Young love! I mean, young infatuation!
Creative Staff:
Story: G. Willow Wilson
Art: Takeshi Miyazawa
What They Say:
There’s a new kid in town, and he’s cute. What are those feelings, Kamala Khan? It’s called a crush.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Ms. Marvel took a fun turn the last time around as it introduced us to Kamran, someone very similar to Kamala in a lot of ways, both in heritage and family but also in being an Inhuman. While she wasn’t interested in seeing who her parents had arranged for her to meet years ago, seeing how handsome he was helped to change her mind, but his being an Inhuman made her feel far less alone than she had since first being exposed to the mist. And for someone who already felt like an outsider in many ways, it’s a big thing for her to connect with someone else. It also didn’t hurt that she found herself really into him as a person based on what she got to know from the start, so everything else just felt like gravy that in the teenage mind makes it all so very perfect.
This second part of the three part story is one that puts Kamala in a couple of very different positions. While Aamir is all about how those two need to be proper, almost to a movie caricature in Kamala’s eyes, Kamran is such a draw to Kamala that she’s breaking all sorts of rules to spend time alone with him. Not in a dangerous way, but it goes against her parents wishes. Still, she’s positively smitten and infatuated and it bleeds off the page beautifully as they take in the views from the rooftops in the middle of the night. But it also provides its complications, because she’s more trusting of him quicker than she should be because of their shared special identities. The fact she almost kisses him says a lot about just how far gone she is when it comes to him, so it makes it easier to see how she misses that he’s after something bigger with her that plays into the final pages as Kamran essentially kidnaps her. The idea that they’re above normal human concerns is no surprise – we’ve seen it in the mutant books for decades – so having him play that card and tying it into New Attilan with its new ruler sets the stage for a lot to come.
One of the core pieces to the book has been the family, religious and cultural aspects, something that’s been a solid draw for a lot of readers. It was pushed to the side for too long with some of what they were doing with the Inventor, but it hits strong here in some really good ways. In particular, when Bruno comes across Aamir and Kamala as Kamala gets into Kamran’s car against Aamir’s wishes, that has Bruno getting properly freaked out as he sees the competition and realizes he doesn’t stack up. Aamir, on the other hand, does his best to put it all into context for Bruno that Bruno never had a chance no matter what he thought. It’s a calm but brutal takedown, one that really makes it clear in a way that some wouldn’t really think of, as to why she’s being raised the way she is and the importance of it. Bruno does try admirably to deflect his interest but also to make clear that he understands them as he’s similar, but it’s the kind of almost plea that falls in inevitably deaf ears.
In Summary:
The latest issue of the series certainly works this arc well with what it wants to accomplish, tying into events in New Attilan while also working Kamala’s own growth as an Inhuman and as a teenage girl. There’s a lot of really sweet moments that remind us old folks of the thrill of youth, first crushes and loves and those feelings of excitement. But we also see some of the realities in the predators that exist out there, especially as Kamran’s great faced begins to reveal what’s truly underneath. It’s a crushing moment to be sure to see Kamala go through it, especially since she could be in real danger. Playing that alongside what Bruno is going through only adds to the weight of it all. It’s a strong issue that does a lot of very good character stuff that gets things through to readers about a lot of the cultural reasoning that doesn’t fit into the typical “movie caricature” reasoning we usually get.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: April 15th, 2015
MSRP: $2.99
