Miles Morales: Spider-man Omnibus Vol. 1

Product Information

Absolutely loved this run. Miles is a wonderfully innocent and brave character whose crazy problems throughout this long series have a way of just being grounded and relatable... Even though we have invasions of space gods, clones, angry Osborn lizards and massive comic book crossovers.

Let's start with the art - there are a few artists on this run but there wasn't a bad one in the bunch. They are all exceptional and do well with the quiet moments (conversations) which is a must for someone drawing a Bendis story. Over the course of this omnibus Miles story does intersect with big events in the Ultimate universe. This includes the Hydra fuelled Divided We Fall/United We Stand - a crossover with The Ultimates. I feel we got enough of a sense of what was happening in the main crossover, whilst seeing it from Miles perspective and how it impacted his story. The Cataclysm tie in however wasn’t as strong, but I think that’s due to needing to read the main event. In Spider-Man’s issues a lot is left unanswered. This story takes place in the Ultimate Marvel universe, not the main universe. I have a soft spot for this universe as it was issues of The Ultimates, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Ultimate X-Men that got me into comics. The other BIG irritation I had was Miles' girlfriend. Everyone is saying "don't tell her you are Spider-man" (even the reader is yelling it) and he does and stupidity ensues. I don't want to spoil it but...the odds of his girlfriend being involved with that group are zero...unless the writer needed it. Those are the stories near the end that fell flat to me. And speaking of which, the supporting cast are also given plenty of time to shine. A very important aspect to any good hero comic.When the Peter Parker of the Ultimate Universe falls, the world needs a Spider-Man -- and here comes Miles Morales! But what's the secret behind his powers -- and can he master them before the Scorpion strikes? Family life gets complicated as Miles learns the truth about his uncle Aaron, and Captain America comes calling when war breaks out! Miles shares a multiversal meeting of the Spider-Men with the Marvel Universe's Peter Parker -- but what tragedy could leave the young hero swearing never to wear the webs again?"-- So the death happens and then we get Miles' "Spider-man no more" moment. That apparently lasted a year. And him coming out of retirement isn't even for that big of reason "hey we need your help - come along". Now I returned to Spiderman as he just got killed by his nemesis Osborne and from the ashes came a whole new Spidey. Of course I was not so sure about Miles Moralis, did enjoy the madness of the movie. Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.

While it took Peter Parker years-decades- to win the approval of the Avengers and actually being allowed into the team, Miles is able to win over pretty much everyone within an issue or two. Characters go from telling him that he's too young on one issue to then being completely accepting of him, inviting him to the team, offering to train him, by the next issue. In one issue, Miles walks (swings) the the Ultimates HQ (Avengers) and ask to join the team, by the end of the issue he's a member of it. Perhaps the greatest insult is that Miles is able to defeat the enemy that bested Peter; even two Peter Parkers approve of Miles. The only adversity Miles faces is himself which for half of the omnibus doesn't make sense. He doesn't want to use his powers because he doesn't, and on the other half he doesn't because of a tragedy (which makes sense). Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man Omnibus. Collecting the whole of Miles Morales first run as Spider-Man.Story: Miles origin story and the passing of the mantle from Peter Parker’s Spider-Man. This means we get to see him interact with characters like Aunt May, MJ and Gwen Stacy and their reaction to a new Spider-Man. He also has his own supporting characters including his best friend Ganke, plus complex relationships with his family. Spiderwoman, who also makes frequent appearances in this omnibus is a much more interesting and compelling character than the main star of this omnibus: the identity crisis she goes through and attempts to forge herself as an individual is hinted at, but not shown. However, that arc had more potential and interest than Miles had in the entire omnibus, and she is a third string character in the omnibus!

This journey is certainly not without loss and betrayal, and Miles does stay true to the original Spiderman his goals and choices. Talking of crossovers, this partly acts as a lead in towards the big Secret Wars event. But don’t let put you off, as it’s not a big aspect of the story. There is a whole new generation of new hero’s created by man but not willing to be exploited, Miles and his friends are proof. Likewise, for a "half Puerto Rican" Miles shows nothing that is Puerto Rican at all. He doesn't speak Spanish, he doesn't celebrate or observe anything Puerto Rican. You would not even think his mother was Puerto Rican or Latina if her name was not Río. We then are thrown into the family mix. The supporting cast from his mother, to father, to especially his Uncle Aaron who turns out to be the prowler gets to mix MIles up in fun and interesting ways. Making him question if he's doing the right thing while trying to sort this superhero stuff out. It's great watching a multilayer character grow and it's not as simple as yes or no for Miles a lot of the time when making the choices. The arc with his uncle is both exciting, thanks to his uncle dynamic, but also the villain, the Scorpion, feels like a major threat that works on multiple levels.Collects Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (2011) #1-28, 16.1; Spider-Men (2012) #1-5; Cataclysm: Ultimate Spider-Man (2013) #1-3; Ultimate Spider-Man (2014) #200; Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man (2014) #1-12; Material From Ultimate Fallout (2011) #4. When the Peter Parker of the Ultimate Universe falls, the world needs a Spider-Man - and here comes Miles Morales! But what's the secret behind his powers - and can he master them before the Scorpion strikes? Family life gets complicated as Miles learns the truth about his uncle Aaron, and Captain America comes calling when war breaks out! Miles shares a multiversal meeting of the Spider-Men with the Marvel Universe's Peter Parker, but what tragedy could leave the young hero swearing never to wear the webs again? There'll be familiar faces, heroic allies, deadly menaces, a startling return and a sprinkling of romance in the complete Ultimate Universe adventures of Miles Morales! While the quality of stories does go down near the end this was the rare Omnibus that I was excited to read from start to finish. Most Omnibuses - due to their size - are hard for me to get through. Unlike a smaller collection which is either a short read or a collection of "best of" it is hard to expect an omnibus to grab your attention from start to finish but this one did (with the exception of the very end). Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce. What an epic book with so many great twists and turns and like its the origin of Miles into the Ultimate universe and its so well done from trying to fit into the legacy to becoming his own hero and introducing his supporting cast and then whatever happens with the ending its flawlessly executed! Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.