Marvel Comics Unveils Latino Spider-Man
None of us was surprised when Quique, arguably the most gullible of our little band of street urchins, jumped off the roof of his house with a towel tied around his neck, draping down his back. Word on the street was he though he could fly, like Kaliman – El Hombre Increible; I think he thought he wouldn’t get hurt.
Our favorite things back then were reading Kaliman comics, daring Quique to do outlandish things and then betting among ourselves whether he’d do them or not. I mostly bet not and won most of my bets, except the day he dropped off the roof. Every once in a while, though, the gang would huddle around me under the large poplar in front of our house and I’d read Captain America or Spider-Man to them – I was the only kid in the neighborhood who could read English and I’d translate (embellish even) on the spot. Good superhero stories defy language; I think it has to do with the fact that while Steve Rogers and Peter Parker are definitely American, their alter-ego’s are universal.
I wonder what the guys would think now that Marvel Comics has unveiled plans to make their new Spider-Man a half-Latino, half-black kid named Miles Morales. According to a release in the Marvel website,
“When the opportunity arose to create a new Spider-Man, we knew it had to be a character that represents the diversity—in background and experience—of the twenty-first century,” said Axel Alonso, Marvel Editor in Chief. “Miles is a character who not only follows in the tradition of relatable characters like Peter Parker, but also shows why he’s a new, unique kind of Spider-Man—and worthy of that name.”
The tricky thing is that the old Spidey didn’t die, at least not in the “regular Marvel universe.” What Marvel has done is killed Peter Parker in their Ultimate Spider-Man series, which is separate from the regular, same-old Spider-Man. Got that?
This is how USA Today explains it:
In the regular Marvel Universe, Peter Parker will still be the same web-swinging Spidey as he has been since his first appearance in 1962. But in the Ultimate line, launched in 2000 to tell contemporary stories, he received a new origin and a reimagined supporting cast that paralleled the Spidey in regular Marvel continuity.
I wouldn’t have thought of this when I was a kid, but 40 years later I wonder about the socio-demographic implications (as the nerdy scientist in Peter Parker’s universe would say). Miles Morales will obviously live in New York City, or a similar metropolis; but where in that city? Will he speak Spanish at home? Are his friends drop outs? Should they be? Will he register to vote? Will he travel to Arizona in pursuit of a criminal and be detained because he doesn’t look like he’s from “around those parts?”
Again USA Today:
“What you have is a Spider-Man for the 21st century who’s reflective of our culture and diversity. We think that readers will fall in love with Miles Morales the same way they fell in love with Peter Parker.”
In a sense this is huge – a comic hero that black and Latino kids can truly relate to. It also speaks loudly of the potential Latino and black consumer markets – there are stacks of money to be made selling Miles Morales’ adventures as el espidey.
The first issue of the new Morales Spider-Man will be released this September. It would have been great to have had him back in the old neighborhood. I probably would have been reading more to the guys. And it would have been better for Quique too; maybe he wouldn’t have tried to jump off his bicycle moments before it crashed into a wall. I lost that bet as well.
Follow victor Landa on Twitter: @vlanda
[Photo by popculturegeek.com]
