The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #9 // Review
All superheroes have problems- usually of the supervillain variety, but occasionally it’s alien invasions or time travel shenanigans. Then there are the problems that you can’t fight with your superpowers, the problems that you can’t call in the Avengers for. That’s what Kamala is going through right now. This emotional story teasing conflicts to come is written by Saladin Ahmed with artist Minkyu Jung, color artist Ian Herring, inker Juan Vlasco, and letter VC’s Joe Caramagna completing the creative team.
Kamala’s dad collapses from his illness, but Tony calls in Dr. Strange, who has a hypothesis for how it can be cured. Mr. Hyde attacks the hospital, Ms. Marvel fights him off. Kamala and Bruno talk about their feelings, and they kiss, but she’s got to hunt down Mr. Hyde, so they have to shelve that discussion for the moment.
The entire issue feels like that moment of the calm before the storm. All of these occurrences are set up things in Though the story is mostly set up, it’s still fast-paced and exciting because there are all of these subplots creating the larger overall plot. Plus, there were some heartwarming scenes between Kamala and her family and Kamala and Bruno. The situation with her father has them all stressed out, understandably so, but they’re all so caring and supportive.
Kamala and Bruno’s kiss is the perfect visual example of this “calm before the storm” feeling. The scene has an entire page dedicated to it free of dialogue, allowing the focus to be entirely on the characters and their sweet, peaceful moment. The soft colors used to add to this feeling of peace, and even though Kamala is wearing her Ms. Marvel costume, she and Bruno have a moment to feel like they’re just normal teenagers going through the emotional ups-and-downs of first love.
Stories like this are a good reminder of everything Kamala’s fighting for, and everything she has to lose. She can’t heal her dad, her anger and helplessness at the situation are sure to affect how she handles the upcoming clash with Mr. Hyde.
