| Title | : | Ms. Marvel (2014-2015) #1 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 24 |
| Publication | : | First published February 5, 2014 |
Ms. Marvel (2014-2015) #1 Reviews
-
An awesome comic book debut -- Ms. Marvel introduces Kamala Khan, your typical 16-year-old Muslim Pakistani-American girl from Jersey City, who is endowed with the power to change her form and size. The writing in this series is so good -- punchy, funny, believable and fresh, and Kamala's daily-life struggles dovetail wonderfully (and sometimes hilariously) with the exploits of her secret alter ego. If you like the Marvel universe and are looking to check out some original new superheroes, I highly recommend Ms. Marvel.
-
This incredibly controversial decision by Marvel was enough to make me go and buy a single issue comic for the first time in over a decade -- I mean, come on, a superhero from New Jersey? I had to see how this was possible, and if the climactic battle would be against a cannibalistic, behemoth Jabba-the-Hut-inspired Chris Christie on a bridge his evil minions had closed.
But seriously -- or as seriously as you can consider comics about superheroes that wear spandex tights -- I bought this because I want to own diverse and empowering comics to share with my daughter and son, to show them that while being a straight white male may be the
lowest difficulty setting in this world, it is not the only setting that matters, despite pop culture perceptions, and it is good to see that this is something the comic book universe, and to some extent, mainstream media, are starting to understand.
That Marvel now has a Pakastani-American Muslim teenage girl as the new Miss Marvel is an awesome thing, but it would matter a whole lot less if the comic sucked. Fortunately, by hiring G. Willow Wilson, a Muslim American woman that also happens to have written
Alif the Unseen, the 2013 World Fantasy Award for best novel, they have averted any such catastrophe. While there is not too much I want to say about the story -- it is only a single issue, after all -- it is gorgeously illustrated and smartly written, and I am honestly more curious to explore Kamala's familial relationships than her burgeoning superpowers.
However, one issue I did have is with the single issue format. As I mentioned earlier, it has been a good long while since I have read a single issue, and I was so distracted by the number of ads in the comic that I will definitely be waiting for the trade paperback of this series, as I do with all the other graphic novels I read. -
The only bad thing I can say about Ms Marvel #1 is that I'm annoyed that I don't have #2 in my hands.
That came out wrong. -
In just one issue, Kamala Khan has instantly won me over as the new Ms Marvel AND made her one of the most interesting characters in the Marvel U, up there with Hawkeye and Loki. G Willow Wilson's characterisation is first class and Adrian Alphona’s art is utterly gorgeous. Look out for the amazing hallucinatory splash page featuring the old Ms Marvel/current Captain Marvel, Iron Man and Captain America speaking Urdu! Read the full review
here! -
Ms. Marvel #1: A handy guide to Muslim stereotypes. -
Media representation!! YES!!!
What an absolutely awesome start, truly, I'm in awe - how gifted do you have to be to manage to discuss so many subjects in such a short issue?!
First of all, let us start with Kamala. She is a Muslim Pakistani-American and she is so easy to relate to - her struggles with her family and their expectations of her vs. her desire to fit in and be just like everyone else, her fangirling over The Avengers and her excitement over having posted a popular fanfic, her struggle with her self-image and self-worth due to the European beauty standards that rule society, just... her!
How adorable is she?!
There's Kamala's friend, Nakia, who is not here for you to give her some westernised name when she has a perfectly beautiful name already.
And who is a proud hijabi.
Then there is the faux-liberal popular girl, whom Kamala desperately wishes to be like, even though she is, to put it plainly, a horrible person who disguises her racism and islamophobia under the guise of non-intersectional feminism.
Which quickly reveals itself once Kamala breaks out of the preconceived ideas she had of her, and what she could or could not do:
Some POC are extremely fortunate in that they always had a very strong sense of self-worth, and found comfort in their ethnicity and cultural traditions - I wasn't among them, many of us aren't, and it can takes us a long, long time to embrace and love who we are, so it's really touching to have Kamala illustrate the result of trying to be someone else to fit in:
So let's see: family life and the struggles of being an adolescent girl, non-intersectional feminism, islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, issues concerning self-worth, religion, standards of beauty imposed by the media, trying to fit in - all that, dealt with in the most amazing way, in a short issue!
And it ends with a cliff-hanger that has me wanting to run out and get the next issue right now! -
Maybe I'm just resistant to change, I know that various other women have worn the Ms. Marvel moniker but to me it's got to be Carol Danvers, I mean I just now started to be okay with Kyle Rayner.
