Kamala Khan continues to mix super-heroic adventure with fun and friendship! Starting with... a slumber party! But if calamity strikes Jersey City while Kamala is having a sleepover with Nakia, Zoe and Mike, how can Ms. Marvel save the day without bailing on her best friends?
And speaking of BFFs, Bruno is back — and he and Kamala are learning how to be pals again. What better bonding experience than geeking out over a little science? And what better experiment to run than trying to figure out how Ms. Marvel's powers work?
But when things go awry and with her uncanny abilities on the fritz, Kamala will have to pull it together to battle a classic Marvel villain!
Hugo, World Fantasy and American Book Award-winning author of novels and comics, including THE BIRD KING, INVISIBLE KINGDOM, and ALIF THE UNSEEN. Co-creator of Ms Marvel. Honorary doctor of letters, Rutgers University. I accidentally started a dutch baby baking cult during quarantine. Not very active on here right now, but often found on Twitter.
Volume ten marks the conclusion of the five-year Ms. Marvel run of G. Willow Wilson, who has to be sincerely thanked and celebrated for bringing life and humor and diversity to a teen audience for Marvel Comics generally and for the character of Ms. Marvel specifically. A Pakistani-Muslim superhero from Jersey City (and no, not Manhattan)!? To mark the occasion of the fiftieth issue we go back to the series roots, to a teen girl struggling between wanting to be a normal adolescent and also needing to be a superhero. And finally, Kamala “comes out” to her friends as Ms. Marvel but of course, everyone already knew. Cute fun, I say.
Bruno’s return from Wakanda creates the opportunity for he and Kamala to battle a minor league Marvel villain, Shocker. As Kamala struggles with who she really is, her embiggening body freaks out, reflecting her messed-up identity. I don’t really get all the time travel science Bruno lays out here with the help of some online professor, but it was good to see Bruno reconnect for the finale. There’s a weird time travel trip to 1257 A.D. to discover one of Kamala's Inhuman ancestors, and there’s some "quest game" wormhole story going on that puzzled me, but the important things is that in the end Wilson and crew brought the energy and love that was the cornerstone of the series.
And then Wilson invites a group of people for the transition issue, such as Hasan Minhaj, Rainbow Rowell and Saladin Ahmed, who will continue writing Ms. Marvel under the title Magnificent Ms. Marvel.
Thanks G. Willow Wilson, for a great moment in comics history.
G. Willow Wilson says goodbye to Ms. Marvel in a volume mainly dealing with Kamala's relationships. Not only does she fix things with her friends, she and Bruno finally confront their feelings for one another while battling the Shocker in his weird Mousetrap game lair. At the same time Bruno discovers the science behind her powers which was actually quite dumb, involving some time travel hooha. Like the rest of the volumes, I like Kamala and her supporting cast a lot, but, jeebus, her adventures are typically yawn inducing.
Of all people to cross into New Jersey, Kamala never thought she'd be battling The Shocker - and on the one day her powers are going awry! The final arc of the second season of Ms Marvel underlines the whole season... great action, art, lines and issue plotting; but a certain lack of joined-up-ness, where's the big finale? Where's the ending or racking up of a key ongoing plot? Wait-a-minute... this is a SERIAL... where are the key ongoing plots?? C'Mon Wilson, you started so well!
"You have our word Kamala will always be out there, fighting the good fight - taking down the bad guys and helping those who need it. She just hopes that you will be, too. Remember: 'good' is a thing you do, not a thing you are." -- a few final thoughts by Ms. Marvel editor / co-creator Sana Amanat
With Vol. 10: Time and Again, the Ms. Marvel series bids farewell to the steady involvement of both Amanat and writer / co-creator G. Willow Wilson. Without a doubt, it has been an exceptional run for them - this title has maintained a consistently high level of quality since its debut five years ago.
This latest edition presents more of the same drama (that, inexplicably, does not grow tiresome) which keeps readers returning for the adventures of the busy Jersey City teenager Kamala Khan - adolescent angst, friendship, family issues, religion, and good old-fashioned super-heroics. Some of the highlights of the volume include Ms. Marvel's heartfelt talk with a fellow teen who is cursed with unwanted and unfortunate superpowers, a running battle with the Amazing Spider-Man's oft-used B-list villain 'The Shocker' (and his Rube Goldberg-like, not quite 'secret' hideout), companion Bruno amusingly seeking assistance from online tutor of sorts Professor X, and a couple of nice scenes featuring the gentle wisdom and humor of Sheikh Abdullah, the Khan family's religious leader.
