Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: Destined (2019)

Other than Doctor Who stuff, Ms. Marvel is the first comic I’ve read long enough for the volume numbers to reset back to one. I’d been aware that comics did this, and while I admit it makes sense (if you’ve been running as long as, say, Superman or Captain America have, saying “volume 6,823” is going to be a mouthful,) it kind of skews wth my sense of order and organization. But that’s not a major concern, not nearly enough to get in the way of this neat new chapter in the saga of Ms. Marvel! (Premise spoilers.)

Facing giant monsters in the heart of Jersey City isn’t too far off from a regular day for Kamala, but things get turned on their head when it turns out that the monsters are a test engineered by representatives from Saffa, a distant planet. They fear a long-prophesied disaster on their world, and according to their ancient texts, Kamala is the Destined One, the only person who can save them. As Kamala accedes to taking her superhero game intergalactic, she tries to get her footing on an alien planet while she grapples with the story of who Ms. Marvel is.

Part of Ms. Marvel’s charm is her “teenage hometown hero” vibe, but despite the much larger, planet-hopping scale here, that attitude isn’t missing from this story. On Saffa, the hometown hero travels to a much bigger pond, one where her fame precedes her. This presents a tumble of emotions – her driving motivation, always, is to protect others and step in the path of the bad guys, but she’s also flattered at the attention, overwhelmed but determined at the enormity of the task placed before her, and at least a little uncertain about whether these people’s faith in her will pay off in the way that they need. Along the way, she’s flanked by a few characters from back home who try and keep her remembering who she is, but who don’t necessarily see the complete picture. All that said, the new locale does mean pretty limited time with some of the other regular characters from the comic, and that’s a little disappointing, because I enjoy all of them.

And the adventure on Saffa is pretty neat. I have a fondness for stories that mix sci-fi and fantasy elements (why, yes, Thor, I will absolutely take both spaceships and magic,) and that’s on display here, along with some courtly intrigue and fun scenes of Kamala trying to explain things about her life, Earth, and human customs to Saffa’s prince. It’s also an adventure that tests Kamala in new ways and digs a little into the legacy she shares as an Inhuman.

This volume makes really good use of Kamala’s parents as well. We explore her relationship with them and get into some cool dynamics there. Kamala’s parents are two characters who felt very thinly drawn when the comic first started, but since then, they’ve gained a lot more dimension (reflective both of growth in the comic and an expansion of Kamala’s perception of them,) and this is a nice opportunity to take a closer look at them.

Finally, I really like the recurring theme of who Kamala is, with each installment narrated by someone reflecting on their perceptions of her. It’s a cool device that works well with the theme of Kamala being touted as the Destined One, weighing her titles/fame and the expectations on her with her real self.