I found Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal to be really creative, funny and relatable. Kamala Khan is a new kind of superheroine restricted not only through being female but also being Muslim. What struck me as the most relatable quality of Ms. Marvel was Kamala’s struggle to fit in with others from her school. Personally, my parents were really strict when I was in high school, similar to Kamala’s parents. My parents, at first, didn’t allow me to drink, party, or date during high school because they wanted me to protect me and encourage me to stay focused on school. However, like every teenager, I rebelled and would sneak out to hang out with my friends or date guys. My parents had high expectations for me as a high school student and it drove me crazy because I personally knew I could never live up to them. I really liked Kamala Khan’s character because I could relate to her more than any superhero we’ve seen.
The “All-New Marvel Now! Point One” comic was jam-packed with so many different superheroes and a glimpse of each of their stories that I chose to mainly focus on Ms. Marvel’s section of the comic. Kamala struggles with being who she wants to be and the girl her parents expect her to be. She tells her mom, “You and Baba want me to be a perfect little Muslim girl—straight A’s, med school, no boys, no booze, then some hand-picked rich husband from Karachi and a billion babies.” Her mom responds by saying, “Your father and I want the best for our only daughter. Our expectations are high so that your successes will be many.” The expectations Kamala’s parents have for their daughter are similar to the expectations Asian American parents have of their children. As an Asian-American, I can relate to Kamala’s discomfort when it comes to the pressures of being the perfect daughter as well as trying to grow into the person she is meant to be. My parents expected me to prioritize school above everything else because to them that’s the only way I would be able to succeed in the future.
In “Ms. Marvel #1,” the difficulty of accepting cultures is evident. With Zoe’s character, for instance, she mocks the Muslim culture with her comments. She compliments Nakia’s headscarf but then adds, “Nobody pressured you to start wearing it, right? Your father or somebody? Nobody’s going to, like, honor kill you? I’m just concerned.” Her ignorance is illuminated in the way she’s fakes her concern for Nakia in relation to her culture. Kamala sees Zoe as being this popular, nice white girl but Bruno and Nakia point out how disturbing Kamala is for liking Zoe, since they both understand Zoe’s making fun of them and their culture. Other insulting comments she makes are that she can’t bear to be near Kamala because she smells like curry and how shocked she is that Kamala came to a party, considering she believes Kamala is “locked up.” Zoe’s ignorance is extremely irritating yet her character defines many people today. They often don’t understand other cultures and because of that they choose to mock it or ignore it.
The most important aspect of the Ms. Marvel comics is that it’s about Kamala accepting herself for who she is. This concept begins when Kamala thinks, “I can never be one of them, no matter how hard I try. I’ll always be poor Kamala with the weird food rules and the crazy family.” She’s aware that she’s different from the others at her school yet she still tries to fit in. It’s only after she leaves the party after being mocked by Zoe, does she realize that she’ll never fit in with the people at her high school. It’s disheartening seeing Kamala struggle with the fact that she’s different because being different is what makes you special. She’s so unhappy with how she’s perceived by others that she tells Captain Marvel how she wants to look like her instead.
In “Ms. Marvel #2,” Kamala struggles with her shape-shifting abilities as she changes from herself and Captain Marvel. She realizes the root of her transforming into Captain Marvel is when she feels “uncomfortable” or like she has “to be someone else” yet it doesn’t make her feel any better about herself. Kamala comes to the realization that it doesn’t make her happy being someone else, what makes her happy was saving Zoe’s life. In “Ms. Marvel #3,” Kamala continues to realize that the powers she was given are not only a part of her but require her to live up to them. The shocking twist in “Ms. Marvel #3” is when Kamala is shot posing as Ms. Marvel. In “Ms. Marvel #4,” Kamala emphasizes the gender stereotypes we see every day. For instance, when she tells Bruno, “You protect me from stuff all the time. You have since we were kids. But now I’m the stronger one, and I’m gonna protect you, and that totally freaks you out.” I really like that the Ms. Marvel comics touch on so many different topics such as culture, gender, fitting in, being a teenager, etc.
