Review of Ms. Marvel: Generation Why

Kamala Khan is at it again in the second volume of Ms. Marvel. Kamala is a young new superhero from a Muslim background seeking to find her place in the world. She is a teenager discovering who she is when she suddenly comes into powers under strange circumstances (found in Ms. Marvel: No Normal, see my review here). Wilson’s writing shows a young girl trying to do her best to please everyone from family to her hero, Wolverine, in this volume.

I enjoyed reading this graphic novel from Marvel Now! The illustrations done by Alphona and Wyatt are colorful and exciting, just as you would expect from a superhero comic. Each illustrator does a wonderful job of using the basic elements of comics to draw readers into the story (for more on this see my review of Understanding Comics here). One spread which I found interesting was in #7 when Kamala (as Ms. Marvel) and Wolverine are escaping the sewer. Wyatt uses the space differently, the characters are climbing up and the word bubbles, dialogue, continue up the page to illustrate how they are moving the space. This use of movement allows the reader to feel as if they are ascending with the characters from the depths of the sewer to the rooms above.

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Not only is the comic wonderfully illustrated it has a good story. Kamala is seen trying to discover herself and coming into her own. She must accept who she is in order to be the best possible hero, even learning that the best must accept help from others. She is illustrated needing to juggle the expectations of her family and the responsibilities (as she sees them) of her new-found powers. Each new event leads her to a new understanding of who or what she is and helps her see the value of having a team or at least support from others.

I enjoyed this graphic novel or comic and look forward to reading more of the adventures of Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel!

Reference

Wilson, G. W. (2015). Ms. Marvel: Generation why. New York: Marvel Entertainment.

Images from the comic taken by me.

Monstrous Regiment of Women Review

In Laurie R. King’s second installment of the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes mystery series readers see Mary come into her own. Mary, or Russell as Holmes calls her, is about to come of age and inherit her parents’ estate losing the control of her hated aunt. Holmes in this one has become strangely more protective of Russell after their last encounter with a case which ended with her being shot in the shoulder.

King’s writing in this is a bit stale, in my opinion, I had trouble getting through this one. The first two-thirds of the book deal with the strange romance between the young Russell and senior Holmes, instead of the comradery of their first adventure where we saw a mentor and his student. The story follows Mary and her exploits at a newly founded religious organization but when it comes down to the last third or less of the book the action finally kicks in. I do not typically like mysteries and would not even classify this as a true mystery book. Many of the characters come and go quickly without any development and the two characters we do know have changed drastically.

This book was a very slow read and did not grip me as the last in the series. Perhaps I am just longing to be back in my familiar fantasies or maybe I really hated the awkward new dynamic between the main characters. Many of their interactions are simply cringy, even ending in a way I do not appreciate. Can’t they just be colleagues working together? This book lacks a certain intrigue I found in the last, and I’m not sure I will continue in the series.

References

King, L. R. (1995). A monstrous regiment of women: A novel of suspense featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. New York: Picador.

Goodreads.com. (2018). A monstrous regiment of women (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #2) [Cover image]. Retrieved from