Ms Marvel #1

Price: $2.99

Rating: Teen+

Covers: Sara Pichelli, Arthur Adams

Writer: G. Willow Wilson

Art: Adrian Alphona

ON SALE DATE: February 5

This week saw the release of Marvel’s highly-anticipated new relaunch, Ms Marvel #1. Ever since this book was announced, it’s been receiving a lot of buzz due to the titular heroine, Kamala Khan, a 16 year old girl from New Jersey of Pakistani descent. This is a book that has a chance to introduce some much needed diversity to the comic book shelves, but only if it is of a high enough quality to be worth reading. How does it do in its first issue? Read on to find out!

The Good

I’m glad to say that there are a lot of good things going on to talk about here. First and foremost, we have strong character writing from G. Willow Wilson. It’s hard to get on board with a new series if you don’t like the protagonist, but it seems like this won’t be problem here; Wilson makes Kamala into a very charming character, a young girl who is coming of age and finding out who she is, coming to terms to how she fits in when surrounded by those who view her as an outsider, and aspiring to be someone great. All told, Kamala is very relatable and endearing, sentiments which are reinforced by the artwork by Adrian Alphona, which is of strong quality. Alphona infuses Kamala with youthful energy that shines through in her gestures and expressions, and gives the rest of the issue a fluid quality that makes both a family conversation around the dinner table and Kamala’s vision upon receiving her powers a treat to behold. So to reiterate, both writing and art are strong here.

The Bad

Most of the bad points from this issue are the unfortunate symptoms of First Issue Syndrome. We don’t really delve into much in the way of action, seeing as we’re still in the meet and greet stage. And while the characters seem charming and show a lot of promise, we still have to acknowledge that this issue was almost entirely exposition. We are also going to need some more explanation about the mysterious origin of Kamala’s new powers moving forward. Luckily, these are problems that can easily be rectified by the next issue as the narrative starts to pick up steam.

The Verdict

A very strong first issue gives us stunning art and introduces us to a very likable new cast of characters. Now that the foundation has been laid, this is a book that has a lot of potential, and I look forward to seeing where they take it.

4.5 out of 5