“Ms. Marvel” has been an emotional roller coaster ride over the past few issues, taking her to low points, a journey of discovery, and a lesson in who her friends are. Now that the latest arc is over, it’s time to start a new one. Think it’s time for a cool-down issue? Oh, things are just heating up. . . .
Written by G. Willow Wilson
Illustrated by Nico Leon
Colored by Ian Herring
Lettered by VC’s Joe CaramagnaBRUNO’S BACK!
• Everyone’s favorite ex-pat – and Kamala’s best friend – is back from his studies in Wakanda!
• But what does this mean for the budding romance between MS. MARVEL and the RED DAGGER?!
• And is the new mean girl at school…an actual super villain?!
G. Willow Wilson has made a character who feels truly human in Kamala Khan. Yes, she’s a superhero and a geek, but she’s also a teenager dealing with regular teenager things. Previous issues have had her struggling to balance the two lives, as any teenage superhero does, and in doing so we get some great humanizing moments out of her.
With that said, I hate love triangles. They’re cliche relics of overused storytelling and there have been times when I’ve been worried that “Ms. Marvel” would fall into those. Fortunately, they’ve more or less been averted, and are used as more of an exploration of characters’ feelings instead of just giving us “Oh no, who do I choose?” moments.
So let’s go into spoilers to look at the main conflict in this issue. Bruno, having had quite the friend breakup with Kamala some time back, is back. Also, Kamala as Ms. Marvel kissed Red Dagger. And while she’s into him, Bruno returning brings up old emotions. I’d be complaining about how textbook a triangle it was, if it weren’t for the character arcs and journeys that took us to this point in the first place; we got to know them all, see them grow and understand them before getting into the real emotional stuff.
It’s also handled a lot better than most other series would, because these characters have matured enough to actually sit down and talk. The voices that G. Willow Wilson gave them over her run are clear and solid, providing good character chemistry and plenty to bounce off of.
We also get an amusing scene where she goes to see the imam in a panic and his reaction is great. The way he responds, doing a fake freak-out to help Kamala put her problems in perspective, is an unexpected but entertaining reaction, then he does what too few characters do, much less religious or authority figures: he listens and gives advice without judgement. The imam is a character utilized well within the comic, a reasonable figure who averts the “fire and brimstone” religious preacher trope, and helps with the positive Muslim representation the comic provides.
Aside from the growing love triangle, “Ms. Marvel” also introduces a new “mean girl” character, Kaylee Kirk, and it’s not at all subtle about it. Every last bit of her dialogue is dripping with snide and attitude, especially the way it draws out “thaaa-aaanks” and “Byeeee.” The artwork by Nico Leon brings it out even further, with her expressions and body language adding a strong sense of disdain to everything she does.
Oh, and she’s got super strength. I’d give this another spoiler warning, but the solicit made it clear that she’s a super-villain, and anyone who’s ever been to high school can confirm that she’s a more terrifying foe than any mad scientist or alien invader.
My favorite character, however, has to be Kwezi, Bruno’s Wakandan roommate. He’s something of a comic relief, providing some levity as needed, but also provides an outside perspective. After all, he’s visiting with Bruno to write a paper on “the sociology of adolescent North American courting rituals,” or so he states, and his moments of tourism – like buying a multitude of snacks at the Circle Q to “sample our traditional cuisine” or wanting to take a selfie with disadvantaged youths – are most entertaining. I very much hope we get to see more of him in the future.
Continued belowAs briefly mentioned earlier, Nico Leon’s art brings a lot of personality to the characters. The expressions and body language are great, and we get some images that are framed really well in terms of composition and character placement.
The scene early on with a happy Ms. Marvel on patrol is drawn incredibly well the whole way through. Every moment we see her is brimming with energy and enthusiasm, made even better by the way the scenery seems to reflect the mood, before leading up to the big kiss moment. Even the angling of the panels feeds into the flow and mood.
With Ian Herring’s color work, everything seems to blend and match well. The colors don’t necessarily pop, but they don’t have to; it feels grounded, and it’s easy on the eyes.
However, when the characters are a bit further away, the artwork does begin to lose some of the detail. Anyone not in the foreground, regardless of character importance, tends to lose most of the details around their faces.
With that said, we even get some great background details. Looking around just a single page of Bruno and Kwezi in an airport, we see things like stacks upon stacks of bags, a hilarious amount of electronics plugged in to what few outlets there are, and even a tent set up for people waiting for their flight. Those are great background details that add flavor and hilarity to the scene.
Overall, this is a lighter issue of “Ms. Marvel” in terms of danger, action, or superheroic content, but still a heavy one in terms of character drama, balancing out the heroics of last issue. It introduces new characters, builds on existing ones, and brings us more into is world. I certainly can’t complain about any of that.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – A good breather issue that still brings in big emotional content, mixed in with a nice amount of comic relief and setting up the next arc.