The Ms. Marvel comics have been uneven to me, but this issue returned to some of the original concepts from the first season (Vols. 1-4). I adore the first four volumes, but once Kamala became more involved with the Avengers, her intricate relationship with friends and family in Jersey City was backgrounded to frequent appearances by fan-favorites like Tony Stark and Miles Morales. Entering into Issue #31, (which is oddly enough the 50th published issue of Ms. Marvel, due to the season reset with Ms. Marvel, Vol. 5: Super Famous beginning back at issue #1), the focus of the comics returns to intimate relationships with Kamala’s emotional support.
The first issue in this collected volume of eight entries opens with a splash, largely because of guest writer Rainbow Rowell and comedian Hasan Minhaj, in addition to others. Kamala is hosting a slumber party that is soon interrupted by all-too-familiar chaos. The subsequent issues were enjoyable, as well, so I was surprised to turn to the final page and learn that the writer, editor, and lead artist are all moving on. I will try the next volume of Ms. Marvel, but this is certainly the end of an age for Kamala Khan.
Please excuse me while I go and sob over the fact that G. Willow Wilson's Ms. Marvel run is officially over, thus my favourite thing to read of all time and the one series I can always count on to make me happy is over.
This entire run has been such a delight to read and I will forever be grateful for it for truly cementing my love for graphic novels and comics. Whilst saying goodbye to this run is heartbreaking, I can't wait to follow Kamala's new journey in Saladin Ahmed's new series.
I have no doubt I will be rereading this run for a long time to come and that's something I can say for very few books, comics and graphic novels. It's such a special story filled with wonderful characters, humour and messages and I will continue to shout about it forever.
And so marks the end of G. Willow Wilson's tenure on Ms. Marvel, something she thought wouldn't last beyond a handful of issues, but has now gone on for seven years, and Kamala herself is flourishing at large in the Marvel Comics universe—or so I've heard, because I just can't with superhero comics for the most part. They are too interconnected and I can't read them all, it's impossible, so I will read almost none of them instead. I have been making an exception for Ms. Marvel for several reasons: Firstly because Kamala Khan is a damn delight, and second because Wilson has shepherded her over a lovely coming of age journey with heart and silliness both in equal measure, and third because these comics mostly stand on their own. You can read them without feeling the need to seek out anything else being published at the moment, and that comforts me.
This was a good ending for Wilson's last hurrah. One of the issues has a bunch of guest writers (including Rainbow Rowell and Hasan Minhaj, and original series artist Adrian Alphona returns for a bit), and it also featured Kamala having a slumber party with her girls, while constantly popping out to Ms. Marvel some stuff. But finally what I've been waiting for has happened, and that's Kamala's friends acknowledging that they all already know she's Ms. Marvel. I feel like this could have happened a lot earlier, but I can understand wanting to save it for the end.
As it's been more than two months since I finished this, my memory if it is actually pretty spotty, but I remember feeling very satisfied by it. What I really need to do is finally break down and buy my own copies of Vols. 1-10 (or maybe they will come out with a hardcover bind-up??) and do a re-read, all back to back.
In the end, I appreciate this series. I appreciate it for its heart and its intelligence and its compassion. I appreciate it for its goofy jokes and comical adventures, and I appreciate it for Kamala's very real emotional struggles, and for understanding that sometimes things are just *cool* (giant alien teleporting dog! Skyshark! Thomas Edison evil bird clone! Kamala writes fanfiction!).
An oldie but goodie.
I'm not sure if I will continue with whoever is taking over Ms. Marvel. I guess never say never. I will be sure to keep an eye out for all your reviews, thanks ever so much.
