Miles Morales -- ep. by Terrance Wellmaker

A short take on superheroes Miles Morales. 
Written by Terrance Wellmaker
Read by Kassandra Timm

Transcript

Spider-Man is arguably Marvel's greatest and most recognizable character. First introduced back in 1963 in Amazing Fantasy #15, readers were introduced to the nerdy but lovable Peter Parker, and they became accustomed to that version of the character for nearly 50 years, believing that only Peter Parker was and could be Spider-Man.

Fast forward to 2011, comic writer Brian Michael Bendis introduced readers and soon the world to the new Spider-Man known as Miles Morales. Since then, Miles has made a name for himself all on his own, with his own comic series and appearing in nearly every crossover since the 2018 Into the Spider-Verse. Miles has “blown up” in extreme proportions.

You’re listening to Remarkable Receptions — a podcast about popular and critical responses to African American novels and more. 

Comic book readers all around the world were first introduced to Miles Morales on July 13th, 2011 in Ultimate Fallout, a story that dealt with the aftermath of Peter Parker Spider-Man's death. After such an important storyline, fans were in an uproar that Spider-Man, the aforementioned posterboy of Marvel comics, would be killed off. While there was still the main 616 version, this was during a time where the Ultimate universe had the potential to replace the main 616 universe, so fans really felt as if they were losing THE Spider-Man. 

When readers first met Miles Morales Spider-Man: a black Hispanic teen, and Marvel's answer to the Spider-Man-less-universe, his reception revealed some conflict between faithful comic book readers, the more progressive fans, and of course bigoted audience members. But eventually, Miles resonated across the landscape. So much so that Miles was later rolled over into the main 616 universe in 2015's “Secret Wars.” 

Miles's introduction also predated 2015's "All New, All Different" era, where Marvel Comics wanted more inclusivity in the representation of their characters. Miles is a legacy character who wasn't a part of that initiative but nevertheless fits within its aims. Despite the overall negative sales and receptions of many comic books during that time, Miles continuously connected and prevailed with readers. 

Miles flourishes in comics today, and has been a top selling comic book property in recent years. He has appeared in animation, video games, and television. Miles is a trailblazer, and the love and reception of his character and the impact he has made have been nothing less than remarkable.

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This episode of Remarkable Receptions was written by Terrance Wellmaker. The episode was edited by Elizabeth Cali and Howard Rambsy. 

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This podcast, Remarkable Receptions, is part of the Black Literature Network, a joint project from African American literary studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the History of Black Writing at the University of Kansas. The project was made possible by the generous support of the Mellon Foundation.  For more information, visit blacklitnetwork.org.