Secondly, I really don't like this forced diversity thing. I find it cheap to just assign an existing character a new more 'PC' identity, it doesn't feel genuine to me, it feels forced. How about just creating a new and unique character that is Muslim? It is especially insulting that by the end of the comic the character becomes a white blonde...
Thirdly, I did not get the whole hallucination scene.
Lastly, I'm over the high school outcast thing.
-
Believe the hype. Because it is true.
Now if Marvel could just do the same for the long time female characters in its stable. -
3.5 ⭐️
Karmala loves Marvel comics. And unlike the rest of us she gets the chance to become a superhero. Camilla gets the ability to shape shift into anyone she wants and we follow that journey of figuring out how to use her abilities and how to save the world. The graphics itself are goofy but cute and the story kept me wanting to know more. Plus I’m a girl that loves marvel so I had to pick it up -
I went into this single issue not really expecting to like this as not only is it a super-hero-style comic but it also has annoying adverts every few pages and it's design wasn't my favourite on initial glance - I'm glad I decided to pick up this anyway as I ended up really liking it, far more than I had expected to!
The story begins by introducing us to Kamala Khan who is a young girl living in the US. She's a muslim, she's been raised in a fairly strict household, and she's 16 which means that she's at the point where all she wants to do is test the limits and be free to do new, fun things like her friends are. She just wants to be normal and escape the traditions and ideals her family have always placed on her. She also has a fascination with the Avengers and would love to be one, but the chances of that are slim...
The artwork and design style for this actually grew on me as we went further though the story and when all the swirly mist came rolling in I was really enjoying it. I think I have to admit that I judged this without having read it and I was not expecting to get into it, but I was pulled into the story anyway and I liked it a lot.
Overall it's a great little introduction and it's easy to get into if you have never read anything else Marvel (like me) and don't know anything about the various universes (again, me!) It's a fast read, an easy one, and it involves you quickly in one girl's storyline. I'm excited that there's already a few volumes out and I will certainly be looking to pick them up for myself now :) 4*s overall -
I liked it, but I'm surprised no one's said anything about how she became white by the end of the first issue. I was in love with it up to that part.
-
Meet Kamala Khan - the new carrier of the Ms. Marvel name and a Pakistani Muslim. A brown girl with superpowers. A positive, happy, geeky brown girl who writes Avengers fanfiction when she's not working her part-time job or arguing with her parents.
Kamala is relateable. The readers are Kamala. She is as obsessed with superheroes as we all are, and it's a magical thing to see. She's a dreamer. She wants to be a hero, but she's realistic. She knows there are obstacles. She knows that she's a child. She knows that she is not like the other kids because of her race, because of her religion.
The reason behind my four-star rating is that I wished with all my heart that we would be reading about a hero who embraces her religion, who wears her hijab with pride. There's room for growth in her, though, and I am willing to wait and see how her religion affects her positively.
All in all, this is a strong opening to a hopefully strong run. I will be keeping up with this series. I'm incredibly excited for it. -
Okay, I was not a fan of this at all. I tried to have an open mind especially considering how excited some of my friends were for it. It didn't matter how open my mind was I hated this comic. I am a HUGE Marvel fan! I spend my free time going through comic book stores looking for X-Men, Captain America, Thor, etc. This entire issue felt like a fan fic or something that a little girl on Tumblr created. Maybe if I was younger I would have enjoyed it more but honestly at 22 years old, I couldn't stand it. Something I have always admired about Marvel heroines is that they're confident most of the time and can kick ass! I didn't find that in this comic. I wanted to find it in this comic but it just wasn't there. I will not be continuing the series and to say I was disappointed in this issue is an understatement.
-
Teenage Muslim girl superhero?
OMG fangirl squee BIG TIME! I finally, FINALLY got to read this and OMG \m/ just EPIC! Kamala is all kinds of awesome! You just can't help relating to her in some form or fashion, from her intense geekdom (loved her fanfic panels) to having strict parents to dealing with privileged "concern trolls". This was so worth the wait. Her background and her desire to be "a regular girl" are seamlessly woven in. And there are some seriously humorous moments. Kamala's dad is a hoot. As was her wanting to kick butt in a pair of wedge heels *so hilarious*. Even if you're not a comic fan, but you're into diversity, you really owe it to yourself to beg, borrow, buy or pilfer (lol) this series.
