Miles Morales: Stranger Tides by Justin A. Reynolds & Pablo Leon

Information

Goodreads: Miles Morales: Stranger Tides
Series: Miles Morales Graphic Novels #2
Age Category: Middle Grade
Source: Library
Published: 2022

Summary

Miles Morales is starting to get the hang of being Spider-Man. Then people around the world start freezing–and the phenomenon seems to be connected to the launch of a highly-anticipated video game. Miles is on the case, but he might need some backup if he plans to defeat the Stranger. The Stranger has judged humanity and deemed that the only justice is for the world to consume itself.

Review

Miles Morales is back in the sequel to Shock Waves, and he finally feels like he might be able to swing this whole Spider-Man thing. Furthermore, people are starting to accept him as a real superhero, and he even has an invite to the launch of a hot new video game. But when the Stranger judges humanity and decides that half the populace must die, Miles might just find he needs some backup. Stranger Tides is not the most original story, but it features an engaging protagonist and stellar artwork. It is worth a read for fans of Spider-Man, even if does not feel like a must-read for graphic novel fans in general.

Justin A. Reynolds is known for his banter, and that works particularly well for a character like Spider-Man. Miles’ narration feel genuine for the character, and sometimes even witty–not just sarcastic. I love Miles, so it’s rewarding to see him in good hands. Reynolds balances the humor with heart, showing how Miles’ love for his friends and family drives him. The relationships in the book are one of the most rewarding aspects, even when it sometimes feel like they deserve a bit more development.

Though the storyline sometimes feels confusing and not all characters get enough time to feel fully developed, fans of Spider-Man will still love this one. The fast-paced action, large cast of characters, and general feeling of forward motion will keep the attention of readers, while the fun and colorful artwork is also sure to attract. Stranger Tides may not be my favorite Miles Morales story, but it is entertaining, and I would likely read another installment in the series.

Miles Morales: Shock Waves by Justin A. Reynolds & Pablo Leon (Illustrator)

Information

Goodreads: Miles Morales: Shock Waves
Series: None
Source: Library
Published: 2021

Summary

Miles Morales is still trying to figure out his new life juggling school and protecting the neighborhood as Spider-Man. Then, a new classmate’s friend goes missing. Can Miles help his friend while still finding time to be there for his family?

Review

Miles: Morales Shock Waves is a graphic novel for the middle-age crowd that introduces Miles Morales as Spider-Man. While the story starts with an extremely brief overview of how Miles got his powers, Miles is still new to the superhero business and, like many other of his stories, this one focuses on the challenges of balancing school and family with his new vigilantism. Bold, bright colors along with a short narrative that packs a lot action into a short space make this an ideal comic for its tween target audience.

Readers may likely already by familiar with Miles Morales from Jason Reynolds’ 2017 novel, Miles’ previous comics, or the Into the Spider-Verse movie. This new interpretation of the character remains true to its predecessors by focusing more on Miles’ personal life than on his superhero adventures. Even as he tries to keep his neighborhood safe, Miles finds himself pulled in too many directions as he attempts to work on his school art project, assist with fund raising for the earthquake in Puerto Rick, make family dinners a priority, and be a friend to the new kid Kyle–whose father just so happens to be missing, apparently as the result of supervillain activity. Miles wants to be able to do it all, but he is not sure he can.

The narrative is pretty straightforward, and most readers will likely not be surprised by any twists or turns. It is Miles’ character that makes the story, rather than the plot. Justin A. Reynolds is noted for writing banter, and it works particularly well for Spider-Man. Readers will find themselves rooting for Miles to balance his workload while still managing to save the day.

Miles: Morales Shock Waves is a solid Spider-Man graphic novel, sure to appeal to tween readers. The focus on Miles’ life as a teenager makes it accessible even to readers who might not typically pick up a superhero comic.

Marvel Avengers Assembly: Orientation by Preeti Chhibber, Ill. by James Lancett

Information

Goodreads: Orientation
Series: None
Source: Marvel: Avengers Assembly #1
Published: 2020

Summary

After she ruins a few buildings during some superhero fights in Jersey City, middle schooler Ms. Marvel is invited by her idol, Carol Danvers, to train at the Avengers Institute. There she teams up with new best friends Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Squirrel Girl. But can they learn to work together to pass the decathlon at the end of the semester?

