The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #2 // Review
No one told Kamala being the chosen one would be easy. No one told her she was the chosen one at all until aliens showed up and started making gelatinous copies of her family. The stakes are high for Kamala in The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #2 as she races to rescue her real parents, and figure out why these aliens think she’s the chosen one in this mystery packed issue written by Salamin Ahmed, with the art team of Minkyu Jung, Juan Vlasco, and Ian Herring (penciling, inking, and colors respectively), and letters by VC’s Joe Caramagna. Jersey City will never be the same.
Kamala left her parents’ house angry after having a huge argument with them. Typical teenage behavior. But unlike most typical teenagers Kamala’s secret identity as Ms. Marvel means the safety of her family is always in question, and when she returns home only to have her parents disintegrate into gel in her arms, she regrets how she lashed out at them. With the help of her best friend Bruno, she’s got to figure out what happened to her parents, or if they’re still alive.
Kamala grew a lot as a hero and as a person in the previous Ms. Marvel run and it’s good to see that Ahmed is continuing her character development. By having her turn to Bruno for help, Ahmed shows how more mature Kamala has become. She’s realizing that just because she has superpowers doesn’t mean she has to be a one-woman show, and sometimes even superheroes need a shoulder to cry on.
The art really stands out in this issue. Jung’s style feels more on the realistic side of cartoony, creating something that feels like a true comic book, but the humans look like real humans, not caricatures. Vlasco’s inks outline things enough for them to stand out against the background but they aren’t overpowering to the point of making characters look as though they’re outlined in a solid thick black line. The colors by Herring are the highlight of the art, saturated with smooth shading and transitions. The overall cool toned color scheme also helps details like Ms. Marvel's red shirt/tights combo and the yellow lightning bolt symbol really stand out.
Kamala has grown in strength and maturity with every challenge she’s faced since Ms. Marvel, and she’s going to need every bit of that strength to face the challenges coming her way. Being the chosen one isn’t easy, but with the help of her friends and family, Kamala might just make it work.