Not much else to say. I've got volumes 2 and 3 to read. See ya! -
One could not fault on the moves Marvel has made lately, especially in its publishing of comic books. One trend I've noticed is the move away from the traditional male, Caucasian superhero types into more varied racial profiles.
2012 was the year Marvel pushed the female superhero lead. Comic readers found in their comic store shelves titles with such female characters in lead rules like Red She-Hulk, Sif and Captain Marvel. There were mixed reactions but one thing was certain, book like Captain Marvel have reached a very vocal and participative new fandom that didn't buy comics before.
This week, Marvel launched a new Ms. Marvel title that features a new character in the role. The new teenaged Ms. Marvel is a second generation Pakistani immigrant with shape-shifting powers. One could argue that this is a cash grab; aligning a character with a demographic and nationality with disposable income. Cynics mgiht agree but not if they've read G. Willow Wilson excellent script.
Wilson's characterization is spot on at times that its eerily lifelike; she has captured the angst a teenager experiences when trapped in between two cultures. Reading the dialogue; it feels genuine. It helps that Adrian Alphona is handling the art. Alphona has a knack capturing expressions of teenagers; a fact that I know since I love his Runaways work. His art is better than ever.
This is a book that is hitting it for me, great writing and great art. I can't wait for the next issue. -
Since I'm legally blind, reading comics is an arduous task for me. I have to painstakingly read one panel at a time, magnified on my iOS device with the aid of ComiXology's guided access. Even then, I miss a ton of the visual storytelling--there's just too much going on for me to take in.
But the announcement of a Muslim Ms. Marvel made me want to put nose to grindstone, or iPad. Fortunately, the opening issue made it worth the ocular labor. Kamala is your typical Jersey high school girl--except she's a Pakistani Muslim. Oh, and she wants to be a superhero. This issue sets up the conflict between the two cultures in her life. Sometimes the dialogue degenerates to something you'd hear on one of those high school dramas like Degrassi. But the writing is saved from the slush pile of cliché by Kamala's self-awareness, and her genuine desire to live her life in the new world while remaining a loyal daughter and a devout Muslim.
I don't think it's giving away too much to say that she's going to get her wish and become a superhero. After she sneaks off to a party, she receives a strange visitation from Captain America, Iron Man, and Captain Marvel, who offer her a chance to prove herself, but warn her that things won't turn out the way she thinks they will. Whatever that means. I'm very much looking forward to finding out. -
I've traditionally been a DC gal, forged when DC remembered how to have fun. I don't read many comics these days, but between the author and the concept, I was eager to check this one out. It's lovely. Fun, exciting, empowering (dare I say embiggening?), well-written. Good on ya, Marvel.
-
Okay, this was great on so many levels. Fun art, great story and lots of stuff going on besides bad-guy-punchy
-
-
I disliked the first issue of Ms. Marvel. G. Willow Wilson tries to make her seem very relatable to young readers, she's the "omg, like, I love comics" type, "I write fanfiction like every teen yo", but she just comes across as obnoxious, it's not cute.
Even if it tries to be "cute" and "funny", the infidel line is cringe worthy. Infidel is an religious epithet, similar to racial epithets. The word in Arabic is "kafir", whose root means "to cover", kafirs/infidels are seen as misleading, deceitful people.
The "bacon" is a temptation of the deceitful infidels that will lead Kamala astray. But here it's played for "laughs", kafirs eat dirty non-halal food, hilarious, amirite?
Kamala wants to be "pretty", to be blonde and blue eyed, and thinks all white people think of Middle Easterners and muslim people as "dumb, inferior brown people".
Kamala herself wants to rebel against her family's strict rules and traditions. Her wanting to be white and "pretty", seems to suggest that she is ashamed of where she comes from . She wants to be hip and cool and to go to kafir parties.
Self-hatred and projection much? It seems that NOT the actual white people see brown muslim people as inferior, but Kamala herself sees them as embarrassing and antiquated.
Kamala wants to distance herself from her family's strict rules and at the same time to integrate in American society even more. And how does she think she'll integrate best and be loved and admired by everyone? By becoming her idol, Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, a white, blonde, blue-eyed superhero.
Why not be like Monica Rambeau, who is black, she's a minority like Kamala, and was initially known as Captain Marvel, later known as Photon, then Pulsar and now Spectrum ?
Monica Rambeau has been around since 1982. So it's not like Marvel hasn't been diverse, wayyyy before this politically correct era we currently live in.
Kamala's intial attitude is wrong, she won't integrate in American society just by being "white", but by challanging her family's strict rules and her family's close-mindedness.
