Miles Morales: Shock Waves: 12/18/21

Miles Morales: Shock Waves by Justin A. Reynolds and Pablo Leon (Illustrations) follows Miles as he learns to juggle school at Brooklyn Visions Academy, family obligations, and the huge responsibility of being Spider-Man. Miles who has a Puerto Rican mother has become thematically tied to the island, especially after the hurricanes and the United States's failure to help its fellow citizens.

In this graphic novel, Miles and his mother set up a fundraiser for the island after a series of devastating earthquakes. Before they can even begin beyond the initial planning, their fundraiser is commandeered by one of the city's massively rich CEOs. This being a Marvel comic, and specifically a Spider-Man one, the CEO is obviously up to something (or many somethings).

The mysteries of a missing father, a gang of women robbers gaining powers, and the earthquakes all come together in ways that will be familiar to long time Super-Man fans. To new readers this book will be an entertaining primer.

Pablo Leon's artwork brings to mind the Miles that most of probably think of first, namely the one from Into the Spider-Verse (2018). The colors are warm, vibrant, and more lively than the palette used most often for Peter Parker or the pastels that seem to be Gwen's.

The book ends on a cliff hanger so hopefully there's a second volume in the works.

Four stars

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