Review: Ms. Marvel Vol. 1- No Normal
Quick Summary
Pros: A compelling lead character and a good story lead to a very solid start to this new series. The story and characters do a great job of staying relevant and relatable. This book also has a lighthearted nature to it which is often absent from mainstream comics.
Cons: Some plot details are a little inconsistent.
Overall: This is a very strong start to a brand new series in terms of both characters and story. This new Ms. Marvel is a street level hero taking on more realistic threats than can be seen in most comic books, which ends up being a refreshing concept. This volume doesn’t just tackle villains though as it takes on more relatable and everyday issues such as school, parents, and culture. All of these things add up to make a great book that serves up a reading experience which is fun, different, and relatable.
Story
Introducing readers to a brand new character in a brand new series is not an easy task. Usually it ends up with far too much exposition and characterization, thus taking away from the plot. However, Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal ends up defying that expectation. It tells a unique and interesting story while also developing its original characters and its larger plotline. It doesn’t just get introductions right, it also presents a number of compelling new characters and potential stories to the reader. This is a fantastic first volume for this series and a very hopeful sign for where it is going in the future.
(spoilers start here)
To start off, Kamala Khan is a fantastic character and a very welcome addition to the Marvel Universe. Sometimes when characters are added for the purpose of diversity they can feel forced and end up not working as well with the larger universe. The new Ms. Marvel directly opposes this and presents a new hero who is great in her own right, while also respecting the legacy of her namesake.
Part of what makes Kamala Khan are the things that originally attracted readers to characters like Peter Parker. She is a simple high school student who is trying to juggle the demands of school, her parents, and being a part-time superhero. Honestly, she bears an incredibly close resemblance to classic Spider-Man, which is most definitely a compliment. An additional layer is added with the introduction of Kamala’s Muslim heritage; getting to see the additional joys and demands that this particular culture creates is extremely interesting to see, especially since it is something not many other comics have. All in all, these things combine to make her a relatable and enjoyable character to everyone since everyone has had some sort of pressure from their parents, school, or culture at some point in time.
The street-level, low-stakes, and lighthearted nature of this collection also helps to make the book more enjoyable, while also separating it from the traditional superhero fare. Ms. Marvel is not facing off against ultra-powerful aliens determined to destroy Earth or mob bosses who secretly rule all of New York City. Instead, her quests seem to involve low-level criminals who are mostly just trying to steal from people or hurt the community. This keeps her grounded in reality and make her stories feel more like comics did in the past, before the fate of the world was threatened in every issue.
The only problem with this story is when plot details trip up each other. For example, Kamala is grounded for the majority of this book, yet is somehow able to do pretty much everything she wants. She then will return to her parents to be punished again which usually only leads to her still being grounded. For a book that tries to portray her parents as being very strict and demanding, the consequences do not seem that high. Keep in mind though, that this is a very mild complaint and does not really come into play much throughout the story.
(spoilers end here)
Art
Ms. Marvel is a young and quirky superhero who, thus far, is going through more lighthearted and fun adventures. Thus, the art in her book needs to express this more lighthearted attitude and tone. The art style that Ian Herring uses is great for this. Though not the most beautiful art of all time, it makes the book look fun and matches the desired tone very well. By making the book look like this, readers are able to get a grasp of what kind of book this is before even reading what it is about.
Continuity
This is the first volume in a brand new series starring a brand new hero in the Marvel Universe. Thus, her only appearance in comics before this was a brief cameo appearance on one page of a Captain Marvel comic, collected in both Avengers: The Enemy Within and Captain Marvel: Earth’s Mightiest Hero Vol. 2.
The story started here will continue in Ms. Marvel Vol. 2: Generation Why (Review).
This volume also references a story from another comic book, detailed below:
- Ms. Marvel gets her powers early on in this collection after walking through a strange gas cloud. The origin and purpose of this gas can be found in the event Infinity.
Collection Notes
Every issue in found in this collection can also be found in:
- Ms. Marvel Vol. 1 (Hardcover), which collects:
- Ms. Marvel Omnibus Vol. 1, which collects: