Man, Ms. Marvel just keeps getting better and
better. I’m continually impressed with
this comic’s sophisticated handling of its themes, its fun humor, its
compelling characters, and its thoughtful inclusion. I’m officially going to stop gauging how this
or that volume compares to the ones before it, because honestly, it’s all great
at this point.
Two main
plots this time around, both linked to the overall theme of Ms. Marvel’s rising
star. Since the almost-world-ending
events happening around the time of Last Days (which were evidently resolved in a different comic, presumably The Avengers,) Kamala has had her chance
to more than just play with the big boys:
she’s become one of them. She’s a
bonafide Avenger, fighting alongside the likes of Iron Man, Captain America,
and Spider-Man. She’s beyond thrilled to
get her shot in the major leagues, but it takes a toll. Kamala is shocked by all that’s been
happening in her life that she straight-up hasn’t noticed because she’s so
busy, both personal (her close friend Bruno getting a girlfriend who isn’t her)
and professional (a definitely-shady real-estate outfit using her likeness to promote
their gentrification agenda.)
Frantically playing catchup, Kamala tries to do it all on her own,
wanting to prove she can handle herself, but with less-than-stellar results.
The comic
has been doing a great job with casual inclusion over the last several
volumes. After seeing Kamala balk at the
idea of a traditional marriage in Crushed,
her brother Aamir embraces that ideal here, going on chaperoned “non-dates”
with his prospective marriage partner.
His would-be bride, Tyesha, is awesome, Black, and a convert to Islam,
opening the door for some really interesting interactions between the two
families (and introducing me to the wonderful word “Blackistani”) during the
scenes when crazy comic-book disasters aren’t
happening. Similarly, I’m an instant fan
of Bruno’s girlfriend Mike, who’s cool and intelligent and whose curves Bruno
appreciates; I also like that her two moms are introduced without comment.
But yeah,
there’s a story, too, and I think it mostly hits all the right notes. I really enjoy the theme of Kamala having too
many balls in the air but stubbornly trying to do it all – both because she
genuinely loves everything she’s involved in and because she doesn’t want the
Avengers (read: her heroes/new colleagues)
to think she’s just some kid who’s out of her league. The mistakes she makes here feel real and
well-earned thematically, and even though some of them are definite doozies,
they’re drawn so organically from who she is as a character that I can totally
buy Kamala getting herself into this situation.
I
especially love the storyline with Hope Yards, the real-estate developers. The references to gentrification are played
with a deft hand, but the points don’t need to be overstated for it to be clear
that Kamala is horrified to find someone using her as a symbol for something
she doesn’t support. In addition to
being a good, personal story about her and her community, it’s a great
exploration of the nature of heroes, the notion that, when you put yourself
forward in that way, you cease to be entirely your own. Anyone can take you up as their symbol for
goodness knows what, and you don’t always get a say in the ideas or values
people ascribe to you. All in all, just
really well-done.
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