six chapters each following Miles Morales and his superhero secret identity, Spider-Man. Miles is the story’s narrator.

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The author makes sure that mystery and action are nicely balanced with small, personal moments, and leaves us with a nice opening at the end for more story. I was so happy to also see Ms Marvel and Squirrel Girl in the story, to remind us of how Miles and the other two are in-training at Stark Tower to get a better handle on their abilities and improve their teamwork.

I also liked how some bits are in Miles’s head and are basically narration, and the rest is all speech. Sometimes it’s a little harder to understand what is happening but the illustrations are really clear and help you work out where the story is going. I liked how just enough info about Miles was given at the intro to establish who he is and what kinds of powers he has. Full disclosure I'm not a Marvel reader, I'm not familiar with Mile's origin story, and I've never seen Into the Spiderverse. Though I do remember when Marvel was originally launching this character. So I came in as a new reader getting an intro to this comic from this graphic novel. This is my first experience with new spider-man because I am only familiar with the old spider-man but it does have a really handy explanation at the start of the book. Miles is different from Peter Parker (old spider-man) because he has some extra superpowers including invisibility and something he calls venom blast. The biggest difference is that he’s a teenager and Peter Parker is now a grown up.Joe Grunenwald: How familiar were both of you with Miles and his history before taking on this graphic novel?