It feels like it's been forever since I've been able to read a Ms. Marvel comic. I really missed the world and these characters. What I didn't realize is that G. Willow Wilson will no longer be writing Ms. Marvel and it makes me super said because I really love what she's done with the series. Of course, I was hesitant when the series first started; however, that quickly changed when I continued to read each volume. This is probably one of the few comic series that I have continuously followed as each trade paperback is released because it truly means that much to me. It's sad to see G. Willow Wilson depart such a fantastic series; however, I'm grateful for the wonderful work that she has done. I'm so excited to see where the future of Ms. Marvel is going to go. With that being said, this volume truly focused on the friendship between Ms. Marvel and the other characters including Bruno, Nakia, and Zoe. This is where it all started and I was definitely excited to see a lot things come full circle. This volume wasn't exactly a volume that followed with issues that were connected to each other. They felt more independent of each other, but they also all focused on friendship and family. I loved each issue for what it was, but I would have liked for the story to flow a little better. I would say that out of all the issues, issue #38 was probably my favorite because it closely looked at the relationship between all the characters and why their friendship was so important. I'll look forward to what happens with this series in the future.
It's often a sad thing when one of the original creators leaves an ongoing title, but I must admit to feeling quite happy when I learned this was Wilson's last volume as writer. While I have enjoyed her development of the characters's personalities and interaction, her plots were usually quite inane. Take the unmemorable batch of stories in this book for example: a C-level Spider-Man villain, some time-travel hooey, and a broken water main. Hrm.
Moving on, I'm hoping new writer Saladin Ahmed can bring some more of the energy he put into his short Lockjaw and Ms. Marvel adventure in this volume.
Ms. Marvel Vol 10 Time and Again collects issues 31-38 of the Marvel Comics series written by G. Willow Wilson with art by Nico Leon, Gustavo Duarte, Bob Quinn, Elmo Bondoc, Takeshi Miyazawa, Joey Vazquez, Minkyu Jung, and Juan Vlasco.
Ms Marvel’s has lost control of her powers in the day The Shocker has come to town. Kamala must figure out a way to bring him down while also avoiding his electrical powers and booby traps. Kamala also finally deals with her romantic relationship with Bruno.
This arc wraps up G. Willow Wilson’s almost 5 year run on Ms. Marvel. It has definitely been a fun book on a character level but I wish there was some better superhero stories told between the relationships and family drama. I did like Shocker’s appearance in this book even though he was made to be Deadpool-light. The biggest head scratcher in this volume was the subplot of Bruno figuring out the meaning behind Kamala’s powers. I feel this must be some story setup for a future adventure but only time shall tell.
I love this series and nostalgia goes a long way, but I wish this series ended a bit better.
World: The art is fantastic as always with very beautiful expressive and emotive art that shows the personality of the characters and the tone of the series. The world building here is good but also a bit janky. I love that we are getting some real answers to where Kamala's powers come from and the pieces that Wilson creates here are very intriguing but at the same time the way it's used in the story is the janky aspect of it (more below). I also love the call backs to all the pieces that Wilson has created for her last run for this character, it's nostalgia city.
Story: We had some wonderful emotional moments last arc and it felt like a lot of saying goodbye. We have that here too and I love that about the series, the heart and the banter. I will say however that this last arc did feel a bit over redundant and a lot of the emotions of friendship and love and care were parroted again and again to the fact that by the end it felt kind of hollow. I love it when a writer gets to end the series her way but it felt a bit repetitive and it makes me sad that the story suffered a bit. I know there is a lot of wrapping up but yeah. The other part of the story with the Shocker was at the same time really fun but at the same time janky and choppy and having to deal with where Kamala's power comes from at the last possible moment in the run is a bit odd, it felt really choppy and tacked on and out of place with the rest of the story and though it's fun it was not amazing (the humor was nice). It raises a lot of questions and I don't know if the new series will deal with it or if this is just Wilson's take but I don't know it felt out of place and it made me sad that it also felt a bit rushed. In the end I judge this series for the entirety of it and it's amazing, it created a wonderful character which is by far my favorite Marvel character in the last 10 years.
Characters: I love Kamala and this time we get a lot of goodbyes for her. We see her grow and we see her find out what she's made of, it was a bit janky but she's still such a lovely character and the best thing about this series. I love the cast of characters and giving them time is good and having them all have their thing is good, at the same time it made some emotions a bit repetitive. I still love this series so much because of the characters.
I love this series, didn't end the best way but still amazing.
