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A review by dr_matthew_lloyd
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 10: Time and Again by G. Willow Wilson
4.0
Collected in this final Kamala Khan/Ms Marvel volume under her creators are three single-issue stories and a five-issue arc. In the arc, Kamala and her best friend Bruno investigate how Kamala's powers work - where does her extra mass come from when she embiggens? where does it go when she shrinks? - but have their investigations disrupted when second-tier New York villain Shocker tries to set himself up as Kamala's arch-nemesis. The three single-issue arcs focus on the wider world of Kamala Khan - her friends, her family, her mosque; but also the city as a whole. It's a good reminder of why this series works so well: yes, Kamala is a great central character, but she's supported by a cast of individually compelling characters, who collectively make up a great world. With, I suppose, one exception.
Well, I guess the comic called me out on thinking that the main thing this comic series has lacked is a strong antagonist. To be honest, I'm a little disappointed that "real-life problems" and "strong antagonist" are juxtaposed in this way, but to be honest it feels like a Marvel problem rather than a Ms Marvel one - besides the Loki/Killmonger/Thanos trinity of the movies and the Pride in Runaways I can't think of a compelling Marvel villain. I think that the Inventor, who targets vulnerable groups, is the most interesting villain Kamala faces, but he never quite gets off the ground.
It seems like there's a bit of calling out of critics in that final story-arc, as Shocker tries to convince Ms Marvel that she should be somehow more than she is. I suspect, as someone who isn't a massive comics reader, that Ms Marvel's strength is that it does stick to a fairly simple template, but does virtually everything extremely well. While I might complain about the so-so villains, I'd probably be happy enough to read this comic if it were all what #31, #37, and #38 are: Kamala, hanging out with friends, drawn into a simple problem that creates a work/life balance problem. #37 reminds us that a superhero doesn't even need a villain to be compelling.
I don't know if I will continue to read Ms Marvel with its new creative team (that may depend on whether my library continues to stock the collected volumes), but I certainly think that this series is one of the best superhero comic books I've read, and would recommend it to anyone interested in young adult, non-realistic fiction in general.
"I don't need an arch-nemesis. I've got real-life problems."
- Kamala Khan/Ms Marvel
Well, I guess the comic called me out on thinking that the main thing this comic series has lacked is a strong antagonist. To be honest, I'm a little disappointed that "real-life problems" and "strong antagonist" are juxtaposed in this way, but to be honest it feels like a Marvel problem rather than a Ms Marvel one - besides the Loki/Killmonger/Thanos trinity of the movies and the Pride in Runaways I can't think of a compelling Marvel villain. I think that the Inventor, who targets vulnerable groups, is the most interesting villain Kamala faces, but he never quite gets off the ground.
It seems like there's a bit of calling out of critics in that final story-arc, as Shocker tries to convince Ms Marvel that she should be somehow more than she is. I suspect, as someone who isn't a massive comics reader, that Ms Marvel's strength is that it does stick to a fairly simple template, but does virtually everything extremely well. While I might complain about the so-so villains, I'd probably be happy enough to read this comic if it were all what #31, #37, and #38 are: Kamala, hanging out with friends, drawn into a simple problem that creates a work/life balance problem. #37 reminds us that a superhero doesn't even need a villain to be compelling.
I don't know if I will continue to read Ms Marvel with its new creative team (that may depend on whether my library continues to stock the collected volumes), but I certainly think that this series is one of the best superhero comic books I've read, and would recommend it to anyone interested in young adult, non-realistic fiction in general.