The reveal that the iconic Inhuman hero Kamala Khan was actually a half Inhuman/half Homo superior hero was one of the most shocking twists to come out of the X-Men’s recent Fall of X. Kamala Khan, better known to the public as Ms. Marvel, is now part of the mutant family, acting as a major anti-Orchis fighter in the fall of Krakoa, and currently starring in the acclaimed X-Men series NYX. After Kamala was unmasked as a mutant she got her own X-Men limited series, first Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant and then Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace, both cowritten by MCU star Iman Vellani, who portrayed Khan in Ms. Marvel and The Marvels.
As with all reviews of trade paperbacks, this review is focused on how the story is presented as a cohesive collection to its readers, and is not a reflection on the individual issues. Sabi Pirzada and Iman Vellani’s writing in Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant Vol. 2 is wonderful, capturing Kamala’s spirit and voice perfectly, while the art from Scott Godlewski, Rob Di Salvo, and Erick Arcienega is truly superb. I mean, this volume includes the most amazing guest appearances from the worlds of X-Men and Ms. Marvel, like Lila Cheney, Mojo, Red Dagger (and a smooch!), and Medusa, Queen of the Inhumans, making these issues a real treat. Plus, it includes several full page variant covers in the back, including all four of Peach Momoko’s gorgeous variants, which I always love to see in a Marvel trade.
In general, the four issues of the Mutant Menace limited series collected in this volume make for a lovely reading experience for the reader. However, the marketing and title for this new trade paperback, in my opinion, simply does not work. When Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace debuted, the name worked perfectly, and was a great development after the previous volume’s title of “New Mutant,” showing that Kamala was now established as a mutant hero, and was not hated and feared as a “mutant menace.” Yet, this new trade paperback has changed the name from Mutant Menace to instead be The New Mutant Vol. 2, and I was actually pretty shocked when I first saw it! I immediately messaged my editor saying, “Uh… I think Marvel sent the wrong copy, this is Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant,” and then I thought, oh gosh, maybe it is a printing error? Quickly though I realized this was an intentional choice, and one that just doesn’t make any sense to me.
In fact, it looks like at one point the TPB was meant to be titled Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace, but was changed along the way. Comic retailers like Golden Apple Comics have the title of the volume listed as Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant Vol. 2, but the solicit photo has the title as Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace. I know this might seem small, but I think it is a really confusing choice. I assume it was done so that comic shops could shelve the two volumes together, so that folks will end up buying both, but the comic was not originally marketed this way, and will certainly confuse fans who read the comics and want to buy the trade paperback. It also takes away from the uniqueness of Ms. Marvel having two separate Fall of X minis, something no other character had.
Maybe I am being too picky! I’m not sure! I think I just really loved the Mutant Menace subtitle, and am disappointed to see that they took that title away, just making this unique story a “second volume” instead. Regardless, the story is a blast, with truly so much action and heart, so if you are at all a fan of Ms. Marvel or the X-Men, you will surely enjoy every page of this lovely run. And of course, the art is absolutely stunning, evocative and emotional with vibrant colors. I would certainly not regret having added this trade paperback to my collection, in fact I am always happy to have more Ms. Marvel content… even if Marvel did do a weird and unnecessary name change!
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