In Miles Morales: Suspended, the interplay of prose, verse, illustrations, and typography amplifies the emotional intensity of Miles’s experiences and explores his unique perspective as both a teenager and Spiderman. The novel’s creators interweave poetry with prose, sometimes on the same page and sometimes with one as a direct continuation of the other, and these strategic techniques give rise to a multilayered narrative that mirrors the complexity of Miles’s thought processes. For example, the poem “My Block” evokes his lived experience of his neighborhood’s atmosphere when he describes his “eyelids lifting to meet // a sun that barely breaks // the brownstone roofline. // Everything orange.” (9). Along the same lines, the novel’s quasi-poetic structure provides a myriad of opportunities for Miles to relate his surroundings to spiderlike imagery. This pattern can also be seen in the novel’s occasional illustrations, as with the visual comparison of a web-bound spider to falling snowflakes, which emphasizes the uniqueness of both natural patterns and draws Miles’s superhero abilities. 

The book also blends free verse, alliteration, and rap-like prose to infuse the language with passion and intensity. For example, when reflecting on the issue of authority, Miles states, “because when you // upset or upstage or // upside-down // any authority figures” (5); this rapid-fire, staccato description of his resistance to his racist teacher expresses the underlying tension of these experiences. Similarly, a prose passage states that Miles decisively “[t]old Mr. Chamberlain he was not (1) a pincushion, or (2) a punching bag, or (3) a puppet, or (4) a pet, or (5) a pawn” (6), and although the nonstandard use of this list format contrasts with the lyricism of poetry, it also draws upon rhythm and repetition to communicate Miles’s frustration and defiance. With these stylistic choices, the novel’s creators make Miles’s voice, perspective, and emotions tangible on multiple levels, exhibiting the efficacy of using Language as a Tool for Empowerment.

As these conflicts play out in Miles’s vibrant psychological landscape, the novel also situates its teenage protagonist in a tense, restrictive environment that ignites his sense of injustice and illustrates the challenges of adolescence. To this end, the setting of Brooklyn Visions Academy itself becomes a battlefield upon which Miles is forced into Combating the Undercurrents of Systemic Racism. During each school day, Miles feels physically and emotionally “locked in,” overcome by a complex mixture of frustration, anger, and unease as he struggles to fight back against the systemic pressures of the academy and the personal pressures of his family’s expectations. 

While Miles grapples with these challenges, the issue of racism is examined through both overt and subtle references, as when Alicia teaches Miles a chant to combat racism: “We are not pincushions… we are people” (26). While he and his friends take decisive action to fight against racism, Miles’s contemplative nature is also revealed in his habit of using inconsequential moments, such as the details of his schoolwork, to sort through his frustrations about his circumstances. For example, when he reflects on his calculus assignment, the narrative states, “Miles wasn’t sure he was a good equat-er. Or maybe he felt like the equator. Like some kind of dividing line, always under fire. And there was no equation for that.” (90). With these key moments, the novel outlines the protagonist’s struggle to assert himself and find a stable form of freedom within the rigid social and educational structures that force him to conceal the full essence of his identity.

Because Miles is a multifaceted protagonist navigating the intersecting challenges of adolescence and his superhero abilities, he must constantly examine The Duality of Identity even as he finds new ways to resist systemic oppression. The pressures of this duality manifest with his need to balance the expectations of his upbringing in Brooklyn, “where we talk loud enough // to be heard over car horns” (7), with the demands of his prestigious academy and the responsibilities of his secret role as Spiderman. Notably, his relationships reflect both his vulnerabilities and strengths, for his romantic interest, Alicia, shares his frustrations with authority, and his friend Ganke provides him with much-needed companionship and understanding. 

In addition to these complex conflicts and concerns, Miles must also focus on Reckoning with Family Legacy and its less pleasant aspects. Specifically he worries over whether his father might disown him, just as his father cut ties with Uncle Aaron due to the man’s troubled legacy and life of crime. These issues inform Miles’s reflections and his growing concern for Austin, and his awareness of his own family’s current difficulties add intensity to his confrontations with Mr. Chamberlain, the mysterious Warden, and the ongoing stress of the academy’s institutional injustices. As Miles processes these issues through poetic reflection, the interwoven prose and poetry illuminates his growing awareness of systemic inequities and fuels his determination to resist them.