Monday, April 23, 2018

Ms. Marvel #29 Review - Marvel Monday



Something New part 1

Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Nico Leon
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release Date: April 18, 2018

Cover Price: $3.99


Ms. Marvel the Jersey City Super Hero continues her fight for truth justice and womanhood. Her once potential love interest, Bruno, is still off in Wakanda for schooling. A new boy now comes into the picture. A Pakistani Super Hero named Red Dagger. To elevate the anxiety and the tension Aamir, Kamala’s brother is having a baby. This is all starting to sound like a horror comic to me. 

We open to Jersey City Medical clinic. Aamir shakily sits by his wife’s bedside with a tray of ice cubes as his wife writhes in agony trying to push a watermelon from her hoo-haw. Kamala and her brother in law sit in the waiting room with stacks of toys for the new child. When Aamir is wheeled out in a wheelchair because he fainted. The two kids get a little chuckle at Aamir’s expense until Aamir starts expressing the doubt I'm sure every new father feels. Am I going to fuck this child up? Simple answer there is, probably, but that is just how I feel. 

Suddenly the tension is broken by the wails of a newly born infant everyone one rushes to greet the new addition. In a nice little happy moment, everyone is on cloud 9. This birth scene works way more for me than Mr. Miracle one thankfully. It does help that it is over in three pages rather than a whole comic.



Flying high on the thought of the new baby Kamala takes to the streets as Ms. Marvel. Super excited at the prospect of being a new Aunt she leaps from building to building. She is practically dancing in the streets until Red Dagger jumps down startling the Marvelous one. Red Dagger professes to Ms. Marvel that he missed her deeply while she was gone. Which takes Kamala’s breath away. It also allows Dagger to be able to plant a kiss right on Kamala’s lips. Which is a pretty momentous occasion in anyone's life? The first kiss, has been built up pretty brilliantly since the very beginning of Ms. Marvel series. In Kamala’s culture displays of affection are highly regulated by family and friends so the tension of this moment is significant. Made even more so because it is at this moment Bruno decides to roll back into town from Wakanda. Maybe making out on the roof of your ex-crushes store wasn't the best idea.

We jump to earlier in the day at Newark international airport. Where Bruno is putting up a fight with his friend from Wakanda. The airport is demanding that Bruno use the wheelchair to get off the premises. He doesn't want to because that makes his injuries all to real. It appears that something has happened to him in previous issues. His left side of his body is all exoskeleton out. I am extremely curious about this development but I didn't want to spoil this book too much for myself. I am technically 30 issues behind right now, but I really wanted to review this book tonight. Forgive me for not knowing everything. Work has really cut into my reading time. 



Kwezi, Bruno’s friend is very excited to be in the states and wants to be able to experience our culture to the fullest while he is here. So I am sure he will be getting into plenty of Hi-Jinx to come. Bruno is back to decide whether or not he is going to stay in the states or live in Wakanda forever.

The next morning after Kamala’s first kiss, Bruno and she discuss their life together and apart. I have to do a little assuming here from the dialogue given. Bruno in the first Volume of Ms. Marvel is pretty much Kamala’s sidekick best friend and confidante. At some point, he must have been gravely injured. Driving a rift between the two. But before that happened Bruno had professed his love for Kamala which she also felt for Bruno. 

There are many things that make this union impossible. Realizing this Kamala had turned down Bruno. Taking Kamala’s advice that he should move on. He decides to do just that. He got a girlfriend named Mike which upset Kamala at the beginning of Volume 2. Kamala tries to throw that in his face but he throws right back at her, the fact she was making out with Red Dagger on top of Circle Q. 



The School bell rings which bring this conversation to an end. But not before a new bad girl makes her first appearance at the school. Kaylee Kirk just moved here from Connecticut and she brought her bitch factory with her. She throws a bunch of shade at our duo. 

Kamala and Bruno grab hands so Bruno can steady himself and right at that point Mike, Bruno’s girl walks up and jumps to conclusions that leave her running away in tears. Kamala’s girlfriends show up and are talking when the new girl makes another appearance. Zoe seems to instantly fall for the snob which brings chastising from her friends.

Instead of going to class Kamla and Bruno go to talk privately at the Circle Q. Bruno tells her the intent for this visit is to decide if he should move back. Kamala is all for it, but Bruno says it's not that simple. He was expelled from school and the streets also hold some bad memories for him.

In a torrent of emotion, Kamala runs out of the store and directly to her spiritual advisor at the mosque. She busts open the door and slams it behind her screaming I kissed boy and I think I’m in love with a different boy. The servant of the Mosque faints like this is a crisis level event but he is way cooler with her about it then you would think. Kamala Telling him everything gets some really sound advice that I feel all kids need in there life more and more.

Meanwhile, at school we find out the new girl is more than just a bitch she is a scary bitch with strength enough to crinkle a locker door in her hands as Chloe attempts to hit on the new girl.

 Bits and Pieces:

This is an excellent comic series that gives you the Peter Parker in school vibe of yesteryear but filtered through the eyes of a Pakistani American girl.  Nico Leon does Adrian Alphona levels of artwork in this book. Its fun teenage angst at its best. I loved this comic when I read it out of context having not read much of this series before. So much so that I went back and immediately started reading Ms. Marvel from the beginning. Then I enjoyed that so much I went and bought G. Willow Wilson’s two published novels. The Butterfly Mosque and Alif the Unseen which I look forward to reading this summer on the beach.

9/10

2 comments:

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  2. Great review Aaron! I'm glad you've checked this issue out and have decided to go back and read the full run. It's really enjoyable... like Amazing Spider-Man enjoyable. It's a shame the singles don't sell too well, but I'm sure the trade sales more than make up for it.

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