Ewing commented, “To me, this story isn’t just about young people being in conflict with the government, but much bigger questions about what we ask of young people, how they’re expected to be independent sometimes and subservient other times.” She added, “I just wanted to explore that tension, and them being superheroes really ups the stakes because they’re literally out there saving lives every day, but aren’t seen as full people or full citizens. And, at the same time, maybe the law is a good idea? Maybe it really is for everyone’s protection? It’s intentionally kind of morally ambiguous.”
Editor Alanna Smith acknowledged the similarities with Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s “Civil War,” where the inciting incident was a battle involving the New Warriors that accidentally led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians. She said, “’Civil War’ was meant to be (among other things) about curtailing personal liberties in the name of safety. ‘Outlawed’ is tapping into different social anxieties. There’s been a lot of debate lately about the role of the youth in our society—whether they should partake in activism, how much their voices should be valued, whether they’re old and learned enough to have a say in their future, and what responsibility the older generations have to keep them safe.”
On Twitter, “Miles Morales: Spider-Man” and “Magnificent Ms. Marvel” writer Saladin Ahmed chimed in that he and Ewing have “been in close touch about the shape of the whole story, and there will be deep tie-ins to Kamala and Miles’ solo books.” For more from Ewing and Smith, and a five-page preview of the book, head on over to The A.V. Club‘s full interview. “Outlawed” will be published in March.
