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.

Magnificent Ms. Marvel: Destined

by Saladin Ahmed, Mikyu Jung, Juan Vlasco, and Ian Herring
collects Magnificent Ms Marvel #1-6
main series: volumes four | five | nine | ten
magnificent ms marvel: volume one

An all-new series of (Magnificent) Ms. Marvel is off to a very strong start! To be honest, I was a bit wary of Ahmed taking over – G. Willow Wilson handed over the reigns at the top of her game, and I wasn’t a fan of Black Bolt – but from the opening pages to the closing Zelda reference at the end, I’m all in for Kamala’s new adventures.

Ahmed, penciller Mikyu Jung and inker Juan Vlasco, as well as colorist Ian Herring (a longtime Ms Marvel colorist!) retain all the essential parts of Kamala – she’s just as headstrong and kind, fiercely loyal and a big fan of video games. Her Muslim identity is just one of the many parts of her.

This opening arc is a space story leaning heavily into fantasy. Just as Kamala’s father learns his daughter is Ms. Marvel – and as we all could have guessed, he’s not happy about it – Kamala is visited by aliens, telling her that she is the Destined One who will save their planet!

Space fantasy is a new kind of story for Ms Marvel – it’s fun, nothing groundbreaking and the aliens themselves are more or less forgettable. The real core of the story is Kamala and her family – in this case, the ones who tag along for the adventure. Kamala’s family, both biological and chosen, has always been the heartbeat for the Ms Marvel series, and Ahmed was wise to keep that narrative thread the whole way through. Several people closest to Kamala even narrate a few issues, showing Ahmed’s clear depth with these characters even in his first volume with them. Shooting Ms Marvel into space removes her from school and most of her secondary cast, but it still introduces new readers to Ms Marvel’s tone and heart, while moving some things forward.

Speaking of which, the emotional reveal in the final issue is somewhat predictable if you were paying attention, but seeing Kamala learn the truth was still emotional and well done. This will force Kamala to grow in ways she’s never had to before, and it’s a bold, smart choice by the team. Plus, this final issue also sees one of the most heartfelt Iron Man cameos I’ve ever seen.

Jung, Vlasco and Herring’s art is consistent within Ms Marvel’s world and the art team does a lovely job contrasting New Jersey with Saffa, an ethereal but believable alien world. Even though Nico Leon remains my favorite Ms Marvel penciller, Jung still faithfully adapts Ms Marvel’s characters well – and gives her a really cool new suit.

spoilers this paragraph. I’m most curious to see if Kamala will take advantage of her parents’ Men in Black-esque memory wipe, or choose to reveal who she is again? Especially since she now has limited time to do so with one of them. Considering the stress about to fall on her family, my guess is this will become a big question for her. I hope this takes center stage rather than extending her will they/won’t they with Bruno. A relationship can still be interesting once it’s in “they will” territory! Aargh!

Black Bolt: Hard Time

by Saladin Ahmed & Christian Ward
volume one

I barely made it two issues through Black Bolt’s first volume and Saladin Ahmed’s writing debut. After reading bits and pieces of his writing in Wilson’s final arc of Ms. Marvel, I was tentatively optimistic about a creative partnership with him and fantastic artist Christian Ward (Invisible Kingdom), about a character whom I had seen before, but knew nothing about.

My biggest issue with this book was Ahmed’s overuse of exposition. Every question was explained almost as soon as it was presented, and it became boring almost instantly. In the opening pages, Black Bolt wakes up in a maximum prison, and almost immediately after remembering who he is, suddenly remembers who got him in the prison in the first place, and how. This could have been a mystery with some surprise and feelings on the reader’s end, rather than explaining it to us straightaway (and then reminding us to shoehorn in some sympathy).

The prison lets inmates be toyed with and killed, and the stronger ones are regenerated; it’s interesting, but right after Bolt dies the first time, the whole thing is explained to him. Then the exposition turns to wooden dialogue between new characters, their backstories, et cetera. It’s boring and removes any sense of urgency or mystery.

Especially for a character forced to live as a mute because of the destructive power of his voice (thanks Wikipedia), there should have been as little exposition as possible and let the story unfold naturally and visually.

Ahmed didn’t need to lean on any exposition with a fantastic creative partner like Ward. Ward excels in the weird and colorful, and he does a fantastic job with the disorienting nature of the prison, colorful aliens, and bright neons that really pop. I’m glad I flipped to the back of the book, because Ward’s completely carries the climactic moment, while the narrator completely undermines it, explaining what’s happening and even giving away some losses that would have been so much more powerful shown, not told. (And if any artist can handle the “show,” it’s Ward.)

Exposition combined with Bolt thinking like an extreme narc give me little reason to care about him and his situation. He reminds us that he is a king and one of the most powerful beings in the universe over and over, with a pretentious tone that was a real turn off. He even says that as king, he has a “pure bloodline,” which just shouldn’t be a thing anymore (particularly if you’re king of the Inhumans). And finally, anyone who seriously calls themselves “Blackagar Boltagon” should not be taken seriously.

Finally, the group Bolt eventually surrounds himself with are a mix of new characters and some D-list villains, from what I gathered on Goodreads. Rava, the Skrull warrior and only woman in the book, was still hyper-masculine and I hated how her sexuality was treated like one of the snu-snu Amazon women in Futurama. It felt gross, compared to male characters Creel and Bolt’s romantic and redemptive partners who are just waiting for them on the outside! That’s what real feminine women do! Wait! On the outside! UGH.

