Introducing: Kamala Khan the new Ms. Marvel. Sure, she’s the first Muslim Pakistani-American superheroine from Marvel, but what I noticed more is that she’s a reader character. She’s also the ultimate fangirl who gets her own set of superpowers and gets to meet her favorite heroes. Not in this volume, but later on.
She is an inhuman with the power to change her appearance to whoever she wants, to shrink herself and to embiggen herself or just parts of herself, she has super strength and a healing factor.
She’s also here to teach the readers in a very effective way to accept themselves as they are. She not only discovers that looking like someone else – even your favorite hero – is about as fun as putting on a fake smile, she also discovers becoming someone else actually takes a physical toll on her body as it stops the healing factor from working, This isn’t cosplay, this is transformation. she also discovers bTrying to be someone else is physically bad for her, which forces her to learn to really accept herself and her new powers. Creating the new heroine – the new Ms. Marvel.
The comic is fun, fast paced, entertaining, educational and enlightening. Kamala Khan is just an adorable character that is easy to identify with, because she not just a new superheroine, she’s also a big geek and fangirl.
------------- Ahead is a plot description with an analysis which includes spoilers --------------
In Ms. Marvel #1 in the first page alone there is a reference to Star Wars and we notice that Kamala is wearing a shirt with the Ms. Marvel lightning on it, because she’s a Carol Danvers fan.
We also get to meet her best friends: Bruno Carrelli who works at a convenience store called Circle Q and Nakia Bahadir. Both of them go to high school with Kamala. The comic mostly takes place in New Jersey where they all live.
In the second page of the issue #1 we get to see how others treat our new trio and it’s about as racist and condescending as you thought it would be. They’re in high school and apparently in America (from what I’ve seen in movies) it sucks to be in high school. This comic seems to play on that cliché, but not too much. During their exchange, a cheerleader invites them all to a party, which obviously they can’t go to.
After this mean exchange it’s back to fantasy land, where we find out that Kamala writes fanfiction about the Avengers. You know someone is nerdy, talented and awesome when they write fanfiction. Also, as someone who has tried to be write some fanfiction themselves, you can’t help but identify with the character. It’s just another way in which she is the ultimate fangirl. And totally awesome.
We also get to meet Kamala’s family: her mon – Disha Khan, her father – Yusuf Khan and her older brother – Aamir Khan. During dinner with the family, Kamala asks for permission to go to the party which the offensive cheerleader invited her to. Of course, her father says no, because there will be boys and alcohol. She’s angry, because if she were a boy, she could have gone to the party. However, she decides to be your average rebellious teen and just sneak out and go. That’s her idea of being normal for once.
Obviously, going to a party was a terrible idea and Bruno saves her from the mean teenager who dare laugh at her the way she smells and from vodka disguised with orange juice (that is not how you drink vodka). Kamala, still feeling rebellious doesn’t appreciate the help.
As she angrily leaves, the Terrigen Mist from Black bolts Terrigen bomb hits New Jersey.
She feels sorry for herself, realizing people will always see her as “poor Kamala with the weird food rules and crazy family.” She does not accept her difference with grace. Nothing like being a superheroine to help you deal with the fact that you are different.
Then the mist gets to her and she passes out. When she’s out – she has a hallucination of her heroes: Iron Man, Captain America and Captain Marvel who teach her a lesson about self-acceptance. But Kamala doesn’t want to be Kamala, she wants to be Ms. Marvel – the old Ms. Marvel with “politically incorrect costume and kick butt in giant wedge heels.” Well, I wouldn’t go as far as calling the old Ms. Marvel suit “politically incorrect” – a lot of people still love that suit and prefer it to the new Captain Marvel look. But she is going to get exactly what she asked for, and it’s not going to be all that fun or fulfilling.
She goes through Terrigenesis, goes into the cocoon and comes out as an inhuman Ms. Marvel.
After 12 hours of misery, stuck as Ms. Marvel, she manages to transform back to herself. We also learn that apparently superheroes, or at least Ms. Marvel, don’t wear underwear. Not sure I needed to know that, but it’s amusing. When she hears her cheerleader friend, she accidently morphs again. This helps her realize that it is her inner reaction to others. Other people makes her want to become someone else and then she does. But it does not feel good to actually be someone else. Not as good as she thought it would be. This is a classic lesson in self-acceptance, being stuck in someone else’s skin.
Kamala also discovers she has the power to shrink herself down.