Okay, so I just binged like the last twenty-five issues of this in two days and I can definitely say that this one is my least favorite and I'm disappointed with where the story ended. I am excited to start reading the next journey into Kamala's adventures with the new series Marvel just started and I'm excited but a bit nervous about the TV show. I just want Kamala's story to be done right.
"When somebody decides to be your enemy, they get to choose the terms. They choose where and how and why. But a friend...a real friend...will meet you on your own terms."
"Being part of the genesis of Kamala Khan has been one of the greatest honors of my life. From my puzzlement during that first telephone conversation with Sana in 2012--I was pregnant, frazzled from a long book tour and in disbelief (You want to launch a new character? In this market?)--to my stunned amazement when the first issue went into its seventh printing, to my glee when Sana handed the first trade paperback to the president of the United States, this journey has been pure joy." -from the afterward.
Back in 2014, after I had been reading comic books for a little over a year (mostly mostly about Miles Morales) the news broke out about a new superheroine--a Pakistani-American who would be a legacy character like Miles and--it was causing a sensation. this title would be for awhile one of my favorite comic books. It is amazing how much my relationship with sequential art has changed since I picked this title up. After one of my favorite comics was callously axed by Marvel Comics in 2017, I pretty much stopped reading titles published by them. With some changes in my financial situation and my taste in sequential art starting to drift from Western comic books to Japaneses manga, I missed the ending of G. Willow Wilson's tenure on this book (as well as her going from Marvel Comics to DC Comics to write Wonder Woman). I waited until I was ready to dig into some more contemporary Marvel and decided to start by wrapping up some of the titles that played a role in the early years of my comics reading.
Given that this book is the swan song of Kamala's original writer (and editor Sana Amanat), it was basically written as a transition issue that wrapped-up the story arc of the last two volumes and set the stage for the new writer of the title Saladin Ahmed (who ironically also took over the writing of Miles Morales). The interesting thing is that most of comic book issues that make-up this trade paperback were co-written by Wilson and Ahmed so that it makes the transition to the new-era of Ms. Marvel more seamless. We also have all the artists that illustrated Kamala over the years contribute to this volume. I always liked the unique art of the original artist Adrian Alphona, but the other illustrators are well-enough.
This book is interesting because it has always been marketed toward a specific 12+ age group, but very kid-friendly. Those remarkable volumes 5-7 were the darkest the book has ever gotten, but I never felt there was a bad or uneven volume during Wilson's tenure (I guess the only real criticism is the lack of consistency with art), but I can tell she had told every story she wanted to tell with this character and now she is writing a completely different character. This is not a title that is trying to appeal to adults specifically (something rare in our modern "Iron" Age of Comics), but to all folks who want to get together for some kindness in this ol world.
Time and Again is truly a love letter to the Ms. Marvel universe, and to its author G Willow Wilson, co-creator of Kamala Khan and the title’s writer for five years, since the very first issue – and she concludes her run in volume ten. I was hesitant going into this final arc; volume nine had weak villains and a shallow love triangle, and I was worried that Wilson had burned out of story. But I was so happy to be proven wrong: Time and Again is one of the best Ms. Marvel volumes to date. Wilson, alongside Nico Leon, take the absolute best of Ms. Marvel – the heart, humor, nerdy references, and authenticity of minority culture and life (along with being a real human) – and let it all shine in this final arc.
Wilson and Leon spread the love for the first and final issues 31 and 38, to the point that creative teams switch every couple of pages. These issues managed to carry a cohesive story, though sometimes the plot stretched a bit (no pun intended) and the change in illustrations might be jarring. One famous new addition to the team is comedian and Patriot Act host Hasan Minhaj, who wrote the final pages of 31 – I believe this is his first time writing for comics and he actually does a beautiful job, especially since he is tasked with a poignant and significant reveal.
It was actually quite humbling to see Wilson hand the final pages of her very last issue to Saladin Ahmed, who will be taking over as writer. Wilson’s generosity – when perhaps she had good reason to write everything herself – points to the idea that Ms. Marvel doesn’t “belong” to her, but to everyone – especially those underrepresented or usually without a voice in comics. That’s the beauty of what Ms. Marvel has done to the comic book landscape – and Wilson humbly and beautifully communicates that message as she shares the stage here.
