If you’ve been waiting for Ms. Marvel to be collected, wait no longer! Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal is available TODAY. It collects the first arc, issues #1-5, and you’ll save about a dollar an issue if you buy them in the collection. (Captain Marvel Vol. 1, She-Hulk Vol. 1, and Hawkeye Vol. 3 all come out next week!)
Back in our monthly release schedule, though, we have Ms. Marvel #9. As usual, it is top-notch. This issue is more action-packed than some of the others, opening in the midst of a giant robot battle, introducing Kamala to Medusa of the Inhumans, and tossing her into another fight with the Inventor’s goons. It moves pretty quickly.
Kamala handled the news about being an Inhuman, i.e. having alien ancestry rather than being a mutant, really well. She’s stunned, but she keeps on going. As she did with Wolverine, she knows her worth and refuses to be sidelined in the fight against the Inventor, even though it was just sort of happening rather than being done to her on purpose, if that makes any sense.
Bruno also gets a chance to shine here. When the giant robot is smashing their school to bits, Bruno runs straight toward danger to help his friends. Then he goes with Kamala to New Attilan and holds his own there as well. And, of course, Lockjaw remains adorably awesome.
I’m not having any trouble following Ms. Marvel as a newcomer, I think G. Willow Wilson is doing a great job of introducing things while simultaneously assuming many readers will have an existing base of knowledge. If you’re curious you can read up on the Inhumans on Wikipedia or wherever, but you don’t have to before enjoying this series. (I was familiar with Lockjaw already from Pet Avengers, but not with the greater existence of the Inhumans).
Hannah Reads Books 
This comic is delightful.
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I agree totally. 🙂
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I am guessing that Kamala Khan was made an Inhuman instead of a mutant so that Marvel Studios can use her in their movies if they want to, rather than risk having Fox Studios getting their hands on her. Gotta love corporate feuds.
In any case, Inhumans are not actually aliens, per se. They are the descendents of human beings whose DNA was experimented upon by the alien Kree thousands of years ago. So that makes them more like alien-altered humans.
Yes, Lockjaw really is adorable! 🙂
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Heh, I didn’t even think of that. But if she shows up in a movie, I will be a happy camper.
Thanks for clarifying! Like I said, I’m only sorta familiar with the Inhumans, mostly because of my undying love for Lockjaw. 😉
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There’s suspicion about the new Inhumans in general being for that purpose, but at the time of Kamala’s creation Marvel Comics was already running events* to bring them as a whole to the fore, so the timing meshed.
* Hence “that crazy art deco alien city in the river“, in Bruno’s words.
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Hmmmmmm… 😉
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If I have one complaint about this series, it’s that we only have 9 issues so far. Apparently the first issue is getting a 7th printing. That’s virtually unheard of.
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Heh, yes! It’s pretty amazing, I’m really glad it’s doing so well. I’m looking forward to reading those other books and seeing how the rest of Marvel’s work is faring right now.
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