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Week 15- Women In Comics-Redux

As per the assignment, I am improving one of my previous blog posts, Week 12's "Women in Comics," for my final assignment for week 15. 

The comic, "Ms Marvel," is a title that many familiar to Marvel comics already know, but none quite like this more modern take upon the IDEA of a Ms Marvel, by Sana Amanat, Stephen Wacker, G. Willow Wilson, and Adrian Alphona. 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). This story is incredibly powerful for being not only a super-hero action and comedic story, but also one of an empowerment fantasy, and assimilation. We see the character struggle not just physically with the challenges she faces, but on a deep psychological level. One of her most powerful lines of dialogue 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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