In a later issue, Kamala's brother tells her Italian friend who is in love with Kamala, that he has no chance of marrying her because their family wouldn't accept him for his religion (he's catholic) and his different culture which is the Italian culture.
So who are the real xenophobes here?
She still challanges her family's strict rules and her family's close-mindedness in later issues. But at the same time, at the end of the first issue, the solution for Kamala's identity crisis, the moral lesson to be taken is to become even more religious. Because she wasn't religious enough she had to be "punished" by the terrigen mist and the fact that she drank vodka with juice at the party.
It's important not to gloss over this line, it's not a funny, quirky line, it should be taken very seriously.
Pakistan and a lot of muslim countries still practice arranged marriages, and in countries like Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh etc child marriage is a common practice.
A 2013 report claims 53% of all married women in Afghanistan were married before age 18, and 21% of all were married before age 15.
Over half of Yemeni girls are married before 18, some by the age eight.
Child marriage rates in Bangladesh are amongst the highest in the world. Every 2 out of 3 marriages involve child marriages. According to statistics from 2005, 49% of women then between 25 and 29 were married by the age of 15 in Bangladesh.
According to two 2013 reports, over 50% of all marriages in Pakistan involve girls less than 18 years old. Another UNICEF report claims 70% of girls in Pakistan are married before the age of 16.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_m...
And of course, the obligatory jab at superheroes and their crazy costumes. Yes, the costumes are unrealistic, but they're superheroes, the ideal of beauty and strength. They SHOULD look like Greek and Roman statues.
I'm a woman and I'm okay with Captain Marvel/Carol Danver's former costume. I would have liked if her legs were more covered, but that's about it. The current version of Captain Marvel looks almost like a man, not an ounce of femininity left. And not only in Carol's looks, but also her personality, she's most of the times upset, angry and aggressive.
In conclusion, the writing isn't good. Kamala Khan isn't dislikeable, but she isn't likeable either. She's pretty much the stereotypical fangirl. She's the happy-go-lucky, ditzy teen girl stereotype. The only thing that makes her distinct is the fact that she's muslim. When you ask people why they like her they'll say "Because she's muslim and relatable and likes geeky things", but if you ask to go in more detail, what makes Kamala Khan DISTINCT from any other geeky girl, they won't know how to answer. Kamala Khan's big selling point is that she's muslim and geeky, that's all. You can replace her with any other muslim, geeky girl and you won't see any difference. She's not special that she's a muslim geeky girl, there are geeks of any gender, religion and ethnicity.
She could be replaced with another geeky muslim girl and no one would notice. -
3.7 I ADORE THIS COMIC. Having a brown superhero?? Sign me up!! RTC
-
It is perfect. I love the winged sloth on the back of the chair, I love the family, the friends, the costume, everything.
Library copy -
Free for Amazon Prime members! (5-7-20)
Overall I’d recommend it since it was quick, had action, and some character development.
I liked it and only have little things that stilted the story flow for me.
1. The character dialogue sometimes felt forced. Who says “totes” [insert]?
2. I liked the cultural differences and the exploration of family and tradition, but the weird change from ‘normal’ to ‘super’ made it off as the skin color changed with it. That felt like a rip off to me. Like hide your superpowers, but what? Why did the skin??? Change???
3. The Prime édition on my kindle was too small to read. Sad. Not anything against the book, just sad that my reading device doesn’t help with comics.
3.5 stars rounded down. -
Hate :(
-
Originally posted at:
https://bigpapageek.wordpress.com/201...
http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450...
Superheros have dealt with may threats over the years; trans-dimensional beings, gods, killer robots, menacing doppelgangers. But one of the most enduring foes is also one of the most seemingly benign.
Being different.
Superman was called to defend those least like him. Spiderman is is forced to conceal his identity to protect those he loves. Perhaps most noticeably, the X-Men are defined by being the "other", hated and feared in equal measure, becoming an image of oppressed minorities, specifically the GLBT community.
Few people feel more different than teenagers, especially teenage girls. But a female, nerdy, Muslim teenager unexpectedly gifted with superpowers?
Now that is something truly different.
