Elmo Bondoc

Access a version of the below that includes illustrations on my blog.

Since vol. 3, issue #1 in April 2014, my wife and I have bought Ms. Marvel month by month at the comic book store in single-issue format. The series recently hit fifty issues, definitely the longest I have stuck with a monthly comic. (In fact, it's one of two monthly comics I buy as of this writing, and the other is about to come to an end, so I'll be down to just Ms. Marvel.) Because we own all the single issues, we show more haven't bought any of the collected editions, but the prospect of a Marvel Omnibus collecting the entirety of vol. 3 was too good to pass up, and I took the opportunity to reread them all in quick succession, as opposed to stretched out over almost two years. Plus, the book collects some related issues I hadn't already read, though annoyingly it places them all at the back, rather than in order.*

Anyway, Ms. Marvel is still in its fiftieth issue one of the best comic books, and these nineteen issues have almost no duds among them. Kamala Khan's origin story is excellent, a strong origin story doing all the things a teen superhero origin story should do. (Indeed, one of my reasons for rereading this book when I did is that I taught issues #1-5, No Normal, in my YA literature class.) Kamala is real and human, and book is grounded. This is a refinement of the model that made DC's Blue Beetle vol. 8 work so well, which I guess was in turn a refinement of Marvel's original Spider-Man model. Kamala has relatable everyday problems, and she's surrounded by a very real-feeling friends and family. I like Kamala, I like her parents, I like her brother's determination to be normal in the face of it all.

But she also gets to interact with the fantastic and the amazing. The Inventor is a fun villain, and her encounters with Wolverine and Loki are in particular excellent and hilarious. (By contrast, I didn't find her team-ups with Spider-Man or S.H.I.E.L.D. particularly well done, and the Inhumans will always be the least interesting thing Marvel does. Aside from Lockjaw, of course.) In classic Scott McCloud fashion, Kamala is relatable enough to be your vessel into an amazing world, but unlike his theory, she doesn't have to sacrifice her uniqueness to attain her universality.

I like comic books because of their chronological span. I like seeing a character and a concept be worked up and develop over time. That Ms. Marvel has worked in this regard is demonstrated in the book's final story arc, Last Days, where the world is ending. Writer G. Willow Wilson draws all its various threads together in one heart-warming storyline. Everything comes together here, and it's one of those works of fiction that makes you feel good about the world, because this book has earned its warm fuzzies. The characters are on point, the community of Jersey City unites, the jokes are excellent, Kamala is the best hero she can be, and she finally meets her hero as the inescapable doom of Earth arrives.

Also I can't believe I haven't mentioned him yet, but Adrian Alphona, who draws 14 of the 23 issues collected here, is seriously one of the best comic book artists there is. He has an enormous command of character, facial expressions, and humor, essential for a grounded comic book like this one, but he's also strong with the action sequences. I don't think Ms. Marvel would be Ms. Marvel without him, and he defines Kamala and her world. It's a shame that in vol. 4 his involvement diminishes, but what's here is excellent. Shout out too to Takeshi Miyazawa, who I've loved since his Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane days, and who does work almost as good as Alphona's here.

If you like superheroes and you like YA fiction, Ms. Marvel is the best take on the genre there is. Why has there been no Ms. Marvel Omnibus, Vol. 2 yet? This volume collects 23 issues, and there's been at least 34 issues since, so there's definitely enough content. Make it, Marvel, and I will buy it! show less

I admit that I felt the second volume of this title was a bit lackluster, so hadn't really planned on continuing on with the series. But then the next three volumes were on sale at comixology, so I splurged. And boy am I glad I did. Kamala is back with a vengeance in this title, and the training wheels are off. She learns the hard way about the dangers of trusting too easily, in a really nice story arc that highlights the trials of being a young superhero. (Every young superhero had their show more betrayal story. This is Kamala's.)

There is also a nice cameo from Loki crashing the school's Valentine's Day dance, and Kamala's guest starring in an issue of SHIELD with Jemma Simmons and Coulson going undercover at her high school. show less

Holy toledo, SHIT JUST GOT REAL in Ms. Marvel! Seriously, I've loved this series basically from the beginning to now, but... Wow. This one was epic. First, can we just talk about Loki being in Jersey City for a grand total of TWO SECONDS and he's already shipping my OTP??? CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT THIS??? Because I'm pretty sure that when I read that, I died and went to Valhalla. I am currently writing this review from the Nordic afterlife, and the halls of Odin have great WiFi, okay? Okay show more great, now that we have that settled we can talk about THE EPIC CRAPTON OF FOR-REALNESS THAT JUST HIT KAMALA KHAN IN THE REST OF THIS BOOK! I CAN'T EVEN! MY FEELS CAN'T EVEN! I JUST... *flails wildly* The way the entire story line with Kamran went... I'm in so much pain right now. I want Volume 4 now, please. And everything else even marginally Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan related. Thank you very much. :) show less

This is so so good. You're probably all sick of my fangirling over Kamala Khan, but I refuse to stop until every single one of you has this series in your TBR piles! Yes, it's that good. I've said it before, I'll say it again, I really wish this series had been out when I was a teen. I love it so much now, and I can only wonder how much more it would have given me when I was a teen. There is so much good stuff wrapped up in G. Willow Wilson's epic! I'm smitten.

From the first panel, a very show more cocky (and highly adorable) Loki stole my heart. I can't express enough how much I love the characters that flit in and out of Ms. Marvel's life. In this particular installment, Kamala has a lot to deal with. She's still trying to balance her normal home life, with her superpowers. She's still trying to be a teenager, while also saving the world. How do you balance something like that? Now, however, Kamala faces the most difficult challenge of all. The one thing that can bring any teen to their knees in an instant. Heartbreak.

I loved all the messages that came through in this volume. The idea of love knowing no boundaries, especially religious ones. The fact that girls are so quick to blame themselves any time something bad happens to them (there's a nod to women and rape shaming here). Even the fact that someday, quite soon, Kamala might have to kill someone. We all know that superheroes have that expectation, but Kamala is only a teenager. How will she deal with it?

Ah, so much good stuff. Friendship. Love. Family. This series has so far been packed to the brim with nothing but things I adore. I'm only sad that I'm going to have to wait a while for the next volume to come out. show less