TomWithNoNumbers
Since: Dec, 2010
06/27/2014 00:00:00
Nice review. I was beginning to waver on issue 2 because of the slow pacing and maybe the slight self-indulgence with all the Avengers referencing (I still think this book is probably very heavily aimed at the new female audience they picked up with the films), but Kamala is such a lovely and relatable character that I got sucked in to her world and can't leave again. And the art really is so perfect for this story
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Ms. Marvel's Origin Arc=Marvelous
In January 2014, we got our first glimpse of Kamala Khan as the new Ms. Marvel: a smart-talking teenage Pakistani-American girl fighting a giant dinosaur trash robot. We also see that she has the common problem of superheroism: family and personal life. She certainly seemed like a fun character.
From February to June 2014 we got her first five issues that make up her origin story, and as origin stories go, it is, for lack of a better term, marvelous. While there is legitimate criticism to the arc as a whole (A little slow, a little too decompressed, a little reliant on past stories), they can arguably be forgiven when put together and compared to her January story in Point One.
Author G. W. Wilson skillfully wrote a tale that really goes into the various intricacies of Kamala: Avengers fangirl, over-protective yet loving family, cultural confusions in her life, and of course, adding superpowers into the mix. These struggles continue to show throughout the rest of the issues, culminating with her eventually donning a costume, trying and failing to be a hero, getting her second wind, and succeeding as her city's new protector. Kamala's complications are very clear to any reader because any reader can sympathize with her. Some say that Kamala's story can be considered the "next-gen" Spider-Man, where Peter Parker was written in mind of 1960's teenagers and their life struggles. Well, the 2010's have Kamala, and with her origin arc, combined with her Point One story, she is definitely here to stay.
Adrian Alphona's art also deserves props. The slightly more stylized and laid back art practically fits this story like a glove; Kamala is just beginning to discover who she really is and what she can do, and its a very small insular story, far away from the bigger events and the A-class heroes. The writing and the art make a really good combination, that its almost a shame that Alphona won't be around for #6 and #7.
All in all, the first arc of the new Ms. Marvel is a great read. It can appeal to any age, any gender, any culture, just...anybody. Its a comic that just hits home so much, and you can almost see yourself in Kamala Khan's shoes. Few criticisms aside, it's all around very solid, and hopefully in time, Kamala Khan will become one of Marvel's mainstays in the future.