And the story feels so congruous because all the writers and artists implicitly understood something essential to Ms. Marvel: that Kamala is a full, real person, and her minority status isn’t a decoration or diversity for its own sake, along with everyone on her supporting cast, whether it be their own ethnicities, religions, orientations, disabilities, body sizes and so on. (see Wilson’s lovely, lovely rant about this here.)
The middle four issues are the main arc of the story, and Wilson, Leon and Herring are at the top of their game here. Everything is firing on all cylinders – The Shocker is a charming and funny villain without too much preaching (a welcome change), but the main part of the story is Bruno discovering the cause of Ms. Marvel’s powers (for anyone wondering how her clothes don’t rip when she embiggens), the growing romantic relationship between them, and of course easy page turning humor. Leon has been a Ms Marvel regular for a while now, and I love her slightly anime style with a freer feeling than more rigid, heavy-border artwork. She is a master at perspective, drawing Kamala’s powers in creative ways that can heighten either amusing moments, or Kamala’s disorientation when her powers start misfiring without her consent. And Kamala and Bruno are at their best when they need to use their smarts to solve a problem – not too cosmic and not too high school drama – so they can also focus on each other.
Speaking of whom, Bruno gets some great character development too, and it’s nice to see him grow alongside Kamala instead of being relegated to just the love interest, like Red Dagger. Instead Bruno has to grapple with the conclusions of his science genius regarding Kamala’s powers, as he’s also coming to terms with his chronic medical condition. That’s all lightened up with adorable banter between Bruno and a certain professor hologram.
Issue 37 is the perfect Ms. Marvel story: Kamala must band together with her friends and community members when the downtown water mains break and Jersey City floods – all while babysitting her baby nephew. Kamala’s friends and cameos from all over the Ms. Marvel timeline – all helping each other in the face of adversity. It’s a celebration of Kamala’s world, and it’s one we should attempt build here in our own reality too.
I won’t spoil but a certain character has a medical emergency in this issue, and as Kamala races to the hospital, I found myself unexpectedly emotional. I’ve known them for ten volumes but still wouldn’t have claimed any emotional attachment until that moment. This is also why diversity and representation in stories is so critical – not only do minorities see themselves, but they are also seen and heard by the majority. The power of empathy, even towards fictional characters, can have serious repercussions when we talk about privilege, justice and equality.
To me, the series would have best ended with 37, and with Kamala’s family (whom we hadn’t seen at all this volume), to me the real core of Ms. Marvel. But the final issue – another hodgepodge of artists and writers – returns to a fun video game themed adventure with her friends. The one shot feeling undermined an otherwise strong ending, but it also ends with Ms. Marvel’s family, just her chosen one – and perhaps it’s appropriate for a high school superhero anyway.
I’m not sure the direction Magnificent Ms. Marvel will take – there wasn’t enough to go off of Ahmed’s writing in these pages except the hope that it’s in good hands. Regardless, we owe so much to G Willow Wilson and her five years creating and writing Ms. Marvel – making the Marvel Universe and our own a brighter and better place. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store.
StoryIt's an end of an era. I haven't really read super hero comics with any regularity since I was in high school.
The main draw for me on this was G. Willow Wilson. What kept me coming back was Kamala though. Her nerdy traits and the way she interacting with other super heroes were things that I see in myself.
In some ways this volume was a nice ending to Ms. Wilson's run, but in other ways I was disappointed. Not a lot happens, but the things that did were pretty significant. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting, but maybe a bigger send off than what we got.
I'm going to miss Ms. Wilson's writing. I may give her wonder woman a shot, or maybe I'll give Saladin Ahmed's run a shot. I haven't decided yet.
Artwork I'm not sure who did the art, it's change a few times over Ms. Wilson's run but it's stayed pretty true to the original artist's stuff, which I appreciate since I liked that so much.
Oh no, I've read the last ever G. Willow Wilson issue of Ms. Marvel. Like the Doctor regenerating, I'm excited for the future but sad to say goodbye to the past. The series ended on a high note - with a surreal fight with Shocker across time as Kamala discovered how her powers work and with 3 short stories. Fun, action packed and heartfelt as always.
