- August 30, 2023
Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant #1 Review
Written by: Imani Vellani, Sabir Pirzada
Art by: Carlos Gomez, Adam Gorham
Coloring by: Erick Ariniega
Lettering by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Editing by: Sara Pichelli, Matthew Wilson
Now, I’ve never been the biggest Ms. Marvel fan. I’ve never disliked her, I just didn’t care for the Inhumans. They didn’t feel like they were being pushed because writers had a good idea for Inhumans, but rather they had good ideas for mutants and Disney didn’t own the movie rights to them. Now that they own the X-Men and mutants, the only Inhuman who maintained any real popularity is being made into a mutant like she probably would have been if it weren’t for the movies. This may sound terrible, but I honestly only care about this new Ms. Marvel solo because of the New Mutant part of the title.
It’s a good, albeit contrite hook. We don’t get many new characters who are new to their mutantdom to get a solo series. If you’re getting a solo series, you’re a big shot, otherwise, you’re relegated to team books. This doesn’t leave a lot of room for characters who just coming to terms with being mutants. This makes Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant feel a bit like a classic throwback to the days of Jubilee and Shadowcat being newcomers to the X-Men.
Kamala is struggling with the hate that comes with being a mutant. While it can come off a bit contrived sometimes, other times it feels all too real. This issue is trying to walk the line between what real prejudice sounds like and what prejudice against mutants should sound like. It lands about half the time, but it’s never too bad.
This does leave the issue feeling rather basic as it sets up a rather predictable premise, but that’s okay. Sometimes comfort food is comfort food, and Ms. Marvel is a good character for readers to feel comfortable with.
My only real issue stems from how Kamala Khan went from being an Inhuman to a mutant. Technically, she’s still an Inhuman, but the book just treats her like a mutant who isn’t obviously mutant. Maybe this is on purpose, but even when she’s in the X-Men’s colors, she doesn’t feel like she fits in. She never really fit in among the Inhumans either, and now she just stands out even more. The X-Men aren’t her people, and it’s weird seeing her be one of them. This is something we’ll have to get used to, but I do have to warn everyone, she’s not going to fit in at first. She feels like a Champion at heart.
Thank You For Reading! Check Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant!
I do expect Ms. Marvel readers to be split on this book. She’s still Kamala Khan, but it’s going to feel off. X-Men fans will feel the same way, but it’s in no way bad. It’s just good, a comfort food of a comic and I think many can appreciate that. It’s worth trying out.
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