No, I did not like Blackabolt, and it doesn’t give me a lot of hope for the next Ms Marvel trade. If we were going to get the adventures of a forced mute in a prison intended to torture and regenerate its inmates, PLEASE GIVE ME A TRADE ABOUT JASON MENDOZA INSTEAD.

Ms. Marvel: Time and Again

by G Willow Wilson, Nico Leon, Ian Herring, and a ton of guest writers and artists including Rainbow Rowell, Hasan Minhaj, Saladin Ahmed, Joey Vazquez, Takeshi Miyazawa, and Jim Zub
collects Ms. Marvel #31-38
main series: volumes four | five | nine | ten
magnificent ms marvel: volume one | two

Time and Again is truly a love letter to the Ms. Marvel universe, and to its author G Willow Wilson, co-creator of Kamala Khan and the title’s writer for five years, since the very first issue. Wilson concludes her run as Ms Marvel’s writer in this volume, her tenth. I was hesitant going into this final arc; volume nine had weak villains and a shallow love triangle, and I was worried that Wilson had burned out of story. But I was so happy to be proven wrong: Time and Again is one of the best Ms. Marvel volumes to date. Wilson and Nico Leon take the absolute best of Ms. Marvel – the heart, humor, nerdy references, and authenticity of  minority culture – and let it all shine in this final arc.

Wilson and Leon spread the love for the first (#31)and final (#38) issues, to the point that creative teams switch every couple of pages. These issues managed to carry a cohesive story, though sometimes the plot stretched a bit (no pun intended) and the change in illustrations might be jarring. One famous new addition to the team is comedian and Patriot Act host Hasan Minhaj, who wrote the final pages of 31 – I believe this is his first time writing for comics and he does a splendid job, especially since he’s tasked with a poignant and significant reveal.

It was actually quite humbling to see Wilson hand the final pages of her very last issue to Saladin Ahmed, who will be taking over as writer. Her act of generosity further sends the message that Ms. Marvel belongs not to her, but to everyone – especially those underrepresented or often without a voice in comics. That’s the beauty of what Ms Marvel has done to the superhero landscape, like Miles Morales and others before her – and Wilson humbly and beautifully communicates that message as she shares the stage here. (*an added note here that Ms Marvel is now a part of the wider Marvel universe, in animated shows, video games – and soon, her formal introduction to the MCU.)

This volume, despite its large creative team, still feels so congruous because all the writers and artists implicitly understand something essential about minority characters: that Kamala is a full, real person, and her minority status isn’t a decoration or diversity for its own sake. It’s also reflected in her equally diverse supporting cast, unfortunately a double rarity in all stories. (see Wilson’s lovely, important discussion about this here.)

The middle four issues are the main arc of the story, and Wilson, Leon and Herring are at the top of their game here. Everything is firing on all cylinders – The Shocker is a charming and funny villain without too much preaching (a welcome change), but the main part of the story is Bruno discovering the cause of Ms. Marvel’s powers (for anyone wondering how her clothes don’t rip when she embiggens), the growing romantic relationship between them, and of course easy page turning humor. Leon has been a regular Ms Marvel penciller for a while now, and I love her slightly anime style with a freer feeling than more rigid, heavy-border artwork. She is a master at perspective, drawing Kamala’s powers in creative ways that can heighten either amusing moments, or mirror Kamala’s disorientation when her powers start misfiring. And Kamala and Bruno are at their best when they need to use their smarts to solve a problem – not too cosmic and not too high school drama – so they can also focus on each other.

Speaking of whom, Bruno gets some great character development too, and it’s nice to see him grow alongside Kamala instead of being relegated to just the love interest, like Red Dagger. Bruno has to grapple with the conclusions of his science genius regarding Kamala’s powers, as he’s also coming to terms with his chronic medical condition. That’s all lightened up with adorable banter between Bruno and a certain professor hologram.

Issue 37 is the perfect Ms. Marvel story: Kamala must band together with her friends and community members when the downtown water mains break and Jersey City floods – all  while babysitting her baby nephew. Kamala’s friends and cameos from all over the Ms. Marvel timeline –  all helping each other in the face of adversity. It’s a celebration of Kamala’s world, and it’s one we should attempt build here in our own reality too.

I won’t spoil who, but a certain character has a medical emergency in this issue, and as Kamala races to the hospital, I found myself unexpectedly emotional. I’ve known them for ten volumes but still wouldn’t have claimed any emotional attachment until that moment. This is also why diversity and representation in stories is so critical – not only do minorities see themselves, but they are also seen and heard by the majority. The power of empathy, even towards fictional characters, can have serious repercussions when we talk about privilege, justice and equality.

To me, the series would have best ended with 37, and with Kamala’s family (whom we hadn’t seen at all this volume), to me the real core of Ms. Marvel. But the final issue – another hodgepodge of artists and writers – returns to a fun video game themed adventure with her friends. The one shot feeling undermined an otherwise strong ending, but it also ends with Ms. Marvel’s family, just her chosen one – and perhaps it’s appropriate for a high school superhero anyway.

I’m not sure the direction Magnificent Ms. Marvel will take – there wasn’t enough to go off of Ahmed’s writing in these pages except the hope that it’s in good hands. Regardless, we owe so much to G Willow Wilson and her five years creating and writing Ms. Marvel – making the Marvel Universe and our own a brighter and better place. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store.