"Ms. Marvel, #1: Meta Morphosis," by writer G. Willow Wilson (herself a Muslim convert) and artist Adrian Alphona, tackles just such a topic in the person of Kamala Kahn. A normal teenage girl, Kamala writes Avengers fan-fic (a wonderfully meta touch), negotiates a fraught relationship with her immigrant, Pakistani parents, and, oh yeah, is mysteriously gifted with superpowers after the events of "Inhumanity" led to the awakening of latent genetic abilities (most noticeably the ability to manipulate the size, shape and appearance of her body). As Wilson said in a interview prior to the comics' release;
Islam is both an essential part of her identity and something she struggles mightily with. She's not a poster girl for the religion, or some kind of token minority. She does not cover her hair –most American Muslim women don't—and she's going through a rebellious phase. She wants to go to parties and stay out past 9 PM and feel “normal.” Yet at the same time, she feels the need to defend her family and their beliefs.
Ms. Marvel was lauded upon it's release, and with good reason. Having a Muslim lead for the first time in Marvel's history would be accomplishment enough, let alone doing so while rebooting a beloved, decades old character (one frequently outfitted in, we'll say, provocative clothing). But Ms. Marvel also stands out for it's finely observed relationships, it's empathetic portrayal of the immigrant experience, and its beautiful, distinctive art, looking more like an "indie" comic than typical superhero fare. For example, here is a typical panel, remarkable if only for its rich depiction of family life familiar to any person, Muslim or not.
http://howtolovecomics.com/wp-content...
Ms. Marvel only suffered in my mind from being so universally lauded upon it's release that it almost assuredly could not completely live up to the hype. Taken on it's own, however, it is humane, thrilling look at the origins of a superhero that is the face of a new America. -
I´ve been putting off writing a review of Ms. Marvel because she quickly became one of my most loved superheroes and I wanted to think throughly about her story and its importance to the genre.
Here's the deal: Kamala Kahn's origin story is really groundbreaking and in a good way. She doesn't become Ms. Marvel out of revenge (ehem, Batman) or out of some regret and even shame. concerning getting her powers (sorry, Peter, but I'm talking about you). A hero born out of trasuma or tragedy is a somewhat lame plot device used in order to seem meaningfull or serious really quickly in the begginig of a story, sorrry.
Unlike a lot of big iconic superheroes, she doesn't become a vigilante in a violent way. She gets her powers, and just because she's an amazing person, decides that she wants to use them for good and help people.
The first issues are about her learning to use her new habilities and us learning to love her and apreciate her uniqueness.
I could say a lot more about this comic, but I probably won't do it justice. I certainly hope I can keep reading more about Kamala Kahn for years to come. -
This is the first chapter in Kamala Khan's journey to become the new Ms. Marvel, and G. Willow Wilson did an excellent job in laying the groundwork for this journey. Kamala and I are quite similar in that we are awkward girls with strict, religious parents of the Abrahamic persuasion (Muslim in her case, Christian in mine). The fight she had with her parents at the dinner table could have been torn from my own diary when I was sixteen, as I'm willing to bet is the case with most other readers. Besides being relatable, Kamala is just adorable. I loved the whole sequence where she hallucinated Captain Marvel appearing to her like a divine intervention, with Captain America and Iron Man tagging along in the background. At the end of issue #1 Kamala has yet to understand that she has powers or to meet the real Carol Danvers, and I cannot wait to see it unfold. 4.5 stars.
-
I wanted to give Ms. Marvel a try so I picked up the first issue recently. I was more interested in her life as a Muslim American girl than her change into a superhero. I just always enjoy reading culture clash stories because it gives me a better understanding of different cultures. Right away I connected with Kamala because she is having a hard time fitting in. She doesn't really fit in with her very traditional family and she doesn't fit in with her American friends either. I'm excited to see where this story goes and how her beliefs impact her ability to fight crime.
The art was amazing and I really love the style that this is drawn in. I will be continuing this series on Marvel Unlimited. -
أسحب كل كلامي عن الكوميك.
المسأله تعتمد على القصه التي تريد أن تقرأها وكيف تجدها ...
سعيده لأني تعرفت على هذه الكوميك من سلسلة النيو هيروز من خلال حديث TED و ideachannel !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VALaI9...
+
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9lev...
على كُل حال، لا أحكم عاده على القصص من أول الفصول، سأنتظر حتى انهي أول سبعة فصول بعدها أعبر عن رأيي للقصه.
لكن بصراحة، أنا سعيده جداً ! -
Errr......What a let-down. No. I didn't enjoy this issue. The cover was gorgeous so I thought the rest of the artwork would be the same. But after reading this issue it felt...wrong. It wasn't extraordinary. The writing and the Muslim stereotypes were a bad choice, and the main character was annoying.
