Being a superhero isn’t as cool as it might look. It’s not all fun and games for the cape crowd, they definitely take their lumps time and time again. You would be hard-pressed to think of a superhero that hasn’t gone through some form of great turmoil or tragedy. Plenty even have to deal with tragedy at the very start, the stuff’s woven into their secret origins. We all know about Spider-Man’s uncle, Batman’s dearly departed parents and Superman’s destroyed home planet. In comics, every hero gets their fair share of heartache and pain. Now in “Magnificent Ms. Marvel” #6, it’s Kamala’s turn.
Written by Saladin Ahmed
Illustrated by Minkyu Jung
Lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna
Colored by Ian Herring
Ms. Marvel is back in Jersey City after a whirlwind space adventure, just in time for a devastating personal tragedy to strike. But while her slick new costume can protect her from all kinds of threats, can it protect her from heartbreak? Guest-starring the INVINCIBLE IRON MAN!
“Magnificent Ms. Marvel” #6 is definitely a quieter issue, especially so when you compare it to the deep space adventure over the previous five issues. Now the problem of alien invaders has passed but Kamala has to deal with problems of a more intimate nature back here on Earth.
For starters, the alien mages that Ms. Marvel saved thank her by mind-wiping her parents. The Khans no longer remember their romp on another planet or their daughter’s secret identity. Ms. Marvel’s always been protective of her secret I.D. but getting a reset is bittersweet. Her parents gained new understanding of their superhero child and were making progress. Now that’s all gone.
The bigger problem, a heavy, life-changing one, is her father’s rare illness. We’ve seen comic book illnesses before, everything from cancer scares to comas. If it’s a side character, the malady might stick but the main characters always bounce back. Over in “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man”, Aunt May has cancer but I’m not too worried about her. She’s a main character after all.
Here though, writer Saladin Ahmed emphasizes that the disease is terminal and incurable. That’s canon now, set in stone for whatever other writers might come along after him. Personally, I think the slow-moving nature of this disease is the worst part of it. Not that I’m trying to rush Mr. Khan out the door but to have that looming over your head, over your family’s heads, that has to be torture. I can’t even imagine. Mr. Khan does have some time but the clock is ticking…and the end is inevitable.
Ahmed has a good handle on Kamala’s character throughout the issue. You can really feel Kamala’s pain and frustration. Life is hard and no matter what, it just won’t let up. Ms. Marvel has to grapple with the news of her father and on top of that has homework and all the super-heroic craziness.
Plus, that super-heroic craziness? All of her power, all of her influence and connections…it won’t save Mr. Khan. When Kamala learns about her dad, she immediately contacts the smartest person she knows, Iron Man. Unfortunately, finding a cure for a disease is slow-going. Even if his team of scientists finds one, it won’t be in time. Kamala has all sorts of Avengers on speed dial and it doesn’t mean a thing against this.
Kamala can’t even process all of this like a normal person. Learning that her father’s going to die, Ms. Marvel just wants to ‘shrivel up and disappear’. Definitely a fair reaction, all things considered. She doesn’t get that though. Kamala feels pressure…to be magnificent. She has to be the perfect daughter, especially during a time like this, a role model, her hometown’s go-to superhero, leader of the Champions, etc. Readers will empathize with the heroine as she grows fatigued under the weight of her responsibilities.
While there’s some great character work for the heroine, the villain is painfully one-note. Deathbringer…I completely forgot he was already featured and wouldn’t have remembered if he hadn’t said it. His whole shtick is vaguely evil, vaguely demonic. That’s it, you probably won’t see him again. Also, if you go in expecting an epic Ms. Marvel/Iron Man team-up, you won’t get it. I don’t blame you if you did get your hopes up, he’s charging into action on the cover right alongside Ms. Marvel. He’s only here for about three pages though. It’s a nice moment but not what was advertised.
Minkyu Jung artwork is certainly worthy of note. If Kamala’s circumstances aren’t enough to make you feel for her, the emotion that Jung etches on her face should be. On the other hand, it’s nice to see the teenager smile when leaping into action. While Deathbringer doesn’t really amount to much, he looks kind of cool, I’ll give him that. His powers have an eerie black-purple, turquoise effect that’s aesthetically pleasing. Speaking of aesthetically pleasing, Kamala’s new costume is starting to grow on me. I’m so accustomed to the old one but I’m getting used to the changes…here’s hoping our beloved Kamala Khan can get used to the changes too.
Final Verdict: 7.0 – Kamala wants to shrink but life’s forcing her to embiggen.
