cbr14bingo Series Level 1
She might be a superhero with pretty cool powers, but she is still 16 and has a curfew.
I have read one other Ms. Marvel graphic novel/comic and was not totally impressed. I think that was because the character in the other book was a kid and Kamala in Ms. Marvel, Volume One: No Normal is a teenager, and somehow being a superhero is more believable to me if you are at least old enough to drive.
I had no idea who Ms. Marvel was before that first book. And now I have read both editions, I realize the series of Ms. Marvels are all over. It seems that many authors have tried to create a new superhero. Not only is she female, but she is Muslim, too. The superhero part aside (we know that story), our young heroine must deal with being a teenager, being a sibling, a daughter, a friend, a potential love interest, religion, and faith, and the everyday crazy on top of the racism she faces.
This is the first in this series. G. Willow Wilson’s Ms. Marvel is funny, sassy, naïve, pushy, a real kid/teen, who is trying to be a good daughter, not shame her family and still be able to go to a party. The one party she sneaks out to causes more trouble than it was worth: she is forced to endure the ugly of her classmates, gets a little sick off her first drink of alcohol (which she is not allowed), becomes lost going home, is caught in a weird fog, and starts to hallucinate. Or so she thinks. Visited by the images of Iron Man, Captain American and Captain Marvel, Kamala asks for the “perfect look.” And she gets it: blond hair, the un-PC outfit Captain Marvel used to wear, some kick-a$$ boots, big “talent” (like a police officer mentions about Captain Marvel later) and power. And with great power comes great responsibility, and a lot of learning curves.
I like how the author brings together the story and it is complemented by Adrian Alphona’s illustrations (wonderful comic book art that is fun to view and perfectly fits the story, it moves things along, supports it and helps with the humor). We see how the two worlds Kamala lives in (her family and their dynamics and the “outside” world) are different and similar. I like how they combine her need to be a modern woman (the hero of her own story and by helping others) and honors her religion by her choice of a more modest costume (among other ways). I like how even Kamala who seems confident has a piece of her thinking that Captain Marvel is the role model she should follow: the blond, large (again) talent and how one should act. I also liked a scene with her brother: it does not matter what faith they are, if they think someone has hurt their younger sister, the fists will fly, but that will not stop them from taking a bit of joy when that same sibling is in trouble with the folks.
I am not sure if I will continue with this series, or even with Ms. Marvel, but I enjoyed the experience of being able to read.