This volume was not the best in the series. There is a story with the Shocker, two stories about fantasies, and a battle against a broken water main. In other words, nothing much happens in this volume. The characters are still fun, and the art is attractive, but it would be nice if something actually happened.
AAAAAAH it's been an adventurous ride with kamala, bruno, zoe, nakia, and mike. it's so good to see a diverse character, especially one you could relate with because they, in a way, represent you. kamala's family, the haram police commentary (ugh i wish we had an imam just as hilarious as sheikh abdullah), eid al-adha, and the thick islamic references within this entire series is just so heartwarming.
kamala, on the other hand—being a typical teenager that she is—causes trouble, makes peace with herself, helps her friends...and oh have i told you about the friendship? because i could totally talk about the friendship [then combusts] their circle of friendship is so lively and the toleration exists within is just so well-portrayed. anyway, kamala is just...kamala, she's funny, intelligent, conflicted, confused, growing up, and is absolutely wholesome. she's become one of a few of my favorite marvel characters the first time i laid my eyes on her.
i am so happy to be able to encounter this breathtaking franchise of kamala khan. and am happier that i had the commitment to follow her journey this far. she's definitely one of the best things happening in this year.
Creo que es un volumen de despedida escrito con mucho cariño. That said, me hubiera gustado que el arco principal ocupara más grapas, que lo del pasado estuviera mejor desarrollado y lo del último issue daba para un volumen completo. Pero supongo que no había tiempo.
For the most part I liked it. Kamala having a slumber party and dividing her time between friends and being a superhero was both hilarious and impactful that had a nice conclusion. The other part featuring the Shocker went a little too long especially when the driving force was trying to see what limits her powers are. In itself that’s not a bad thing, but it feels like that should be done near the beginning and not ten volumes down. Very well drawn, and the plots aren’t bad, but I think they really didn’t manage time well on this one and could’ve expanded other areas.
The end of G. Willow Wilson's run on Kamala and really the end of the Ms. Marvel run as far as I consider it. I wish I could say it's more hits that misses but I'd say that it's a pretty even collection of both. Basically, it is mostly about an extended fight against the Shocker while Ms. Marvel's powers are malfunctioning. Honestly, it's just plain weird because I actually think the Shocker vs. Ms. Marvel would be pretty interesting by itself because while he's a C-List Spider-Man villain, I have a pretty big fondness for Herman Schultz. Unfortunately, the story is marred by an extended time travel story that involves explaining away Ms. Marvel's powers via tachyons versus, uh, her being stretchy and durable. On the plus side, it ends with a touching story about how Kamala's ancestor met her Inhuman ancestor on the Silk Road.
Devastating news that Ms. Marvel will no longer be maintained by the co-creators G. Willow Wilson and Sana Amanat. This volume lacked some of the continuity in the plot development that I had hoped for and felt fulfilled by in past issues. This volume felt more like a collection of one-off episodes. I think it was also pretty weird how Miles/Into the Spiderverse "Spiderman" was introduced as a possible suitor then the story almost immediately delved into Kamala's and Bruno's relationship. Even the revisiting of that relationship felt pretty tired. I also think the writers missed a huge opportunity in exploring the moments when each of Kamala's friends find out her "secret identity." Speaking of that Issue, it also really didn't make any sense to introduce that skunk girl as if she was going to be part of the story down the line and then not mention her again. In all honesty, I love Ms. Marvel and all that it has stood for, but this volume was a real miss for me in many ways. 2.5 stars from me. The extra .5 (for the sake of the lack of half stars) is only allowed because of Bruno's virtual pocket professor normalizing mobility aids and intimacy amongst those who are not able-bodied.
This volume collects the last stories by Willow Wilson - for the time being - featuring the character she co-created, Khamala Khan, Ms. Marvel. A team of guest writers takes occasional chapters, as well as a handful of guest artists. I want everyone to know how charming this series can be, how wonderful some of these stories are. Highly recommended... "Embiggen!"
This series started as one of the best written and best drawn series Marvel was publishing at the time. Unfortunately with the seventh volume Wilson apparently lost any inspiration and Ms Marvel became a dull mess. I couldn't wait for it to end. I truly hope Ahmed will do a better work.