Week 12: Women's Comics

Since I never got around to reading the new Ms. Marvel, I'm glad that I was finally able to read it. Having never read an issue of even the original Ms. Marvel comics, I'm glad my first experience with this series was a memorable one. This reboot takes a major step in not just comics, but in today's society. The new Ms. Marvel is a young Pakistani girl, Kamala, who lives outside of Manhattan with her Pakistani family. In today's current politics/society, we are taught to look down upon these people and their cultures because of how the media portrays "all the ethnicity," specifically Muslims.

Everything from Kamala's postmodern mindset (she's a super heroine who reads superhero fan fiction) to the elegant line work makes this a comic for the discerning reader. The reboot was written by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona. Wilson, who is a Muslim, distills the enormity of the culture shock into a few potent incidents. A notable example, "Your headscarf is so pretty, Kiki," a blonde princess tells Kamala's best friend. "But, I mean...nobody pressured you to start wearing it, right?...I'm just concerned." Alphona triumphs too, giving Kamala an expressive face and a normal girl's physique. Kamala has no use for the typical heroine outfit either, finding that the original Ms. Marvel costume givers her "an epic wedgie."

Wilson, has plenty to offer readers; she cleverly folds Kamala's Muslim heritage and teen angst into her emerging hero identity. With the comic's delicate color washes and wildly varying realism, the art bears far more resemblance to "alternative" comics than to typical superhero books. This issue is largely dedicated to establishing Kamala, sketching out her life and family and documenting her transformation. Aside from a few intimations, the "big bad" doesn't make an appearance until the very end. This individual, dubbed The Inventor, is suitably horrid. Kamala's personal struggles with her parents, her friends and her own body are simply more compelling than the archenemy. I enjoyed it, and appreciated the fact that it wasn't just another same old superhero origin story.