Review

Avengers Assembly: Orientation imagines popular new heroes like Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, America Chavez, and Miles Morales as middle school students who need to train at a special institute to develop their superhero skills. It is told in a multimedia format, with chapters switching among blog posts, diary entries, fan fiction, text messages, and comic strips. The concept will likely appeal to comic book lovers and reluctant readers. However, the multimedia format is not used to great advantage and the story line ultimately falls flat. I wanted to love Orientation because it features so many of my favorite heroes, but the book is simply not well executed.

One of my main critiques with the book may admittedly not be shared by young readers: the book makes very little sense. The multimedia format means that Kamala Khan and her friends are constantly sharing top-secret information about their identities and their superheroing over unsecure sites. They text openly about their secret identities, keep details of fights online (on “private” blogs that could easily be hacked), and publicly share videos of mistakes they have made like recognizing their best (non-superhero) friends in the middle of a battle. Apparently Kamala and her friends are extremely naive about online privacy. Maybe their new institute should address that?

Even if readers are also unconcerned about online privacy, however, the story line is rather lackluster. Most of the book is really just Kamala attending a new school and making friends. [Spoilers] But there is sort of side plot involving a truly ill-conceived plan to harm another student so a villain can time travel. The plot is purposely ridiculous and even the other villains do not understand it. The plan is so poorly designed that it never takes place. The villains are basically foiled within two pages by their own incompetence. Exciting? Not really. The whole thing feels like a slapdash attempt to add something more to a book that would otherwise just be Ms. Marvel attending school, but the concept is never properly integrated into the story.

Avengers Assembly: Orientation stars with an exciting concept of having beloved heroes all attend school together. But the plot is not well executed and the story ultimately fails to deliver. I had looked forward to this new release, but I, unfortunately, am not impressed.

Marvel Rising: Heroes of the Round Table by Nilah Magruder, Roberto Di Salvo

Information

Goodreads: Marvel Rising: Heroes of the Round Table
Series: Marvel Rising #2
Source: Library
Published: 2019

Summary

Ms. Marvel has invited her friends to take a college campus tour with the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl as their guide. But when Morgan le Fay is summoned by some students, the heroes have to put aside their worries about the future as they try to save the present from becoming a New Camelot with Morgan as their ruler!

Review

Ms. Marvel and the Unbeatable Squirrel girl are my two favorite superheroes, so I was beyond excited to see the two team up in the first Marvel Rising. Both see violence as a last resort, preferring to try to connect with or rehabilitate the villains they face. They bring empathy and compassion to their superheroing, and I admire that about both. Marvel Rising was a solid, if not mindblowing adventure, and so I naturally picked up the second installment, Heroes of the Round Table. The cover promised me a larger team-up with another one of my favorites,Captain Marvel, and fan favorite Spider-Gwen.

The cover, unfortunately, is a lie and fans should know that before heading in. Captain Marvel and Spider-Gwen do not feature in this volume, though Miles Morales, Inferno, and Quake do, along with America Chavez (actually depicted on cover). It is a good team up, even if I am less familiar with Inferno and Quake, and it reflects Kamala’s friend group. I suppose Captain Marvel would sell more books or something, though?

The storyline itself unfortunately leaves something to be desired. I have always enjoyed the King Arthur legends and so thought a story featuring Morgan le Fay would be compelling. Generally, however, it felt like there was too much going on, with Kamala worried about her future, Inferno and Quake navigating their relationship, Quake dealing with her past, Inferno dealing with her past, Squirrel Girl wanting to protect the environment…. The busyness of the illustrations did not help.

Altogether, it felt like the cast of superheroes was too large for the author to handle. Spiderman sort of disappears and America Chavez shows up just to punch things without really getting involved the plot (though showing up and punching things does seem in character for her). The others do not have significant time for their backstories to be explained or their characters to be developed. I wanted to love a story full of some of my favorite characters, but Marvel Rising: Heroes of the Round Table ultimately disappoints.