The Miles Chronicles: Spider-Man Annual

Hello true believers! Miles is back again (even if it is just for the annual) with a new writer! So let’s see what Bryan Hill does with Miles and maybe the story will move faster than molasses down a hill for once.

 

Title: Youngblood

Writer: Bryan Edward Hill

Artist: Nelson Blake II and Alitha E. Martinez

Color Artist: Carlos Lopez

Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit

Cover Art: Chris Anika

Editor: Chris Robinson

Published: August 8, 2018

 

The story opens with Miles fighting everyone’s favorite villain, MORBIUS THE LIVING VAMPIRE! Hold on, I’m being told that Morbius is actually a crappy villain that nobody really likes. Oh well. Anyway, Miles is fighting him, Morbius gets the upper hand, then flashback!

 

And here is where it gets a little weird. It flashes back to a point between Miles getting his powers and becoming Spider-Man and before his Uncle Aaron finds out he’s Spider-Man, I think? More on that later. So it’s Miles’ birthday and as a gift Aaron gives Miles $500 cash and tells him not to worry where came from. Then Miles is at school, this guy Brent comes up who apparently is friends with Miles and Ganke though we’ve never seen him before. He gives Miles 2 tickets to get into a new clothing store or something. Miles doesn’t want to go because “it really isn’t [his] scene”. Brent tells him that his sister is going and she’s awkward and she is in his class, so could Miles go with her to make her more comfortable? Miles says sure and they go. As it turns out, Ganke and Brent are actually trying to set up Miles and Brent’s sister, Olivia. Miles and Olivia are shopping and hitting it off when, Surprise Skrulls! What? As far as I’m aware there wasn’t a skrull invasion around that time, yet there’s multiple skrulls that attack here, with a skrull ship even. So I guess Miles is just fighting some random skrulls. Ok, I guess? Anyway, Miles fights the first one who is dressed like a cop (which is also weird that they weren’t shapeshifted either, he was just wearing a cop uniform). Miles beats him up then Spider-Man shows up, but guess what? HE WAS A SKRULL TOO! OH NO!!!!!! Spider-Skrull beats the crap out of Miles and Miles starts having a breakdown about how he can’t do it, and he’s too scared, and yadda yadda yadda. This was definitely the worst part of the issue. I don’t want to see Miles blubbering like a baby in the middle of the street while Thor is in the background beating up Skrulls. That’s lame. I want to see Miles beating up Skrulls while Thor is in the background blubbering like a baby.

 

I’m not kidding, Miles was actually whining while Thor beat up Skrulls in the background

 

Miles eventually learns this lesson about how even though Miles may be scared, Spider-Man can’t be scared right now because he has to save people. He then beats up Spider-Skrull but discovers that his friend Brad (you know, the one that every Miles fan has been super invested in since the beginning) is dead. Olivia somehow doesn’t recognize him even though his costume is the outfit that she picked out for him and tells him to go away.

 

What do you mean “whoever you are” you literally helped him pick that hoodie he’s wearing!

 

Fast Forward a bit to Brad funeral, Miles and Olivia become closer and set up that this will probably be an ongoing love interest for any of his background stories, and then he goes to confront Aaron. He gives back the money and tells Aaron that it does matter where the money came from. Then we go back to the present where Miles promptly venom shocks Morbius and ends the fight. The End.

 

The story was alright, this is a new author taking control of someone else’s character so I understand that there is going to be a period of adjustment. What I don’t understand, is why Ganke was such a baby for this issue:

I named these pictures: “Ganke being a baby” and “Ganke being a baby part 2” in my files

 

Ganke has been through way worse than this and he never, NEVER, reacts this way. NEVER!

 

One of the coolest things about this issue was Miles’ new costume:

That is such a cool costume

THAT IS SUCH A COOL COSTUME!

 

So let’s go back to earlier when I said I was kind of sure when this flashback takes place. So When Aaron finds out that Miles is Spider-Man, he starts blackmailing him into helping him and becomes very adversarial towards Miles and Miles doesn’t really want anything to do with him. Miles is hanging out with Aaron here, of his own volition, which makes it seem like this is before Aaron finds out Miles’ secret. But then Aaron starts giving him this speech about how Miles needs to learn how to look after himself first and to not be a hero which is just a weird thing to say if you don’t know that your nephew is actually a superhero, especially when that speech kinda comes out of the blue there. Maybe this is when Aaron start suspecting Miles? I don’t know. So, for now, I’m guessing that it’s before Aaron knows.

 

The issue overall was good, we actually had three, THREE, fight scenes which is amazing because we got only half of one with Bendis if we were lucky. I think Hill could be a decent replacement for Bendis if he really is going to be the guy to take over full time, but he has to get rid of this crying and whining stuff from Miles and Ganke. That just isn’t them.

 

Grade: B+

 

Now onto the real star of this issue: THE GANKE BONUS SEGMENT!!!

I CANNOT PUT INTO WORDS HOW GREAT THE BONUS STORY IS 10/10

GRADE: A++++++