After a brief hiatus, Iman Vellani and Sabir Pirzada are back for another Ms. Marvel adventure in Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace #1. The first story arc picked up with Ms. Marvel learning she’s a mutant, and in the new series, she’s learning how hard it can be with Orchis leading the charge to capture all mutants–and public opinion for it–Ms. Marvel must struggle to be a hero while also staying in hiding. There’s a conflict there, especially since her parents don’t know she’s a mutant.
Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace #1 picks up where the last series left off. Mutants like Wolverine, Psylocke, and Rogue are in hiding in the sewers of New York. Ms. Marvel wants to help, but she also has her own life to lead. And she wants to save people when she can because that’s what heroes do. Dr. Nitika is still pissed Kamala destroyed her lab, which means there’s a target on Ms. Marvel’s back.
There’s a lot to love about this issue starting with the three page opening showing Ms. Marvel take out a burglar. After stopping a grenade from going off we see she’s a hero to the police, even though they’re supposed to call her into the authorities for being a mutant. We soon see her powers are going haywire, which adds a nice mystery to the story arc. What is going on with her powers, and does it have anything to do with her mutant gene that hasn’t yet revealed her abilities?
Pretty easy way to stop a grenade, eh?
Credit: Marvel
Along the way are nice additions like Deadpool, which is written perfectly. He’s a total goof and very odd, but everyone just ignores him. There’s also a fun new villain with plant powers you won’t want to miss. A Hickman created villain team also pops up which will please Krakoa fans. Ms. Marvel’s friend supporting cast also make appearances, showing the creative team knows they’re as important to Ms. Marvel comics as the character herself.
Art by Scott Godlewski is great, especially when Ms. Marvel tries to stop the new plant-powered mutant. There’s some kooky abilities pulled off that suit Ms. Marvel who is, let’s be honest, kooky herself. Giant hands versus a guy who can sprout wings? It’s pretty awesome. Godlewski also sells some comedic moments, particularly a scene in gym class involving dodgeball.
Plotting is a little slow for stretches in this issue. After the opening it takes a while to get to the plant character, with a lot of setup to get us there. The main villain also only pops in briefly, but it all leads to a cliffhanger that’ll please longtime X-Men fans. If you want to know what the world thinks of Ms. Marvel, wait until you find out she has a new audience to judge her next issue!
There’s a lot to love in Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace #1, especially if you’re an X-Men and/or Ms. Marvel fan. Both camps should enjoy the supporting cast and inclusion of X-Men-related villains and heroes. You can’t go wrong with a well-written Ms. Marvel, plus great Deadpool and new character sightings!
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