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Review: Ms. Marvel #14

Posted on April 15, 2015 by

Although only just over a year into the stories of Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel, the character is nonetheless already somewhat of a staple for the company and even for the industry. It takes a different approach to the telling of the life of a superhero, with some similar mixed in to a lot of unfamiliar. Not so common are female heroes, even less so are Muslim heroes, but the title manages to combine the two together in a story which is neither stereotypical nor pandering. Truth be told there are moments when the character is exposed to pressures which would not be true of every young woman from a Muslim family, but then so too is there a bigger message here beyond that of typical superheroics.

This is illustrated well in this issue. In the past when Peter Parker dreamed about kissing Mary Jane Watson, it was she was out of his league, and it made the reader root for the dorky kid that everyone laughed at. The same holds true in this issue, as Kamala seems almost to be on the verge of her first kiss, but there is more to it than even that. For her sneaking away in the middle of the night holds a stigma which is beyond what other characters in similar situations had faced. If Spider-Man sneaked out for a midnight kiss, then it would be of note only for the character development, but in this case such an act would be an embarrassment for her family. It is because her heart’s desire is a bit enigmatic that this story falls back a bit to ground. Instead of pursuing a different avenue, the story here takes a very predictable turn, both with Kamala and with Bruno. Throw in also that the events of the Inhuman series have to be followed as well to have a full grasp of what is going on here, and the issue ends losing most of its momentum.

This is still a series to watch, but also should maybe be a warning to others trying to copy its success not to venture down a road which seems too familiar. There is very little which is familiar about this series on its surface, but as soon as this plot starts to roll out it seems very similar to a lot of stories that have come before, and even without an update to make it seem more modern. This particular issue is thus a bit of a letdown after the previous issue, using its formula of the new and modern and mixing it up with a retread.

Story: G. Willow Wilson Art: Takeshi Miyazawa
Story: 8.2 Art: 8.2 Overall: 8.2 Recommendation: Read

Review: Ms. Marvel #13

Posted on March 11, 2015 by

Among the more interesting developments in superhero comics in the past few years is the re-introduction of the Inhumans to such a prominent role within the Marvel Universe. There are of course some explanations for doing so. Without the movie rights to the X-Men, it becomes necessary to have an easy explanation for the proliferation of superheroes, and the back story of the Inhumans provides that. With both the movies and the television show focusing on the Inhumans, it is a logical step to make the comics do the same, thus increasing the popularity of the concept across the mediums. While the Inhumans have a new focus, with the supposed effect of explaining Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, it is with the Ms. Marvel that the concept truly finds what makes the mutants so popular.

The popularity of the X-Men as character rests not only in the superheroic exploits, but rather those exploits often serve as an analogy for the characters as they might be without the powers. Brian Singer said that the second X-Men movie was a pretty blatant analogy of what it is like to grow up being gay, but the appeal of the characters is in every form of exclusion, not only sexual preference. The Inhumans have some of the same appeal, except that to be Inhuman takes them from being flawed to being perfect instantly, whereas to be a mutant leaves them with a complexity below the surface that is due to them being the “other.” Ms. Marvel is the Inhuman which captures this other the best, not only feeling the awkwardness of being a teenage girl, but also of being a Muslim, and a Pakistani influenced by the culture of India.

While the plot in this first issue of a three part story arc is transparent at times with the introduction of a male counterpart to Kamala, it is still engaging on a different level. It manages to find a good balance between the superhero moments, either the training at the beginning of the issue or the battle halfway through, and the human moments. Some things are routine here but the strength of the character allows it to rise above and to be engaging for all the reasons that Spider-Man captured interest five decades ago. This is not a perfect series, but it does not aim to be, rather it accepts its flaws as the character does, and the result is more than the sum of its parts.

Story: G. Willow Wilson Art: Takeshi Miyazawa
Story: 8.9 Art: 8.9 Overall: 8.9 Recommendation: Buy

Comics

Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel, to the Rescue on San Francisco Buses

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Brett

For those not in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, or Washington, DC, the hate group, American Freedom Defense Initiative run by anti-Islam blogger Pamela Geller, has been running ads on buses telling the “truth” about Islam. Really, it’s a lot of bigotry and hate. A federal court ruled that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had to run the ads, and its not the first time that the MTA has had controversial ads run.

Graphic Policy Radio co-host Elana pointed out this awesome photo posted by the Muslim Community Network where we see Marvel‘s hit new hero Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, covering up the ads that are running in San Francisco and preaching to “stop the hate.”

Kamala stars in her own series Ms. Marvel published by Marvel comics, and is a teenage Muslim girl from Jersey. A brand new character, she’s broken out and one of the stand-out comic debuts of 2014. The comic is written by G. Willow Wilson, a Muslim herself, and is a prime example of the new diversity in comics. It helps that the comic is a fantastic read no matter you’re background.

This is an awesome example of culture jamming, using pop-culture to fight hate speech! Whomever is doing this, awesome job.

Update: We had indicated these buses were in NYC, but in fact this is San Francisco.

Update 2: It looks like its street artists combating various injustices through art are behind it. We’ve reached out to the San Francisco transportation authority for further details.

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