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Week 12- Women In Comics


For this week I read the surprisingly enjoyable and approachable visual novel, "Ms. Marvel," a modern take on a modern Marvel fan. It is made obvious numerous times that this is NOT the "actual" Ms. Marvel, or even any variant of the character in previous versions, (there is a quite enjoyable sequence in the first/second comic that shows her transforming into various previous variants of the character). The bulk of the story centers around Kamala Khan, a girl with strong heritage and close family ties that feels like a freak/outsider in nearly every scenario in her life. One of her most powerful lines of dialogue probably includes, "Why does everyone get to be normal but me." While not the most original story or concept, (the storyline of someone feeling alienated, lonely, or unsure of what to do with their powers has been seen many, many times a la Superman, Spiderman, etc) its defining characteristic is the execution of these aspects combined along with a voice headed by a somewhat dramatic, somewhat comedic viewpoint. While I personally don’t take a lot of inspiration from this story, it is nice to see another alternative take on the idea of what is truly heroic, this time from a combination of feminine and foreign points of view. Well executed with a lot of relatable, funny, and diverse characters, this newest addition to the Marvel universe may be a fan-girl, but she stands unique from and beside those she admires.

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