Review: Ms. Marvel Vol. 3- Crushed
Quick Summary
Pros: Ms. Marvel as a character continues to be a delight. This book’s examination of her growth as a person is particularly enjoyable. Plus a new story arc is introduced here, which is already even better than the last one.
Cons: If you don’t like video games and “nerdy” things then you may miss some of the references. The Loki: Agent of Asgard crossover is average at best.
Overall: Ms. Marvel is a series that started out good and is only getting better. Now that introductions and the first arc are out of the way, writer G. Willow Wilson seems to be able to do more with Kamala than ever before. Whether you’ve read the entire series or are just starting here, you are going to enjoy this book.
Story
Every time we talk about the Ms. Marvel series it ends up being an abundance of positives. Ms. Marvel Vol. 3: Crushed is no exception. In fact, this volume may be the best of the series so far. It had enough action to satisfy any comic fan while also digging heavily into who Ms. Marvel is as a person and a hero. If you’ve been a fan of who Ms. Marvel is and what she is about then you will find plenty to love in this book.
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This collection begins with a mini-crossover with the Loki: Agent of Asgard series. Loki is commanded by the All-Mother to check out Jersey City for a possible threat to their realm. This leads to a cutesy issue focused on the unrequited love Bruno has for Kamala. Everyone who enjoys “will they, won’t they” style romances will get a kick out of this issue, while everyone else will, most likely, leave it with little feelings one way or the other.
The next few issues, however, kick off a new plotline which most everyone should enjoy. While Ms. Marvel continues settling into her life as an Inhuman, she discovers the dark side of this new world. This leads her into fighting a group of Inhumans who are trying to recruit her to their cause.
This storyline is a real emotional rollercoaster, in a good way. Learning that Kamala’s new crush is Inhuman was the first twist, and was a great way to allow her to connect with someone who is remarkably similar to her. Yet learning that her crush is evil was an even better twist. It showed that Kamala is not just a hero because of her powers; her principles and morals make her even better than that. Both twists were a fun part of the reading experience while also serving to tell us more about Kamala as a person.
Speaking of learning more about Kamala, this collection’s exploration into her personal identity may have been the part of it that I enjoyed most. We see her being pulled in two directions by multiple worlds she lives in. Her family’s culture and Jersey City’s culture clash, the good and evil Inhuman cultures clash, and even her human and Inhuman cultures clash. Kamala is a character who is learning as much about herself as we are, which makes this book something more than a superhero story. It is a story about adolescence and the relatable journey we all go through in order to “know oneself.”
The last issue of this collection is a crossover with the S.H.I.E.L.D series. Though not as good as the main story, it provides a better filler arc than the Loki: Agent of Asgard‘s crossover did. In particular, it was cool to see Kamala interact with both Coulson and Simmons. Her interactions with Simmons were nice because it allowed her a chance to connect with someone about the stress involved with having a secret identity. Meanwhile, her interactions with Coulson were nice simply because it was hilarious to see the two of them go head to head in “Marvel Hero” trivia.
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Art
The majority of this story is drawn by Takeshi Miyazawa. Miyazawa’s drawings conform well with the style established by Adrian Alphona. This is enhanced by the fact that colorist Ian Herring stays on the title as well. Both of these aspects make the art in this series feel very uniform and make reading the series as a whole easier on the eyes.
Miyazawa’s artwork also just looks nice in general. It is detailed, clean, and does a great job in portraying the occasionally serious/occasionally silly tone of this book.
The other two issues in this collection are done by Elmo Bondoc and Humberto Ramos. Both of these issues look alright but are nothing to write home about. In particular, the S.H.I.E.L.D issue feels a little out of place here, because of the large shift in art styles. However it is not something which breaks the immersion too harshly.
Continuity
Ms. Marvel Vol. 3: Crushed continues the story from Ms. Marvel Vol. 2: Generation Why (Review).
The story here continues in Ms. Marvel Vol. 4: Last Days (Review).
This volume also references stories from other comic books, all of which are detailed below:
- The first issue in this collection, Ms. Marvel #12, is a pseudo-crossover with the Loki: Agent of Asgard series. This series starts with Loki: Agent of Asgard Vol. 1: Trust Me, which explains why Loki is working for and taking direction from the All-Mother.
- The last issue in this collection is a crossover with the S.H.I.E.L.D series. The stories immediately surrounding this one can be found in S.H.I.E.L.D Vol. 1: Perfect Bullets (Review).
Collection Notes
Every issue in found in this collection can also be found in:
- Ms. Marvel Vol. 2 (Hardcover), which collects:
- Ms. Marvel Omnibus Vol. 1, which collects: