Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsPoor start, but really picks up to become an excellent showdown with the Inventor
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 August 2018
I found this Ms Marvel volume to be definitely a book of two parts. I had really liked everything about volume 1, and was ready for more of the same. Unfortunately, for me, this volume brought in two new illustrators to join Adrian Alphona, whose work had really impressed me. I felt the graphics of much of the first third were really second rate, much cruder, with the faces lacking the expressiveness of volume 1. I also was not too impressed with the Wolverine part of the storyline, and felt it could have been skipped. Its only purpose seemed to be a way of introducing Kamala to the other Marvel mutants and providing her with the giant dog Lockjaw. The only redeeming feature of this section was the meeting with the imam. So, 2 stars for the first section.
Luckily, everything improved massively with the arrival of Lockjaw: an over-sized Scooby Doo – thankfully without the cowardice, but with added teleportation powers. Adrian Alphona took over the graphics reins, and Wilson got her story-telling mojo and sense of humour back. The rest of the volume gets 5 stars – averaging out to 4 stars over all.
Kamala discovers the Inventor’s evil plan, utilising all the missing teenagers as a carbon-footprint-free electric energy source. She accuses the Inventor: “You’ve brainwashed a bunch of teenagers into thinking they’re worth more as cheap electricity than as people.” But he sees the brilliance of his ‘solution’ as “On the contrary, Ms Marvel. They’ve been told their lives are cheap since the moment they were born. I simply gave them a way to turn themselves into something of value.”.
The first section was all action, gung-ho, kapow – superpowers to the rescue. But now Kamala has to use her humanity and powers of persuasion to convince the teenagers that their lives matter, that they are part of the future and not the problem: “This is not saving the world (acceding to the Inventor’s plan). This is admitting the world is over. This is saying that our generation will never matter. But we have to matter. If we don’t, then there is no future worth saving.”
Of course, some superpowers (and a bit of teleportation) do come in handy – after all: “It’s not over ‘til the bendy girl swings”. But the real victory is achieved by everyone working together.
Moral of the story: “Nobody has the right to give up on a whole generation before they have even had a chance to prove itself. We’re all in this together, and we gotta remember that.”
