Book Review: Ms. Marvel (Vol. 1) by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona (Artist)

Marvel Comics presents the new Ms. Marvel, the groundbreaking heroine that has become an international sensation!

Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City — until she's suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! When Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them, as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to bear? Kamala has no idea, either. But she's comin' for you, Jersey!

It's history in the making from acclaimed writer G. Willow Wilson (Air, Cairo) and beloved artist Adrian Alphona (RUNAWAYS)! Collecting MS. MARVEL (2014) #1-5 and material from ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! POINT ONE #1.

I am a huge Marvel fan — I’ve watched the films, the TV series’s, and I was super keen to pick up the comics. But it’s hard to know where to even begin when it comes to the hundreds of thousands of graphic series out in the world. Having signed up to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited recently, it was quite a lovely surprise to see the mix of Marvel graphic novels available for loan on the platform. And where better to start off than with Ms. Marvel, which sounded like such a breath of fresh air compared to what is currently out there on our screens.

Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl, from an ordinary Muslim family. That is, until she discovers her extraordinary gifts to shift into different faces and bodies, as well as morph her body like elastic. Regardless of these newly discovered powers, the heart of this story is not just about Kamala’s powers, but how her cultural upbringing and her own self can change the world.

It’s an interesting exploration of culture, the predominance of white-focussed media and its impact on different generations. But most of all, it’s a story about loving your own skin and knowing your own worth without complying to society’s standards of what makes a ‘hero’.

Kamala and her family are relatable to those of us that have yet to find a superhero in this universe who truly speaks our language. I’m definitely excited to see where Kamala’s story will go, and how her background and family will help guide her along this journey.

While this is definitely a new and refreshing origin story for a Marvel hero, I do have to admit that plot wise, it was a tad cliche. It follows the same tropes we have seen over and over again, and there wasn’t a single risk taken to diverge from this tried and true path. Regardless, I’m keen to see where Vol. 2 takes us — hoping it will be down a new and exciting path.