Alright, I know this might sound crazy, or even blasphemous, but Miles Morales is hands down the best Spider-Man… ever. Now, a few of you have tried to convince me otherwise, sometimes with reason, and other times with shouting matches, but I’m sticking to my guns on this one. After less than a year leading Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, I think Miles is the best Spidey that Marvel’s ever written, and here’s why.
How long has Peter Parker been swinging around the Marvel-verse? Well, his first appearance was in August of 1962, so that means he’s been starring in comics for nearly 50 years. And after all that time, he’s starting to show signs of wear and tear. How many times can we retrace the same stories, with the same villains, with the same insane outcomes? After a while, you just have to ask… “How the Hell does Sandman keep escaping from jail?”.
I’ll be the first to admit, all the major comic characters become derivative in this same way, but then again, that’s why all of them feel so… stale. Sure, they’re enduring, well written heroes, but at the end of the day as I’m reading yet another Peter Parker vs Norman Osborn story arc, I can’t help but think been there and done that.
Don’t get me wrong, most of the time, the Big Two (Marvel and DC) are pretty good about keeping their characters fresh. That was the whole purpose behind the Ultimate Comics in the first place, but even Parker’s time in Ultimate Spider-Man was becoming a bit run down in those last few years. After issue #87, I gave up all hope for the series.
Enter Miles Morales. The little tyke was thrown into center stage last year, much to the chagrin of many fanboys, and his story has been racing along ever since. Brian Michael Bendis, the man responsible for Ultimate Spidey since its conception, is still the writer holding onto the reigns, but this book feels like anything BUT your typical Spider-Man title. This world is fresh, and new. Much like the original appearance of Spidey in the 60’s, but this time, he has the advantage of modern art thanks to Sara Pichelli. Oh, and of course there’s Bendis’s phenomenal script writing, as well.
And don’t forget, Spider-Man is probably Marvel’s most popular character, although Wolverine is clawing right behind (pun intended). The fact that the House of Ideas perfectly transitioned their story from Peter Parker to a Puerto Rican (and Black) kid without feeling gimmicky is an insanely amazing feat. Can you imagine if DC retconned Superman’s origins story for their recent reboot and made him Asian? How about a Black Batman? Or a Peruvian Wolverine? All of those would seem…. weird. But somehow, through sheer genius, Marvel was able to pull it off with Miles Morales, and the result is a much more relevant and engaging Spidey than any we’ve ever seen.
S#!T Talking Central