New York, Aug 3 (IANS/EFE) Marvel Comics revealed Tuesday that the heir to the Spider-Man costume following the death of Peter Parker will be Miles Morales, a teenager of half-Hispanic and half-black origin who will protect New York from the bad guys starting Wednesday, when "Ultimate Comics Fallout #4" hits the magazine racks.

"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 21st century," said Marvel's editor-in-chief, himself the son of a Mexican father and British mother.

"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," Alonso said in a statement.

So for the first time in history Spider-Man will not be the disguised freelance photographer Peter Parker, since Parker died last June at the hands of the evil Green Goblin in the "Ultimate" comic book series, though he remains alive in the original series, "The Amazing Spider-Man".

The "Ultimate" series began in 2000 with the goal of winning young readers with alternative, updated stories of Marvel's most popular superheroes like Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men.