REVIEWS; Ms Marvel (Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Magnificent #13-18)

I’ve had the collected issue editions of the first of Kamala Khan’s run – Ms Marvel Volumes 2 and 3 – for a while now, but I finally sat down to read them recently. And clearly, I loved it enough to seek out issues from the Magnificent Ms Marvel run.

You can say I’m a comics person now. I’m going to be finding more soon. I regret nothing.

I’ve had a copy of this for a while, and I finally sat down to read it – and I flew through it. The colours, the characters, the fast-paced dialogue and snappy writing were so engaging and fun and dynamic. It really goes to show why she captured the imagination and love of an audience.

I absolutely love Kamala so much. Teenage me could have done with a hero like her, but I’m glad she’s here now. She’s feisty and nerdy and growing into herself, and her family is my family, and I just. I love it. She’s relatable in a way I’ve never had a superhero be before, the references to culture and community and diaspora something I really connected with. I will be finding Vol. 1 hopefully soon, but even without it, it was easy to follow along with her story.

Her growth, her first meetings with Captain Marvel and Spider-Man, the betrayal she feels – they all come across very clearly even without knowing her beginning. And then they have Ammi knowing the truth about her! Absolutely love so much. The relationship dynamics between the family – her overprotective parents, her slightly overbearing older brother, the way she feels caught between two worlds of the culture she’s born into and the one she’s growing up in – are something that I recognise from my own life. I am so glad to have this story now, and I cannot wait to share it with my kids.

The writing is snappy, the art is super dynamic and fun, every character feels distinct and real, their voices unique from one another – I am so excited to read more of Kamala’s stories.

Have I read all the earlier comics? No. Was it easy to follow along anyway? Absolutely! Do I already adore the new hero we’re introduced to in #13 (Amulet, beta, I need more already)? YES!

I’ve read most of the first of Kamala’s run as Ms Marvel (collected Volume 1, I will get my hands on you eventually), and the writing has been dynamic and fun and lively. Kamala is a character that jumps off the page, feeling real in a way I appreciate. And that continues on to the issues of the Magnificent Ms Marvel that I have read.

One of my favourite things is how the story flows from one issue to the next. While each issue is, for the most part, contained, the elements that carry through connect through characters and relationship development well. And the dialogue, the writing is one of my favourite things – it is snappy and sucks you in, with turns of phrases that make the character more than one dimensional. The colours of the comics are vibrant, the art is dynamic – and for me, personally, the South Asian elements are relatable.

I may no longer be a South Asian teenager but, my god, is the whole “no boys” thing relatable, and the curfew, and just the peppering of words into their every day interactions. That might be a huge part of why I am so invested in Kamala’s story. It is nice to see a brown teenager who connects with her culture, her heritage, and is still allowed to exist in other avenues of being. She is a hero in many ways, and I cannot wait for my kids to be a bit older so I can show them a superhero that looks like them.

I am so glad Ms Marvel exists, and I am looking forward to following all her stories.

I held off on finishing this volume if only because then I’ve run out of Ms Marvel stories to read at home. (I will be finding more and getting my hands on them, I adore Kamala so much.)

This compilation feels a little darker than the earlier volume. While Kamala retains her brightness, her vibrancy, there is a sense that the world around them is not as welcoming to the kind of optimistic heroism she tries for. The stakes are growing higher, Kamala’s friends are growing suspicious – they’re growing up, and there are growing pains, and Kamala needs to find out how to balance her personal and heroic lives. It’s not without misery and injury, not without some heartbreak and turmoil.

But it comes back to hope, to finding herself, and finding her strength in culture, community, family and friends. She looks at this sense of growing injustice, the ideals she holds firm and the person she wants to be. Even if you change just one life, it is something. Despite the struggles she faces, that she holds on to, that she learns. She needs to be true to herself and who her friends and family know her to be, even in the face of what her mentors may wish her to become  It’s such a good showcase of growth.

The art and writing continues to be superb, snappy and quick and easily guiding you through Kamala’s life. The art continues to be dynamic and eye-catching. I continue to love her, and I know I always will. I am waiting for the day my kids are old enough that I can introduce them to her.

Do you have any recommendations of which arc I absolutely HAVE to read, or which hero is your favourite?

Also! My first novella What Happened In Vegas was published last week! I am so excited! You can find it on most online ebook retailers as well as Ko-fi!

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