In “Ms. Marvel #5,” Kamala’s father emphasizes the importance of being yourself. He says, “You don’t have to be someone else to impress anybody. You are perfect just the way you are.” Accepting yourself is such a challenging concept for teenagers, especially girls, and that’s why the Ms. Marvel comics are so empowering. They encourage people to accept themselves for who they are and emphasize how their differences are what makes them special. There’s nothing wrong with being different from everyone else which is what Kamala ends up learning. I definitely see Kamala as a very empowering female superheroine because through the Ms. Marvel comics she learns the difference between fitting in and coming into her own.
The “All-New Marvel Now! Point One” comic was jam-packed with so many different superheroes and a glimpse of each of their stories that I chose to mainly focus on Ms. Marvel’s section of the comic. Kamala struggles with being who she wants to be and the girl her parents expect her to be. She tells her mom, “You and Baba want me to be a perfect little Muslim girl—straight A’s, med school, no boys, no booze, then some hand-picked rich husband from Karachi and a billion babies.” Her mom responds by saying, “Your father and I want the best for our only daughter. Our expectations are high so that your successes will be many.” The expectations Kamala’s parents have for their daughter are similar to the expectations Asian American parents have of their children. As an Asian-American, I can relate to Kamala’s discomfort when it comes to the pressures of being the perfect daughter as well as trying to grow into the person she is meant to be. My parents expected me to prioritize school above everything else because to them that’s the only way I would be able to succeed in the future.
In “Ms. Marvel #1,” the difficulty of accepting cultures is evident. With Zoe’s character, for instance, she mocks the Muslim culture with her comments. She compliments Nakia’s headscarf but then adds, “Nobody pressured you to start wearing it, right? Your father or somebody? Nobody’s going to, like, honor kill you? I’m just concerned.” Her ignorance is illuminated in the way she’s fakes her concern for Nakia in relation to her culture. Kamala sees Zoe as being this popular, nice white girl but Bruno and Nakia point out how disturbing Kamala is for liking Zoe, since they both understand Zoe’s making fun of them and their culture. Other insulting comments she makes are that she can’t bear to be near Kamala because she smells like curry and how shocked she is that Kamala came to a party, considering she believes Kamala is “locked up.” Zoe’s ignorance is extremely irritating yet her character defines many people today. They often don’t understand other cultures and because of that they choose to mock it or ignore it.
The most important aspect of the Ms. Marvel comics is that it’s about Kamala accepting herself for who she is. This concept begins when Kamala thinks, “I can never be one of them, no matter how hard I try. I’ll always be poor Kamala with the weird food rules and the crazy family.” She’s aware that she’s different from the others at her school yet she still tries to fit in. It’s only after she leaves the party after being mocked by Zoe, does she realize that she’ll never fit in with the people at her high school. It’s disheartening seeing Kamala struggle with the fact that she’s different because being different is what makes you special. She’s so unhappy with how she’s perceived by others that she tells Captain Marvel how she wants to look like her instead.
In “Ms. Marvel #2,” Kamala struggles with her shape-shifting abilities as she changes from herself and Captain Marvel. She realizes the root of her transforming into Captain Marvel is when she feels “uncomfortable” or like she has “to be someone else” yet it doesn’t make her feel any better about herself. Kamala comes to the realization that it doesn’t make her happy being someone else, what makes her happy was saving Zoe’s life. In “Ms. Marvel #3,” Kamala continues to realize that the powers she was given are not only a part of her but require her to live up to them. The shocking twist in “Ms. Marvel #3” is when Kamala is shot posing as Ms. Marvel. In “Ms. Marvel #4,” Kamala emphasizes the gender stereotypes we see every day. For instance, when she tells Bruno, “You protect me from stuff all the time. You have since we were kids. But now I’m the stronger one, and I’m gonna protect you, and that totally freaks you out.” I really like that the Ms. Marvel comics touch on so many different topics such as culture, gender, fitting in, being a teenager, etc.
In “Ms. Marvel #5,” Kamala’s father emphasizes the importance of being yourself. He says, “You don’t have to be someone else to impress anybody. You are perfect just the way you are.” Accepting yourself is such a challenging concept for teenagers, especially girls, and that’s why the Ms. Marvel comics are so empowering. They encourage people to accept themselves for who they are and emphasize how their differences are what makes them special. There’s nothing wrong with being different from everyone else which is what Kamala ends up learning. I definitely see Kamala as a very empowering female superheroine because through the Ms. Marvel comics she learns the difference between fitting in and coming into her own.