Marvel Comics Reveals New Ms. Marvel

[MarlaDesat]

Marvel Comics Reveals New Ms. Marvel

The latest hero to take up the Ms. Marvel mantle is Kamala Khan, a teenage Muslim girl living in Jersey City.

Marvel superhero Ms. Marvel, known more mundanely as Carol Danvers, took on the name Captain Marvel in July 2012 in a new ongoing series by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Dexter Soy. However, the mantle of Ms. Marvel will not remain empty for long. Yesterday, Marvel Comics announced a new standalone Ms. Marvel title coming in February. The lead character will be Kamala Khan, a devoted teenage fan of Danvers who takes on the name Ms. Marvel after discovering body-morphing powers. The young Muslim woman, a Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City, is Marvel's first Muslim character to get an ongoing solo series.

Marvel editors Sana Amanat and Steve Wacker told The New York Times that Khan began in a conversation they had about growing up. Amanat says, "I was telling [Wacker] some crazy anecdote about my childhood, growing up as Muslim-American. He found it hilarious." Series writer G. Willow Wilson, a convert to Islam, was eager to sign on for the title. In an interview with The New York Times, Wilson says that the series is "about the universal experience of all American teenagers, feeling isolated and finding what they are [...] through the lens of being a Muslim-American." An in-depth Q&A with Wilson and Amanat about the new series was posted today [http://marvel.com/news/story/21466/all-new_marvel_now_qa_ms_marvel] by Marvel.

Marvel Comics' continuing effort to diversify its heroes includes highlighting female and minority leads in the Mighty Avengers and X-Men series. Female heroes She-Hulk and Elektra will also get solo series next year. An alternative take on Spider-Man this year featured black Hispanic teenager Miles Morales in the iconic costume instead of Peter Parker. Speaking on the success of Morales, Axel Alonso, editor in chief of Marvel Entertainment, tells The New York Times, "When you see Spider-Man strip down his mask and he looks like you, you are more inspired to pick up that book."

If you ask me, more people reading comics is always a good thing, and given that DC Comics its mouth [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127492-Lesbian-Marriage-Too-Tough-For-Batwoman-Authors-Leave], Marvel is looking pretty good right now.

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Source: The New York Times [http://marvel.com/news/story/21466/all-new_marvel_now_qa_ms_marvel]

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[New Frontiersman]

This sounds really awesome! I think the idea of a Pakistani-American protagonist lends a really unique perspective, I bet with Wilson onboard this will be something worth watching.
And of course more diversity is always a good thing and if any medium needs more diversity it's comics.

 

[Bazaalmon]

Nice to see that they're branching out a bit. The costume is a little sloppy looking though. Still, let batwoman have her wedding!

 

[New Frontiersman]

Really hope that is all concept art cause not really liking the style or the costume. Really wish I could offer more but given the content it's just...not that good looking.

Yeah, I took one look at those images and shook my head.

They just look terrible...I really hope for something better otherwise I have a feeling this is just going to flop.

Really? You guys don't like it? I think the designs look pretty nice. I think the characters all look realistic and relatable, and to me the costume doesn't look bad at all.

 

[CriticalMiss]

Nice to see that they're branching out a bit. Still, let batwoman have her wedding!

Erm, that's DC who are against lesbian marriage. This is a Marvel series.

I've got to agree that the artwork looks a bit shit and I'm not really keen on the idea too. I mean, is she going to stop being a hero to pray 5 times a day and then get stoned to death for daring to be an independant woman rather than a domestic slave and baby producing machine? Also why does that hedgehog have Hulk hands (holy aliteration Batman!)?

 

[oldtaku]

I'm sure this will result in reasonable and calm reaction from the usual suspects like FOX.

 

[DaViller]

She ain't got shit on burka avenger.

 

[The Bucket]

Nice to see that they're branching out a bit. Still, let batwoman have her wedding!

Erm, that's DC who are against lesbian marriage. This is a Marvel series.

I'm not really going to try and defend most of DCs recent creative and business decisions, but ill point it its less to do with being against lesbian marriage and more that they still ascribe to the (wrong) thinking that romance stories lose all tension and interest when the two tie the knot. No one was allowed stay married going into the New 52 (except Animal Man, of which being a Family Man superhero was one of his main 'things', which didnt stop them from breaking him up since anyway) and no one has gotten married.

Edit: Wouldnt have been my first pic for a muslim female solo

I just want more M16...

 

[LysanderNemoinis]

You know what, I don't even have the energy anymore. And God knows if I say anything I'd probably get a warning for it, so I'll just quietly facepalm until I'm concussed.

