Ms. Marvel #3 – Review

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By: G. Willow Wilson (writer), Adrian Alphona (art), Ian Herring (color art)

The Story: “Strange things are afoot at the Circle Q.”

The Review: If there was any doubt that Ms. Marvel would feature a decompressed origin arc, in the vein of the original Ultimate Spider-Man, consider it put to rest. Three issues in it is abundantly clear that G. Willow Wilson is using each issue to build the complete Ms. Marvel, the complete Kamala Khan. The first issue dealt with Kamala’s normal, the second with her powers, and this month we get to learn about how Kamala, as distinct from Ms. Marvel, deals with hardship and uncertainty.

The puberty metaphors are out in force as Kamala tries to make sense of what’s happening to her. It’s hardly original – as a wise man once said, “Spider-Man is just the story of some kid who wakes up one morning with hair in new places and starts shooting white stick goo all over the city” – but, as ever, the series is defined by the sheer honesty it brings to the table. Scenes like her desperately combing the internet hit home for those of us who know, or even know someone who knows, the sensation of feeling isolated or unable to talk to friends and family.

Likewise, while his role has been somewhat ambiguous so far, one of the strongest moments for me comes near the end, when Kamala realizes that Bruno is the one person she has who could be there for her in such bizarre circumstances, if only they were on speaking terms. Indeed, Bruno is really one of the stars of this issue. While it could be a feint, Wilson is hinting strongly that Bruno will be part of Kamala’s support team, bringing a scientific knowledge and confidence to a heroine who specializes in power and knowing right from wrong. Even more so, the introduction of his highly dubious brother, Vick, provides a great deal of momentum for the story and only increases Bruno’s personal stake in things. I sincerely hope that Wilson will resist the urge to pair Kamala and Bruno up, because their friendship, with all its weird ups and downs, has a real and tactile power to it that’s very different from anything else on the stands right now.

The issue spends a lot of time pondering questions that other series gloss over; how do heroes always know where a crime is taking place, why do they always have access to advanced technology, how do they just know how to use their powers, why doesn’t anybody ever call the cops? It’s honestly refreshing. That said, while I’m probably not the target audience for this book, I still feel that it’s just a little pedantic. Kamala’s inner monologue tends to make explicit things that you just appreciated for their subtlety. Perhaps it’s that I’m older and more used to comics, but I remember how much that sort of thing bugged me when I was a teenager and it felt like a slight on my intelligence. I imagine that while many won’t mind there are plenty out there who share my frustration.

Adrian Alphona doesn’t have the same scenic opportunities as last issue but that doesn’t slow him down a bit. Admittedly there are a number of panels on the street that seem to exist purely for dialogue where Alphona struggles to add something to the issue visually.

Nevertheless this book has the perfect artist. The charm, the tone, the essence of Kamala infects her world, providing a humorous and lovely setting for the story. Alphona fills his panels with loads of visual gags in a manner almost reminiscent of Sex Criminals.

There’s also expert attention paid to the clothing in this issue. Especially in cape comics, there’s too often a focus on anatomy over clothing, but Alphona presents clothes not only as important visual shorthand but as material objects affected by physics. Everything folds and bends naturally. And the clothes are beautiful! I have a particular liking for Middle-Eastern and subcontinental clothing, but I think most readers will concede that Alphona does great things with the textiles of the Muslim world in this issue.

Not to mention that this comic has unattractive characters! Kamala and her friends are still fairly idealized but it’s nice to see some personal variation in their facial structure and builds. And the background characters run the gamut, making everything feel alive and conscious.

The Conclusion: Ms. Marvel is comfortable ignoring some of the supposed needs of an individual comic issue in favor of telling a fuller five-part origin story. Decompression and unnecessary scenes are a problem, but the book is so charming and full of life that I, at least, can’t hold that against it, especially with an incredible ending like this one.

While he treads water at times, Adrian Alphona is absolutely perfect for this book. He breathes life into it, nothing less. This script is not always kind to him but there’s no doubt that he’s a huge part of why this series is so special.

New characters have a lot of expectations placed upon them, especially if they’re little brown girls stepping into the shoes of a beloved white feminist icon. Worse still, they’re expected to play by the rules that seventy year old characters use. They don’t have the depth, the history to compete and they’re written off. Not Kamala. G. Willow Wilson may be taking her time, but I have every confidence that, by the time this arc is over, Kamala Khan will be every bit the hero that the Avengers are.

Grade: B+

Final Thought:

• The one panel of Kamala rushing out of her room screaming, “Yes! Ready! Ready for life!” Is not only one of my favorite panels of the week but a succinct explanation of everything that is wonderful about this character

-Noah Sharma

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.