People often wrestle with a feeling of powerlessness or wish to be someone else. When a weird fog rolls over Jersey City, teenage Kamala Kahn gets her wish… in a way.
“You are not allowed to defend Zoe Zimmer. Even your sad nerd obsession with the Avengers is less irritating.”
Discovering her new powers and forging a new identity as Ms. Marvel, she kicks some butt, does some good and tries to maintain her sense of self.
Why is this on our bookshelf?
I’m always looking for kick-butt female superheroes and Kamala Kahn just joined the ranks. It helps that G. Willow Wilson also wrote Alif the Unseen, which I loved.
Ms. Marvel, Vol 1: No Normal was nominated for the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.
Rating (4 stars)
Ms. Marvel was a very fun read. Kamala Kahn’s character was very relatable to me… from smelling foods that shouldn’t be eaten to loving impractical superhero costumes.
Volume 1 is essentially the origin story of Kahn’s version of Ms. Marvel. There were great references and throwbacks to past Ms. Marvels and after the story got started, the action was pretty fun.
My only point of irritation was just how much of a teenager Ms. Marvel is. Annoying classmates and struggles with parents just doesn’t resonate with me the way it might for a younger audience. Ms. Marvel is 16, so the teenage aspect has to be there. I would have just preferred it to be downplayed a tad.
Overall, the story was interesting, the character believable and Adrian Alphona’s artwork vivid and compelling. I’ll definitely look for volume 2.
Read this book:
If you’re looking for a different kind of teenage superhero.
Don't Read this book:
If you’re expecting Ms. Marvel to act like a sidekick.
Once you're done, do this:
Start sketching out your cosplay ideas.