To the size of a cockroach. Which is funny. I would have run away screaming. While she learns how to use her powers, her drunk cheerleader friend is accidently pushed into the water by her boyfriend. Kamala uses one of my favorite quotes here before going on her first superhero mission: “whoever kills one person, it is as if he has killed as of mankind -- and whoever saves one person, it is as if he has saved all of mankind.” This quote is as old as the old testament. But it is also as great as superhero motivation. Kamala changes into Ms. Marvel and saves the silly cheerleader by grabbing her with a super large hand, not a classic Ms. Marvel move. Also, people took pictures and probably videos of her in the process, because this is the era of selfies and documentation. In fact, I can’t believe someone asked her for her autograph and not for a selfie with her.
Then it’s back to complaining how uncomfortable the old Ms. Marvel costume is. The only good part about her change was saving someone. Then she decides she had enough for the night and sneaks back home, but she gets caught. Apparently, Bruno called her parents because he was worried. Then her mom goes into one of her hilarious speeches about why moving to America was a bad idea. Obviously, Kamala gets grounded until further notice.
Kamala wonders about whether she should continue and be a superhero. She does that while admiring her poster of Captain Marvel, so the answer is clearly – yes, she’s going to be a heroine. One that gives her parents a lot of trouble.
On Monday, at school she has a “your power automatically activates” attack accidently. So basically, she destroys the entire girls’ locker room. Also in a funny turn of events instead of turning into Tylor Swift (do you need special permission for that in a comic book?) she turns into her mom. How Freudian, as she cleverly points out. Unfortunately, destroying the entire locker room, and simply being in one outside of gym class is enough to get her detention. Well, they’d have a hard time proving that she caused the damage anyway, looks like a tornado trashed the place. That is why I guess she got a detention and not a lawsuit.
Kamala needs someone to talk to and she decides to forgive Bruno because she knows he will understand her. She walks into Circle Q and sees that its being robbed. The robber seems to know Bruno, it’s probably his brother. And he’s probably working with Kamala’s first real villain, the inventor. But for now, It’s hero time for Kamala. This time she goes in as Captain Marvel. This makes her feel a lot better. And a lot less naked.
But issue #3 ends with a cliffhanger as Kamala gets shoot.
In issue #4 our suspicion is confirmed when Bruno lets the robber run away after he talks about their family being put to shame. Bruno also calls an ambulance for Captain Marvel, but Kamala tells him not to do that, and transforms back to herself.
As soon as she transforms back into Kamala, she heals. Because she has a healing power, but it doesn’t work when she is someone else. It’s best, and healthier to be yourself.
Bruno is the one that tell Kamala that: “who cares what the world expects? Maybe they expect some perfect blonde, what I need -- what we need is you.” By “we” he is referring to the readers. A lot of readers who did not feel represented by tall blondes or could not identify with them. Although I feel the need to mention that the only thing perfect about Carol Danvers is her looks. And Kamala is the ultimate comic book reader, she’s cool, says what she means, kicks butt in video games, smart and funny as Bruno describes her. He also totally has a crash on her.
Kamala wants to help Bruno with the problems that his brother is having. But it does not come naturally for Bruno to have a girl protecting him, especially one which he spent most of his life protecting. Bruno takes it better than most people would have.
Bruno finds out and tells her that his brother is an abandoned house in Greenville. The house is guarded by two drunk teenagers. Kamala takes care of them pretty easily and officially assume the name Ms. Marvel with her new look.
The two teenagers warn her about the basement where Vick (Bruno’s brother) is being kept. They weren’t kidding. She gets attack by bug robots that shoot at her, and then bigger bug robots. She crushed them all. When she reaches the basement the two teenagers are there, plus a third one with a gun that shines with a blue light. Also, he has a T-shirt on that says, ‘IMA BAD GUY”. Some self-awareness is always good.
Issue #5 picks up from this point. The third teenage is still just an errand boy, not the inventor. But he disrespects her and calls her bendy girl. But he manages to hit her and overwhelm her and Ms. Marvel escapes. To go home and eat a lot. Apparently in order to heal, she needs to eat like an entire family. She falls asleep while eating and that’s how her parents find her.
Her father has a talk with her in which she tries to explain what is going on while leaving the super-powers part out of the conversation obviously. Her father tells her that her name, Kamala, means protection. How little does he know. In a nice moment he tells her that she perfect just the way that she is, then he adds that she is still grounded and needs to talk to the sheikh who hates her. Her family doesn’t deal with it like a cliché family would deal with a rebellious teen. It’s definitely new in my opinion.
She managed to rescue Vick with the help of speed and a good vehicle rather than force. Success. But problems are just starting. As Kamala and Bruno arrive at Circle Q they find a stuff doll of the new Ms. Marvel, marked as dead. Apparently, the person who wants to kill Ms. Marvel isn’t a person, but a giant living bird. Comic books.
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I got the first volume as a present and just instantly loved the character, and I usually don’t like teenagers. But, there is something about Kamala, and her epic nerdiness and the way that she loves superheroes and can’t wait to be one that is so endearing.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures in the post!
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