Comic Review | Miles Morales Volume 1: Straight Out Of Brooklyn

Our youngest favorite Spider-Man has his hands full juggling his personal life and his heroism. Which ball will drop first?

Miles Morales thought his creative writing teacher was joking when he instructed the class to start keeping a journal. But once Miles starts, he finds he doesn’t want to stop. He certainly has a lot to keep track of.

Miles Morales Volume 1: Straight Out Of Brooklyn | Written by Saladin Ahmed, art by Javier Garron

Miles is also known as Spider-Man, Brooklyn’s beloved masked superhero. Nobody knows that, however, except his mom and dad and his best friend Ganke. His own maybe-girlfriend doesn’t even know and Miles is sweating trying to keep it that way.

When someone kidnaps his maybe-girlfriend’s cousin along with other at-risk youth in the area, Miles’ two separate lives come dangerously close. He’s going to need the help of The Rhino and Captain America to keep these kids, and his secret, safe.

[Straight Out Of] Brooklyn Is Home To All

Miles Morales: Straight Out Of Brooklyn is one of those volumes that feels like home. I first read it four days ago and I’ve thought about it every day since. It’s the characters and the rich world writer Saladin Ahmed has brought to life, far more than the plot, that makes me want to sink back into this book at every opportunity. In fact, of the three storylines in this volume, only the first really intrigued me.

The idea to have Miles journal is genius because it allows for a lot of natural exposition. This makes this volume a good starter for the Spider-Man world. I’ve tried to get into Spider-Man comics before but failed because there were an already established world and decades of history I had to understand first. Straight Out Of Brooklyn is far more accessible than that.

Artist Javier Garron did a splendid job rendering the beautiful, varied faces of Brooklyn. One thing that perturbed me, however, was how muscular Garron drew these high school students. I don’t doubt that Miles is strong, but the way his suit displayed every divot of muscle was off-putting given his young age. Same goes for all of his peers.

Art and plot weaknesses aside, this volume is full of wonderful nuggets that make it a lovely read for all.

Miles Morales Volume 1: Straight Out Of Brooklyn by Saladin Ahmed and Javier Garron is published by Marvel Comics and is available to buy NOW!

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Katarina Schultz is the Features Editor for Future of the Force. She is a passionate Star Wars, Star Trek, and Marvel fan. Follow her on Twitter @asuperhumanlife where she uses the force frequently!

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