Ms Marvel: Vol Three: Crushed

I've enjoyed the trade adventures of Ms Marvel. This volume keeps that going up to a point.

It starts with a great crossover with Loki, when Loki was doing his good guy bit. One of the problems with the Marvel setting is that so many of the characters go through so many changes, it's hard to know which version of a character you're dealing with at a time.

But I'm vaguely familiar with this 'Loki agent of Asgard' bit and his interactions with Ms Marvel are top notch. It combines a bit of fun, humor, and action like a good comic should. Oh, and teen angst. Don't forget the teen angst!

It leads to Loki warding the school itself against future villains which is a nice touch and a nice little plot device that can be used in future issues.

Oh, and to top it off, it takes place during a Valentine's Dance. The author hit all the cylinders here.

But onto the new story which starts in New Attilan, as Marvel is trying to make the Inhumans into the next big thing, we start with Ms Marvel training with the Inhumans. It's nice to see an occasional bit of training. It provides some actual context to how the characters learn how to use their powers. It's also not the first time Ms Marvel has been seen in training as in her earlier appearances, after a sound beating, she trained to overcome her adversaries.

The author continues to bring in the family and makes the Khan's very relatable. A mother worried about her daughter out jogging alone for example? That's a pretty standard concern no?

The 'problem' I have with this portion? It's not the introduction of Kamran, a young lad that Kamala is instantly smitten with. It's not the fact that he too is an Inhuman. I'm okay with that. It's not the introduction of Kaboom, another new super villain.

Spoiler alert!

It's not even the fact that he's the bad guy. I'm okay with that too. Star-crossed lovers and all that jazz right?

It's Lineage. He's apparently the king of the Inhumans from out of nowhere. It's disjoining.

I've often praised comics like Ms Marvel (Runaways, Young Avengers, etc...) that are self-contained. That you can read and understand them without knowing what's going on in the rest of the Marvel setting. It allows them to skip most of the big crossovers and instead of having their own flow ruined by the big events, allows them the build up the characters of their own book.

The introduction of Lineage from off stage as the new Inhuman boss? With no information on it happening in the actual book? Poorly done.

Next up is a crossover with SHIELD. I'm not a regular SHIELD reader so I'm pretty out of the loop on the characters but it's more of how seeing another author handles Ms Marvel and it's done well.  It's nice seeing another artist take a crack at her too. More traditional with the brighter colors.

Outside of the Lineage introduction, it's a solid collection and cements Ms Marvel's place in the greater Marvel Universe even if that means her own title gets the occasional goofy bit of continuity thrown in.

If you're looking for super hero comics that aren't all grim and angsty and have depth and plot to them without delving into death and destruction, Ms Marvel is a good pick.

Ms Marvel Vol 2: Generation Why

Ms Marvel continues to integrate herself into the Marvel Universe in this volume. Volume two collects issues six through eleven.

The cover art continues to have a  different style than the interior.

The first two issues in this volume, where Ms Marvel meets Wolverine, are also different. I dig it though. Reminds me of Bruce Timm, Steve Rude, or Darwyn Cooke.

It starts off with a two issue team up special with everyone favorite mutant, Wolverine. This is at the time, the original Logan, not the Old Man Logan or his heir, X-23.

She makes a great impression on Logan and comes up with one of the best descriptions I've seen of Wolverine in a long time.

"So like now you're like a short angry man who punches stuff?."

Her being a fan of the heroes and getting to meet them in the larger sense of the Marvel Universe is one of the strengths of the series.

She also gets to meet Lockjaw of the Inhumans and it sets up her eventual meeting with the Inhumans and becoming aware that she isn't as Mutant as she might have thought when meeting Wolverine, but rather, an Inhuman.

This 'slow burn' of introducing her in such a manner allows Ms Marvel to enjoy being a part of the bigger setting without being overwhelmed by it.

In terms of writing? I love the humor. There's the humorous bits of writing that come through like when Ms Marvel describes her opponent, The Inventor.

This whole, "You're a bird" thing plays off a few times and every time it does, I don't know if it's the art style or the unique appearance of the Inventor or what but it cracks me up.

The ideas in the issue seem counter to me in terms of overall motive for the bad guy. If you've ever seen the Matrix, you'll know that people are used as living power cells. Here the bird, I mean, the Inventor, is using Millenials as power cells because hey, the youth of the world is useless.

As far as motivations go, it's... interesting at best. To have the technical know how to make all of those things to turn people into fuel cells and then to be so stupid to think that a whole generation is lost? Well, in the dreaded real world we've seen that knowledge, say specific knowledge, like how to be a brain surgeon, does not translate into knowing what you're talking about.

So it is here.

I enjoyed Ms Marvel's steps into the wider world and the introduction of her strange enemy the Inventor. The writer brings a lot of comedy to the series as well as a lot of family. Ms Marvel isn't some grim dark loner running around, she's part of a family, part of a community, and part of many 'tribes' if you will.

If you're tired of all of you super heroes being angst filled, Ms Marvel is right up your alley.

