Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal (Ms Marvel, 1)

My niece began reading graphic novels after she learned that my son reads them. I wanted to find a good starter graphic novel for her and remembered that she watches Marvel Rising. She was already introduced to Ms. Marvel so I figured it would be a good choice.

From the story to the art this is a great book. Love the new hero, love the fact that Marvel took the chance and went with a Muslim heroine. Never thought they would put a female Muslim in the lead role of her own book. Anyway the story is origin so it's a little slow but still captivating. The art is great with a cartoon look to it but a little refined to make it fit in a comic book. And the fact that Kamala has a hodge podge of a costume at the end just cracks me up, especially with all the slick heroes she looks up to. A new hero for the time and Marvel has faith that just makes you feel good to be a Marvel and a comic book fan.

A word of warning: yes, it is a "teen" story. But to be honest, "main stream" comics which feature teens in Marvel publications are not that numerous anymore. Spiderman is an adult (not in the Ultimate universe, I know; still), even though there's always some X-Man/X-Woman who's a teenager or used to be, most are adults; the Avengers? Heh. Bottom line: there are few main stream super-hero comics left which deal with teenagers. And Ms Marvel adds to that the fact that she lives in a Muslim family, with traditions that are at odds with many more "Christian Western" modern ones. This makes it a very compelling read, especially since the characters are not "dumbed down" to teenage stereotypes (granted, some are a bit exaggerated, but overall, they are very much tolerable). I like that with this story, we go back to characters who happen to have powers, rather than super-heroes who happen to have a private life.

I love it because it takes place in North Jersey. Why is it that all superheroes come from NYC? It appeals to the new generation of readers. Especially to young readers. It's nice for a change to have a hero who's not white( this is coming from a white guy). This is this generation's Spiderman. Wait. Never mind. Sorry Miles Morales. I think it's great for representation of religion. My one small complaint, if Marvel has no problem with a Muslim Superhero, they should have no problem having a Christian superhero or of another faith. They should create as many Characters of different cultures and religions to appeal to as many different audiences at once.

I really liked the story and art, this is a well-written and positive story about a realistic teenage girl who wants to help people. None of the teenage girls are drawn in those ridiculous anatomically impossible "sexy" poses, which is refreshing (and I didn't even notice). That being said, the book is not sturdy. The covers and paper are very thin. The printing is good and the colors nice, but I am intimidated to hold it in my hands while reading. Also, both the front and back covers have curled about 40 degrees since it got warm out and we opened the windows in our house - the book doesn't lie flat when closed. For the price, and with the small number of issues it collects, it's not a very good value.