Ms. Marvel #3

By G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona and Ian Herring

The re-launch of Ms. Marvel has been a bit of a surprise coming out of All-New Marvel NOW! There was a risk taken in making the lead character a different race aside from the normal Caucasian lead, but Kamala Khan is becoming a wonderful new addition to the Marvel Universe.

This first arc of Ms. Marvel is so important for this series since you can grab your audience or completely lose them. So far, G. Willow Wilson has done an excellent job establishing Kamala as a character with real world problems; she’s almost like an early Peter Parker. Wilson really shines in scenes where Kamala is thrown into awkward situations; she’s a little bit uncomfortable in her own skin as well as her costume. The adjustment period for any superhero is very key and Wilson has been showing Kamala’s struggle and it’s very realistic and believable. This is a big reason why she is very likable and the series has been impressive so far. The humor and the serious parts of the issue are also very well spaced and timed, which lets the book flow nicely.

The art by Adrian Alphona has a style all its own, which can be great at times, but also hampers a few of the panels with its inconsistencies. The further away a character is the less detailed they get, that is a fact, however, some of Alphona’s characters lack any detail at times. It’s almost as if we literally just see their shape and that is all. Alphona does his best work when he is able to have characters or objects close and draw them detailed and this works very well with most of the issue. Ian Herring’s colors do add a nice depth to the issue and story that helps boost Alphona’s art. As the series progresses and Alphona develops more of a feel for the story and characters, his work should improve and compliment the writing even more.

Three issues into this new series and it’s been very solid in almost every aspect. Wilson and Alphona are shaping a new character that could end up being very important to the Marvel Universe. If the writing continues to be this intriguing and the art improves as it goes along, Kamala Khan can become one of the premier female super heroes of the future.