Magnificent Ms Marvel: Stormranger

by Saladin Ahmed, Joey Vazquez, Mikyu Jung, Juan Vlasco, Ian Herring, & Alex Arizmendi
collects Magnificent Ms Marvel #7-12
main series reviews: volumes four | five | nine | ten
magnificent ms marvel reviews: volumes one | two

Saladin Ahmed continues his run on Ms Marvel with volume two! This arc wasn’t as much of a home run as the debut, but Ahmed does a nice job both moving Kamala forward while also drawing extensively from her previous stories.

Kamala is very much our generation’s Peter Parker, and echoes of that parallel come up often in Stormranger. Kamala’s day trip with her buddies Nakia and Zoe is derailed; Kamala is pulled between her responsibilities and talking to Bruno about their relationship; and when her new alien tech suit becomes sentient, Kamala must choose between saving its target or staying in the hospital to help her dad.

These emotional dilemmas are where the story really shines – not because they’re echos of Peter, but because they show us who Kamala is. Ahmed and his artist team heighten the suspense, reveal Kamala’s emotions and reactions well, and she has to live with the very real consequences – positive and otherwise – from her choices. Those consequences create real investment on behalf of the reader, move the story forward, and continue to reveal Kamala’s character.

The story falters with the villains of the story, several of whom are from Ms Marvel’s earlier stories. While it’s great to see her building a rogues gallery, these “villains” – it’s almost too kind to call them that – were relatively shallow when G Willow Wilson introduced them, and we don’t get much more of that from Ahmed. I forgot about these characters and probably will again when they make a return.

Joey Vazquez’s pencils open the second volume of Ms Marvel, and while his style is highly polished and consistent, I didn’t like how he rendered Kamala’s face. Since the beginning she’s had a distinctive nose shape and brow line, and some artists choose more creative license with this; to me, it’s a necessary part of her look. Minkyu Jung, the regular artist for volume one, takes over midway through the book, and it’s honestly a welcome return. His pencils are gorgeous and feel very true to Kamala and Jersey City; Jung might actually be my favorite Ms Marvel artist behind Nico Leon.

spoilers this paragraph: We also see a long awaited step forward in Kamala and Bruno’s relationship, and all I can say is – finally! (But the cover of them kissing left a lot to be desired.) Though Bruno might have chosen the wrong time to declare his love for Kamala, it’s so sweet to see him support her as Ms Marvel and through her father’s illness too, and they make a great couple. Ahmed referenced a conversation between Kamala’s brother Aamir and Bruno way back in volume 4 (I discussed it in the review here). I’m thrilled Ahmed is going to continue this conversation – minorities being in relationships with those outside their minority groups is a complicated issue, and seeing how Kamala’s family reacts will be interesting to say the least.

Even though this wasn’t the strongest Ms Marvel story, there are important character developments and some emotional resolutions as well. Ahmed and Jung have a strong handle on character and pacing, and above all what makes a Kamala story unique and so enjoyable. Looking forward to volume 3.