 

[edgecult]

Yeah the color's are throwing me off a bit.. Yellow and purple look alright but that red under thing? she's got on doesn't mesh well with the scheme I think. Though again it might not be quite as off putting on plain paper (that off manilia colorish color might be skewing the way my eyes look at the rest of the colors.) or if they take the design to a more standardized style (like the 1st image). All in all I like the idea of it. Might have to find where my local comic book place moved to and swipe a copy when it comes out..

 

[Pyrian]

...get stoned to death for daring to be an independant woman rather than a domestic slave and baby producing machine?

This sort of thing is perhaps why it needs to exist.

 

[Sidmen]

EDIT: Anyone else notice that the father's hands were closer in size to that of Ms.Marvel using her body morphing ability? Hell put him in that outfit and Mr.Marvel away

Re looking at the pic...what the hell is that lizard/goblin thing with the fez at the lower right of the picture behind the white dudes legs?!

More importantly, why are the Khans all drunks. Look behind them, nothing but bottles of booze.

 

[Azahul]

I've got to agree that the artwork looks a bit shit and I'm not really keen on the idea too. I mean, is she going to stop being a hero to pray 5 times a day and then get stoned to death for daring to be an independant woman rather than a domestic slave and baby producing machine?

You can't possibly be serious. That stereotype doesn't even have to hold true to Muslim women in the Middle East, let alone in the USA or other Western countries. I've got a whole chunk of Muslim family members living in the Middle East, and the women are just as likely as the men to be in highly paid professional jobs. My great-great Aunt, who died a few years back well into her 100s, had a freaking PhD in Anthropology, published books on the development of societies in the local area, and refused to ever get married. So, to put that into perspective, she was as highly educated as it's really possibly to get, at a time when that was perishingly rare for women even in the West, lived independently and wrote critically of local customs.

The kind of ideas you're displaying are precisely why this is a fantastic idea.

 

[CTYR]

Ya know, I really do like that new costume. Not only does it pull from the traditions of modesty instilled by Islam, but it is also simple and unique. I can't wait to see what the story's like.

 

[deth2munkies]

Nice to see that they're branching out a bit. Still, let batwoman have her wedding!

Erm, that's DC who are against lesbian marriage. This is a Marvel series.

And that's what you get for reading only the headline at The Escapist (gotta read the actual article), the artists walked off after the editors forced them to do the lesbian wedding instead of keeping it an on again/off again relationship like they wanted to for the character. It was creative differences made to look like bigotry by an attention-grabbing headline.

Anyway, I do think this reeks of "trying too hard for diversity", but I'll be on board if it's well written.

 

[ArkhamJester]

Nice to see that they're branching out a bit. Still, let batwoman have her wedding!

Erm, that's DC who are against lesbian marriage. This is a Marvel series.

I've got to agree that the artwork looks a bit shit and I'm not really keen on the idea too. I mean, is she going to stop being a hero to pray 5 times a day and then get stoned to death for daring to be an independant woman rather than a domestic slave and baby producing machine? Also why does that hedgehog have Hulk hands (holy aliteration Batman!)?

(Sigh) You can combine prayers if you have pressing business and the whole "Stoned to death for daring to be an independant woman" thing is only in specific countries most notoriously Saudi Arabia.
Actually your comments highlight a potential issue for this comic, seemingly few people can tell the difference between culture and religion, yes they are intertwined but they are not one in the same different cultures having different interpretations and what not, also Islam. Also one to wonder if they will have the restraint to not give her a romantic interest cause you really aren't suppose to have one outside of marriage in Islam.

 

[Something Amyss]

I smell shitstorm....

Really hope that is all concept art cause not really liking the style or the costume. Really wish I could offer more but given the content it's just...not that good looking.

I really do hope it's concept art. Or maybe an early costume she switches out of early on. It looks bad, but yeah. Without more detail, not much else to say.

 

[ArkhamJester]

Lifecharacter: Anyway, this is DC we're talking about right?

MARVEL! Ms marvel is a Marvel Character. that being said I shutter to think what DC would do. DC tried introducing an arab/ muslim greenlantern and his main plotline was how everyone including the government and Nightwing thought that he was a terrorist it was handled as well as can be expected from the current DC comics.

 

[synobal]

Really hope that is all concept art cause not really liking the style or the costume. Really wish I could offer more but given the content it's just...not that good looking.

Yeah, I took one look at those images and shook my head.

They just look terrible...I really hope for something better otherwise I have a feeling this is just going to flop.

Same here, I don't mind the character concept but that art style, no thanks.

 

[Flunk]

Seems like a cynical attempt to appeal to more readers by introducing "more diversity".

Not saying that there is anything wrong with diversity, just that doing something just because you think it will sell rarely works.