Ms Marvel: Vol 1: No Normal

Ms Marvel Vol 1: No Normal
By Wilson and Alphona
Published by Marvel Comics
120 pages
$15.99/$12.16 at Amazon

So Ms Marvel has been out for a while already. I snagged the first few volumes when they went on sale in kindle format.

The art is handled by Adrian Alphona internally and Sara Pichelli and Justin Ponsor handle the cover art. In a way, this is a HUGE bait and switch.

The cover art is very 'standard' if you will of Super Hero styles. It's heavy on the colors and bright in the colors and standard definitions of what the character looks like.

The internal art is much more... interesting. I'm not saying interesting like bad, I'm saying it like it is interesting.

That's an example, taken from the main character's fan fiction of the Avengers. Yes, Kamala, Ms Marvel herself, is a teenage fangirl of super heroes.

It's not that it's bad but it's a different style. It grew on me as I read the series. It helps set a different tone than say a standard Jim Lee or John Bryne version.

I'd have loved it if the whole series was like the cover. The cover artist has a style I enjoy:

What about the writing? Rings true for me. The family, the friends, the 'evil' dialog from the bad guys all hit home. It doesn't suffer from the dreaded 'talking head' syndrome where you'd swear that the writers were just padding issue after issue to wait for the trade but rather moves the story and the characters forward so that the reader gets a better idea of how these characters act and what maks them tick.

The story?

Well, in many ways it's a standard young kid gains superpowers and uses them to help others. The nuts and bolts are a little different but let's look:

Kamala: The young woman who gains super powers. She's a Muslim but isn't a religious fanatic. As a young person, she gets into disagreements with her parents about what she should be allowed to do and what she can do. Her brother is a bit more on the religious side but isn't working yet and this causes tension with the parents as well. Poor parents. Trying hard to bring their kids a better life and they don't appreciate it eh?

Those are pretty standard things in most cultures. Staying out late? Heck, things have probably changed a bit as I'm 46 this year, but my mom didn't want me out late. Not to mention the whole curfew thing of which police did snag me a few times back in the day.

Kamala has family. I don't want to spoil it but the writers thus far have done a great job of keeping them relevant and insuring that the family love and struggles are a part of Ms Marvel's growth as a character.

Kamala has friends. One of those of the opposite sex, Bruno, from a different culture. The old starr crossed lovers bit in play.

Kamala also has ideas of what being a super hero is supposed to be about. She enjoys it. She enjoys the idea of it. She's energetic about it. When she first discovers her powers, she thinks of a saying from the Quran, "Whoever kills one person, it is as if he has killed all of mankind and whoever saves one person, it is as if he has saved all of mankind."

That's what launches her to save someone whose unintentaionlly tried to humilate her several times at this point. To not argue about what makes a person good, but to DO good.

Maybe it's a push back from the gritty grim 90's w here everytime a new love interest or something was intorduced they'd 'frdige' them or something, but damn, it was pleasant to see a new character with a positive outlook on things.

Her super hero name of Ms Marvel? Remember when I mentioned that she loves the fan fiction of her heroes? Well, Ms Marvel's original outfit is one of her favorites.

Her origin? It's weak at best in that she's an Inhuman. Now it's not bad to use being an Inhuman as a launch point. Many years ago Dazzler came out and her origin was she's a mutant. It's similiar in that we have a 'generic' starting point, but then it's on the writer to make it interesting.

In the first volume, which collects issues 1-5 and the special Marvel Now Point one, we get a bit more background on Ms Marvel's family. How she interacts with her friends. How some of those f riends fall into traditional bully roles and potential friend roles.

We have the learning phase and the introduction of a new villain, the Inventor. We have the slow build up of foes starting with the simple gun totting robber to super science villains.

I was glad to see that her initial role and costume are home made.


That she doesn't just come out of the gate swining at 110% efficiency. That she has a learning curve. That she has to learn how to use her powers and actually has to taste defeat a time or two before getting better.

All in all, it's a solid start for the series. It acts as a good foundation. I've mentioned it for other series, and I'll say it again here.

Having Ms Marvel be a part of the Marvel Universe is great in that it allows her to interact with the history and events of it. In these first five issues, she's not dragged into crossover after crossover. She's not suddenly derailed from her own story to star in something else. Like the original Runaways or the original Young Avengers, this allows her some space to grow.

Personally, if I had space, I'd rather have bought the omnibus edition. It's a solid hardcover that collects the first eleven issues and the special. Sigh. Curse you lack of space.

If you're looking for your super heroes to be a little more upbeat and looking for something a little non-standard, then Ms Marvel is for you.

Ladies of Power! Super Hero Woman on Sale

Amazon and Google Play are doing some sales on comics featuring strong women. For those who want some visual inspiration, some of these quite new, the following should appeal:

Captain Marvel Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More : $2.99 :

Captain Marvel Vol. 2: Down: $2.99: 

Captain Marvel Vol. 1: Pursuit of Flight: $2.99: 

X-23: Vol 1: The Killing Dream: $2.99

X-23: Target X: $2.99

Ms Marvel Vol 1: No Normal: $2.99

Storm Vol 1: Make it Rain: $2.99


Elektra Vol 1: Bloodlines: $2.99


Black Widow: The Name of the Rose: $2.99


Black Widow: Kiss or Kill: $2.99