The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #16 // Review
The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #16 is written by Saladin Ahmed, drawn by Minkyu Jung, colored by Ian Herring, and lettered by VC's Joe Caramagna. The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #16 continues to explore how Kamala's Law has affected Ms. Marvel and friends' abilities to carry out their superhero duties.
The fallout from Kamala's Law continues to haunt Ms. Marvel in The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #16 as C.R.A.D.L.E. agents begin harassing civilians, trying to flush out other teen superheroes, including her friend Amulet.
The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #16 is a slight change of pace without abandoning all of the ongoing plot threads introduced due to Kamala's Law and the outlawing of teen superheroes. Once again, Ahmed wonderfully balances Kamala's life as a private citizen with her life as Ms. Marvel by interweaving the tension with her friends. Zoe is still upset about the attack on Coles, and Mick is avoiding talking to her because of Bruno, with the pressure she feels to keep her superpowered friends safe.
Another great element of The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #16 is the reappearance of Amulet. Amulet first appeared as an ally of Ms. Marvel in The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #13, and seeing him again is amazing. Amulet and Ms. Marvel are a great team as their powers and dialogue play off each other well. And Ahmed's characterization of Amulet as a monster hunter and tracker of the 'Thousand Cursed Things,' objects containing monstrous spirits, makes for a unique and exciting superhero.
In addition to the wonderful dialogue and storytelling, the art in The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #16 is top-tier. Jung does a lot with the body language of characters that enhances every scene, even when panels don't include any action. One such example is when C.R.A.D.L.E. agents arrive at the juice bar Kamala's studying at, ready to find Amulet. From the moment they walk in the door, Jung portrays them as authoritative (perhaps even authoritarian), aggressive, and completely confident that what they're doing is right. This is contrasted with the way that every customer's body language becomes tense and resistive the moment these agents enter.
And Herring's colors drive home their look. With their perfectly shined boots, mirrored sunglasses, and dark clothing, complete with lots of pouches, the C.R.A.D.L.E. agents look every bit the part of shady government operatives. Another place Herring's colors really shine is with Amulet's entire design, from his mask that looks like blue flames, to the glowing blue shapes he creates with his powers, Herring makes Amulet stand out.
Finally, Caramagna's lettering rounds out the art for the story. This issue isn't overly dialogue-heavy, but there's a decent amount. But the speech bubbles and text boxes feel natural with the movement of the characters in a way that doesn't make the panel feel crowded. When Ms. Marvel and Amulet do get into the action at the end of the issue, Caramagna lets loose with some great sound effects and action words.
With "The Magnificent Ms. Marvel" ending its run with a special oversized final issue in January 2021, each moment readers get to spend with this character and in the world Ahmed and co have created in this run feels like a treat.
