Charlie Michael is Assistant Professor in the Department of Film and Media at Emory University. His research focuses on popular culture and media industries in a global context. He is the author of French Blockbusters: Cultural Politics of a Transnational Cinema (2019) and the co-editor of the Directory of World Cinema: France (2013), and his work has also appeared in journals such as SubStance, Transnational Screens, and The Velvet Light Trap.

"Michael marries the worlds of film theory and larger popular culture critique in a way that is both deeply analytical and approachable for anyone interested in the majesty of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. His gradual unfolding of Miles Morales's debut film covers the vast complexities of its narrative and construction, from the animation to the racial politics at play, that offer a way for future superhero films to appeal to a youthful demographic that sees Miles Morales as "our Spider-Man". Michael takes a leap of faith with this work, and it is one that pays off handsomely by the volume's end."- Marcus Haynes, PhD, Georgia Gwinnett College, Author of YA novel The Orange Scepter“Michael’s headfirst high-dive into the endless complexities of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse acts like a guided tour through pop culture's past, present, and future. Just before you think the whole thing might crash and spin off endlessly into the myriad universes of intricate film theory and modern racial politics, Michael provides the reader a crucial webline that pulls them skyward and transforms each chapter into another beautiful swing alongside the colorful cast of Spider-Men through one of Hollywood’s richest contemporary texts. By the book’s end, I was convinced that Michael had moved beyond analyzing Into the Spider-Verse and was instead breaking down the fundamental ways our pop culture-infused brains work!”- Dan Gvozden, co-host of The Amazing Spider-Talk Podcast

• Introduction: ‘My name is Miles Morales’ 1. Into a Spider-Verse of References: ‘I’m pretty sure you know the rest’ 2. Animating the Spider-Verse:‘This literally could not get any weirder’ 3. Racializing the Spider-Verse:‘You gotta choose a side’ Conclusion: ‘Which one pointed first?’

Charlie Michael is Assistant Professor in the Department of Film and Media at Emory University. His research focuses on popular culture and media industries in a global context. He is the author of French Blockbusters: Cultural Politics of a Transnational Cinema (2019) and the co-editor of the Directory of World Cinema: France (2013), and his work has also appeared in journals such as SubStance, Transnational Screens, and The Velvet Light Trap.

"Michael marries the worlds of film theory and larger popular culture critique in a way that is both deeply analytical and approachable for anyone interested in the majesty of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. His gradual unfolding of Miles Morales's debut film covers the vast complexities of its narrative and construction, from the animation to the racial politics at play, that offer a way for future superhero films to appeal to a youthful demographic that sees Miles Morales as "our Spider-Man". Michael takes a leap of faith with this work, and it is one that pays off handsomely by the volume's end."- Marcus Haynes, PhD, Georgia Gwinnett College, Author of YA novel The Orange Scepter“Michael’s headfirst high-dive into the endless complexities of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse acts like a guided tour through pop culture's past, present, and future. Just before you think the whole thing might crash and spin off endlessly into the myriad universes of intricate film theory and modern racial politics, Michael provides the reader a crucial webline that pulls them skyward and transforms each chapter into another beautiful swing alongside the colorful cast of Spider-Men through one of Hollywood’s richest contemporary texts. By the book’s end, I was convinced that Michael had moved beyond analyzing Into the Spider-Verse and was instead breaking down the fundamental ways our pop culture-infused brains work!”- Dan Gvozden, co-host of The Amazing Spider-Talk Podcast

• Introduction: ‘My name is Miles Morales’ 1. Into a Spider-Verse of References: ‘I’m pretty sure you know the rest’ 2. Animating the Spider-Verse:‘This literally could not get any weirder’ 3. Racializing the Spider-Verse:‘You gotta choose a side’ Conclusion: ‘Which one pointed first?’