Vamos a San Juan! Miles Morales and the fam are headed on a vacation to Puerto Rico. But his mom, Rio, has relatives Miles has never met — relatives with seeekrits that could turn Spidey’s world upside down. Learn those seeekrits in Miles Morales: Spider-Man Annual #1, featuring:
“On the Road,” written by Cody Ziglar, drawn by David Baldeón, colored by Dono Sȧnchez-Almara and lettered by Cory Petit.
“Leyendas,” written by Curtis Baxter, drawn by Alitha Martinez, colored by Ceci De La Cruz and lettered by Petit.
“Night Shift,” written by Danny Lore, drawn by Elena Casagrande, colored by Dee Cunniffe and lettered by Petit.
Featuring three short stories by three different teams, Miles Morales: Spider-Man Annual #1 gives Miles a much-needed vacation. The first story, “On the Road,” features Miles flying to Puerto Rico to visit his abuela, Gloria Morales. Not only does Miles get to know her tough and soft sides, but he gets in a little secret heroism that strengthens their relationship.
Moreover, David Baldeón’s artwork and Cory Petit’s lettering stand out especially well during the heroism part, where Miles camouflages himself to stop a truck from plowing into a crowd at a Puerto Rican street market that he is shopping at with his abuela. Miles’ internal monologue here is shown in bright red and white text boxes that are a sharp contrast to the light, vibrant color palette of the market and the people.
Concurrently, Cody Ziglar’s down-to-earth, humorous writing style shines here too as Abuelita chastises the truck driver and the kid he was chasing. Finally, Dono Sȧnchez-Almara’s color work is vivid on the story’s final page, where Miles and Abuela watch fireworks. All in all, this was a sweet story about familial roots.
The second story, “Leyendas,” features Miles still vacationing in Puerto Rico when a hurricane hits. Taking place several days after “On the Road,” this story shows Miles being joined by his family as his Abuelita tells him about a Puerto Rican urban legend about a god who creates natural disasters in response to humans losing touch with nature. This comic also features a guest appearance by Ororo Munroe, aka Storm, who looks fabulous thanks to Alitha Martinez’s artwork and Ceci De La Cruz’s earthy colors making her look like the goddess she is. Writer Curtis Baxter penned a wonderful tribute to the enduring spirit of the Indigenous people of Puerto Rico as well as Miles’ family and himself.
The third and final story, “Night Shift,” features Miles en route to Atlanta to meet with Brielle Brooks, aka Bloodline, the daughter of Blade. He needs help managing his new vampire urges after Blood Hunt, but isn’t sure whether he can do it. This is notable considering the fact that Miles unintentionally hurt Brielle when he first became a vampire during the event. Writer Danny Lore does a compelling job voicing Miles’ vulnerability and uncertainty in the form of his internal monologue lettered by Petit and his external dialogue to Brielle. Elena Casagrande’s art complements this well, especially when Miles voices his fears as he takes off his Spider-Man mask.
All in all, this comic literally gives Miles a much needed hug while teasing future implications for the character. These implications are explored further in a bonus short comic at the end of the annual featuring Agent Gao hiring Taskmaster and Deadpool to kill Miles. For those who don’t know, Gao is a cop who deeply mistrusts vigilantes after losing someone close to her and has clashed with Miles in the past. It is unknown how her putting a hit on Miles will affect him in the future, but he sure has a lot on his plate.
Buy Miles Morales: Spider-Man Annual #1 here. (Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, ComicsXF may earn from qualifying purchases.)
Latonya Pennington is a freelance contributor whose comics criticism can be found at Women Write About Comics, Comic Book Herald, Newsarama and Shelfdust, among others.
