Marvel Comics Reveals New Ms. Marvel

[ArkhamJester]

Why does she have to be religious at all? Why can't she just be of middle-eastern background instead of ham-fisting a religion angle into it? They talk like it's a big part of her identity.

Don't other superheroes stay out of religious nonsense?

While I agree they could have made her Middle eastern and far as i can see, have gotten the same effect. Comics and media in general really can't ignore religion because for many many people religion is a massive part of their live so excluding it entirely would reduce potential worthwile stories and just be over all foolish.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

But...Ms. Marvel is still Carol Danvers, even if she's just going around as Captain Marvel right now...Just because she was Binary, or Warbird, didn't stop her being Ms. Marvel. I'm all down for a person of this background to join the teams, I just...Ms. Marvel is my favorite, and she's still around. It's just...weird, is all. It doesn't help that she usually takes the name back by force when she's not using it, and it's still weird thinking of her as Captain Marvel (really, anyone else taking bets for when he comes zipping back to life?), so...Why not give her someone else's mantle?

I'll still check it out. I just worry what happens when Carol wants the name back.

 

[QuiB25]

...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.

Yeah right? I mean, holy shit.

 

[porous_shield]

Can't the comics industry come up with new characters instead of reusing the same character names over and over again. It feels like bad fanfiction when you take a character and name them something recognizable and then have only the loosest thread connecting them to the character they are supposed to be.

 

[Souplex]

living in Jersey City.

Everything except the part I quoted sounded cool.
You can't make an interesting, likable character if they don't live in New York.
I thought Marvel understood this. Why else would pretty much every major Super in the Marvel U operate out of New York?

 

[Arslan Aladeen]

I think the point was that the character was needed because people apparently think being Muslim involves getting stoned to death for being an independent woman instead of a domestic slave. It's not to convince the shit countries of the world to stop being assholes, it's to convince people that being a Muslim doesn't somehow make you a Middle Eastern citizen and a devout follower of the horrible aspects of their culture.

Fair enough of a point. But I don't think that comic books need to make that sort of cased compared to actually either being exposed to people who came from that culture or religion or good old fashioned politics.

Well being exposed to real people certainly is better than simply reading about fictional people, but not everyone can or wants to walk around in search of a Muslim to interact with to prove to themselves that they're normal people; they either are already aware of that obvious fact or aren't and don't want to interact with an alien group of people.

Depicting Muslims as normal people in media, in the same way you should depict homosexuals, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and every other minority group as normal people (admittedly with variations to their situations in current society), is a good way to show that Muslims are normal people like everyone else. Not to mention that media has a much greater potential to change ideas ingrained in society than just hoping that idiots run into a Muslim-Americans or that they try to educate themselves.

Hey guys. Just felt like saying hi. Not really very religious, but I definitely come from a Muslim background. Just thought that was relevant. Ms. Marvel seems like it might be interesting. Hopefully not a gimmick. Not really sure what else to say other than I haven't stoned anyone or attended any stoning and likely never will, so later.

 

[Doclector]

Huh. Progressive.

I mean, it's a little sad that I can call it progressive, but still.

Although I do agree with some people that the art in the second two pictures is looking a little rough.

 

[JoshuaMadoc]

Why the lipstick? I can already tell she's a lady.

 

[TheNaut131]

You know, I'm kinda hoping that since she's called Ms Marvel, she somehow is given the mantle. I actually wish she was her own individual persona instead of one that already exist...buuuut, lets be honest here. In the big two, there are actually a number of heroes from different races, ethnicities, etc...aaaand they mostly get thrown under the bus, left to either be forgetten, have that right knit of followers, or have angry white nerds tear them apart for some reason or another.

As for the art, I'm pretty sure that's just concept art...but it doesn't seem too bad.

Also, in terms of things like religion, her preferences, etc...look, I figure it's apart of who they, apart of their thought process, what motivates or demotivates the hero and all that jazz. I really don't want to go into cause honestly, this could be an entirely new hero and a lot of you would still be really annoyed.

 

[The Bucket]

Why does she have to be religious at all? Why can't she just be of middle-eastern background instead of ham-fisting a religion angle into it? They talk like it's a big part of her identity.

Don't other superheroes stay out of religious nonsense?

