Review: ‘Araña and Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow’ is a bright and bold intro to Spider-Verse heroes

“Araña and Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow” by Alex Segura was released in early May with a bright and bold cover and the promise of a thrilling story starring the two most prominent Latino Spider-heroes in Marvel. 

Araña, a Spider-Girl named Anya Corazon, is a Brooklyn teen struggling with normal teenage things like school, friends, and helping her investigative journalist Papi. When a run-in with a mysterious figure and a shady group in the park leaves her with a fatal wound, she’s saved by the mystery man’s ability to gift her with arcane spider powers.

That man, named Miguel, becomes her mentor and teaches her how to be a Spider-hero. But then Miguel is killed, and Anya returns to fighting neighborhood crime and D-list villains alone. 

Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O’Hara (not the same Miguel) comes into play when an ancient artifact blasts Anya into the future after the main villain’s first plan goes haywire. There, in the year 2105, Anya meets a Spider-Man who’s hung up his suit and carries around years of trauma and baggage instead.

The main story of “Araña and Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow” is all about courage, potential, the power of teamwork, and the importance of community. Both Araña and Spider-Man 2099 have to learn that while there’s a great responsibility that comes with their great powers, they don’t always have to do it alone.

The book’s big baddie, Judas Traveller, is a bit of a deep cut from the Marvel villain universe. In the book, his goal is to harness the power of lost potential to awaken an ancient evil and, like every other villain, rule the universes. 

It’s up to the lost Araña, the bruised and broken Spider-Man 2099, and a fun cameo by Gwen Stacey’s Ghost Spider in the third act to stop Judas Traveller. 

“Araña and Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow” exists in its own continuity, which means author Segura had the creative freedom to play around with these beloved characters and their stories.

It may not exist in the same timeline or universes as “Across the Spider-Verse,” but the young adult book is an excellent introduction to Anya Corazon and Miguel O’Hara as well as the culture of the Spider community.

The main story arc of Spider-persons vs. Judas Traveller can be confusing at times – it is time travel, after all. But the brightest parts of the book come with the characters’ evolutions and emotional growth.

Anya and Miguel both start out as lost and unsure of themselves. Anya lost her mother to mysterious circumstances as a child, and Miguel blames his position as Spider-Man for the losses of his brother and fiance. They both feel burdened with a purpose that ends up hurting other people, and neither knows how to ask for help. 

But thanks to Anya’s tireless motivation to do good, she is the hero of this story, picking Miguel up along the way. 

Other bright parts of the book include mentions of the Spider Society and the Sisterhood of the Wasp. In the comics, the Spider Society was an ancient, secret group that worshipped spider deities. And the Sisterhood of the Wasp was the Spider Society’s main nemesis.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

In the upcoming “Across the Spider-Verse” movie, the sequel to “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” coming out on June 2, 2023, Miles Morales meets the Spider Society (led by Miguel O’Hara) when he’s flung into another universe.

Besides Spider-Man 2099, the Society also has Spider-Woman, Peter B. Parker’s Spider-Man, Spider-Punk, Spider-Man India, and more Spider-persons.

“Araña and Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow” is a thrilling and dizzying ride into the multiverse of Spider-persons and their quirky villains. But it remains grounded in the quintessential Spider-man morals: great power, great responsibility, and great heart.

“Araña and Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow” is available now from Disney Books.