When 16-year-old Kamala Kahn is exposed to the Terrigen Mists, she discovers that she has developed superhuman powers. A superhero fangirl at heart, Kamala models herself after Captain Marvel and takes up the mantle of Ms. Marvel as Jersey City's resident vigilante.
Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal collects issues #1-5 of Ms. Marvel, written by G. Willow Wilson and illustrated Adrian Alphona.
There was a lot of hype surrounding Kamala Kahn's introduction. She was promoted as being Marvel's first Muslim superhero to headline an ongoing series and her critical reception was really concerned with this fact. As a Canadian I've had the opportunity to study Marjane Satrapi's seminal Persepolis in university and have been exposed to the groundbreaking Little Mosque on the Prairie, which was a Canadian-produced sitcom whose central theme was the contrast between conservative views on Islam and liberal interpretations of it. As such, it's nice to see that Americans are finally given the chance to see Islam being presented in a more positive and mainstream way. Nevertheless for a title that was intended to be groundbreaking and progressive, Ms. Marvel is actually very conventional and plays it safe. From the characters to the narrative, Wilson relies heavily on established tropes to move the plot forward. For example, Josh and Zoe, the title's resident ignorant and privileged white teenagers, are heavily stereotyped. Likewise, the portrayal of Kamala's parents as unadaptable immigrants straddles the fence between reality and stereotyping. Worst of all, many of the book's central themes and its narrative structure can be easily compared to Brian Michael Bendis' Ultimate Comics Spider-Man origin story for Miles Morales.
While unoriginality may be something that plagues Wilson's story structure and supporting cast, she does do something that is very important. She creates a compelling protagonist who encourages readers to relate to her. Kamala is remarkably well-written for a teenage character and it's quite easy to root for her. She's brave and she has a very strong sense of right and wrong. My personal favourite quality to Kamala is driven by doing what is right and that she has no ego in doing so. She's not seeking fame or recognition for her actions, she's merely acting like the heroes she's worshipped for so long. In fact, she feels a lot like she'd belong in the DC Universe and is very similar to the types of heroines we see over there (namely Batgirl, Supergirl, Mary Marvel and Misfit). This works in her favour particularly since Marvel's teen heroes tend to wallow in their angst. Sure she's got some angst (she's a teenager, it comes with the territory), but who wouldn't be angsty with the parents she has?
At first glance, Adrian Alphona's art was jarring and unappealing. While it's true that it can be rough at times and the colours appear a little too muddy throughout, Alphona's atypical style is a plus in the title's column. His ability to distinguish characters from one another is to be praised and his work on Kamala is especially remarkable. He doesn't illustrate her as this devastatingly gorgeous girl with the body of a Barbie doll, instead she's this gangly teenager who is quite average in the looks department. This further helps to distinguish the character from Marvel's other Muslim heroines, Dust and Monet St. Croix, the latter of which is noted for her supermodel good looks. Alphona is also a highly skilled stylist. He depicts the characters in a wide variety of looks and gives Kamala a very clear sense of style. I was also impressed by his portrayal of Nakia. In fact, one of my favourite parts of this collection was the concept art in the back. Nakia is totally fierce! Hey G. Willow Wilson, can she get superpowers and be Kamala's sassy sidekick? Kay, thanks.
For anyone looking for an original piece of fiction, Ms. Marvel may not be the place to look for it. G. Willow Wilson really pays homage to the tropes of teen superheroes and this means relying on a lot of predictable plot devices. The situations and supporting characters are familiar, but perhaps that is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Origin stories are tricky, so with Kamala's out of the way she can now be placed in more unique and interesting situations. Maybe we'll actually see her team-up with Dust and Monet St. Croix. As the saying goes, it can only go up from here!
Rating: B-
No comments:
Post a Comment