Not universally. Pym is a pretty pronounced atheist, Daredevils hardcore Catholic, The Things Jewish etc.

 

[JarinArenos]

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.

What article did YOU read? Because whatever it was had no actual connection to reality.

Quote from the authors themselves, if you don't believe me:

Unfortunately, in recent months, DC has asked us to alter or completely discard many long-standing storylines in ways that we feel compromise the character and the series. We were told to ditch plans for Killer Croc?s origins; forced to drastically alter the original ending of our current arc, which would have defined Batwoman?s heroic future in bold new ways; and, most crushingly, prohibited from ever showing Kate and Maggie actually getting married. All of these editorial decisions came at the last minute, and always after a year or more of planning and plotting on our end.

Emphasis mine, source here [http://www.hadenblackman.com/archives/696].

Edit: to be fair, the source of the interference seems to be from wanting to avoid marriages entirely, not just lesbian ones. But you had the interference backwards.

 

[Elijah Newton]

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.

I've got to second the approval of the artwork shown in 'Meet the Khans.' Honestly, superhero comics stopped being visually interesting for me sometime around the mid-nineties. It's not that they were (or necessarily are) bad, just that there seemed to be precious little variation between artists' styles. Seeing something like this sparks some real interest for me. The characters look expressive, identifiable... I dunno, certainly I don't have any complaints. I dig the lighter pen weight, too.

She ain't got shit on burka avenger.

*laughing* Hell no, but who could?

Why does she have to be religious at all? Why can't she just be of middle-eastern background instead of ham-fisting a religion angle into it? They talk like it's a big part of her identity.

Don't other superheroes stay out of religious nonsense?

Not universally. Pym is a pretty pronounced atheist, Daredevils hardcore Catholic, The Things Jewish etc.

I really have to come out in favor of a Muslim hero, too. That's not my faith, but the fact I can't name a one isn't anything to be proud of. Marvel comics literally putting their name on one is, IMHO, a nice touch.

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."

However it pans out this seems like a great point of departure and seems in the same spirit as 'The Muslims Are Coming.' ( http://youtu.be/1brf79VyF40 ) I wish them every success.

 

[SacremPyrobolum]

I think the point was that the character was needed because people apparently think being Muslim involves getting stoned to death for being an independent woman instead of a domestic slave. It's not to convince the shit countries of the world to stop being assholes, it's to convince people that being a Muslim doesn't somehow make you a Middle Eastern citizen and a devout follower of the horrible aspects of their culture.

Fair enough of a point. But I don't think that comic books need to make that sort of cased compared to actually either being exposed to people who came from that culture or religion or good old fashioned politics.

Why? The Muslim aspect is interesting and actually caught my attention and I NEVER read comic books.

 

[SacremPyrobolum]

Why the lipstick? I can already tell she's a lady.

Why not? People wear makeup.

 

[Kyber]

I find this funny because in Finnish, kamala translates to horrible.

 

[The_Echo]

Hmm...

Y'know, as far as I'm aware when a comic book character is defined, in part, by their religion... the religion tends to be an overarching theme in their story or abilities.

So I don't know how I feel about a Muslim superhero, or a religious superhero in general. Is she non-practicing? Or will she stop fighting crime to pray five times a day? Will she be less powerful during Ramadan? What kind of thematic opponents will she face?

And given the lingering social stigma surrounding Islam, they might be walking on eggshells here.

 

[Branovices]

I like the costume, and it's nice to see a costume that actually is a costume instead of bathing suit (or less.) I also think the premise sounds fun and interesting. So... I'll be buying it, then.

Hm, I think I thought about arguing with people but then realized it didn't matter because I'm happy there is a new and interesting thing for me to enjoy.

I find this funny because in Finnish, kamala translates to horrible.

She should find that out in the comic, just to add to the teenage angst and insecurity.

 

[Icehearted]

Why the lipstick? I can already tell she's a lady.

Makeup is how people prove they have nothing to prove to anyone. Also for some reason being yourself means concealer, eyeliner, etc.

Thinking this is meant to be controversial. Thinking this will see a short burst of interest and then fizzle. Wondering why anyone thinks this is more than merely another kind of exploitation, as if it's going to further anything other than making people talk and maybe generating additional sales for a very short time.


Damned typos.