Araña and Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow

By: Alex Segura

Narrated by: Victoria Villarreal

Araña is a Spider-Girl lost in time. . . . Miguel is a Spider-Man who’s lost his way. . . . Together, they’re our only hope.

Araña. It means spider—and it also means Anya Corazon. She was a normal Brooklyn teenager with normal Brooklyn problems—until a few months ago, when she was gifted with amazing spiderlike abilities, from super-strength and heightened agility to web-slinging. A powerful mentor guided her on how best to use these new powers for good—until Anya lost him, just as she lost her mother, just as she’s about to lose everything she knows.

Nueva York. It is the future of New York City, the home of the Spider-Man of 2099, and where Anya finds herself stranded, tossed across the century. And Nueva York’s Spider-Man, billionaire CEO Miguel O’Hara, is Araña’s only hope of getting home. But Araña and Spider-Man are about to discover that the enemies they face have dark and powerful connections to both heroes—and that this unlikely team across time will need to save much more than each other. . . .

Alex Segura, the Anthony Award–winning author of Secret Identity and Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall, brings two fan-favorite Spider-Verse heroes together in prose for the first time in this thrilling new time-hopping adventure.

Great! Till the end…

I didn’t go in expecting comic accuracy so there was no let down on the different takes on some characters, although I think Traveller as the villain wasn’t the best choice. I think the story would have had a bigger impact sticking with the Spider Society and the Sisterhood of the Wasps being the central controversy with some time travel thrown in.

That said I was engaged most of the book and enjoyed the listen. The narrator was great and I loved the Latin accent being added where it helped with the story telling such as in the pronunciation of names - this also helped me see the connection the author must have had between “Gabri” and “Gobby.”

Then end though… SPOILERS



It felt like a meet a deadline and not think too hard about how the hero’s save the day ending. And not just that but there a mere seconds and “she’s giving us a few extra needed seconds” just for there to be minutes of dialogue during this final, time sensitive act to save the world. I mean if it was gonna blow with a radius the size of the southern hemisphere, I don’t think two spider hero’s (even one with momentary extra enhanced strength) would be able to throw something they struggled to lift far enough that the blast radius wouldn’t hurt anyone. Space is only around 50 - 60 miles away and there’s no way they made it that far. Plus even if they could somehow throw it that far, there’s no way Miguel was doing anything to guide it in any way. I know it’s just a story in a super fictitious universe but it kinda broke the story for me.

And sure, she gets to keep her dad unlike the comics but now she also gets her mom back too? And she’s not even remotely connected to the Spider Society? I mean I think saving the world is a good ending, it doesn’t have to become a fairy tale perfect ending after all she is a Spider character.

Otherwise I thought it was a great story and a great listen!

Themes about not being afraid of your own potential

Loved how comic lore accurate this was as a follow up to the past original comics storyline