Everyone’s favorite Inhuman teams up with everyone’s favorite grumpy Canadian mutant in Ms. Marvel & Wolverine #1, the beginning of a miniseries-ish written by Jody Houser, art by Ze Carlos, colors by Erick Arciniega, and letters by Travis Lanham.
Kamala Khan returns in her own quasi miniseries about a month too late for corporate synergy. But hey, Kamala should always be in something, so we can’t complain!
That said, I have to comment on the publishing edict of this story first. Of all of Marvel’s loosely connected annuals/specials that are actually a miniseries, this might be the most confusing one yet. Printing this as three “Ms. Marvel & __” specials instead of a “Ms. Marvel vs The Marvel Universe” limited series or something like that is just a weird choice. Kamala can sell a book on her own, and this is a fun little story to have ready for a trade before Kamala’s next multimedia appearance in The Marvels next year.
But again, Ms. Marvel & Wolverine #1 is a fun little story. Jody Houser is always reliable for an enjoyable superhero story, and that’s exactly what it is. Kamala is coincidentally present for shenanigans, teams up with the X-Men, and then there’s set-up for the next of these specials. It’s straightforward, and best of all, it’s entertaining. It’s also relatively standalone, which makes me wonder if the next two specials (teaming Kamala with Moon Knight and Venom, respectively) will be as well.
Now, though Kamala does team up with the X-Men (meant both in the broader sense and also the specific cast of Gerry Duggan’s series), Wolverine is the primary focus of the mutant side of the story. I get why Houser structured it in this way – Kamala’s first team-up was with Logan shortly before his death – but she’s also close friends with Cyclops (wish we got more of that), and who wouldn’t want to write some of these other characters as well (a highlight as always is Storm)? She gives each of the mutants in the story at least a moment and purpose, but Logan is definitely the co-star.
I like Houser’s Wolverine a lot (and I have since she wrote him in Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows). He’s still in-character as the Logan we know and love, but she takes the softer, more parental side and puts it in the forefront. When Kamala is about to accidentally start another Inhumans/X-Men war, Logan steps in. He defuses the situation in a way that shows his growth and also allows him to talk to Kamala as an equal, not a kid. It’s a great way to actually make us care about the interaction before the story devolves into the eight or so pages of punching that every superhero comic is required to include.
Where the issue falls short is in Kamala herself. I don’t feel like Houser quite gets Kamala’s voice right. It’s not BAD but she’s much more subdued than we normally see. The rapid cadence of her dialogue is missing, with most of it relegated to captions. The most glaring example is at the end of the issue. When Logan tells her she did good, Kamala just strides away wordlessly with a grin on her face. I hope we can see a shift to a depiction that’s more in character later in this series, because this just doesn’t quite feel like Kamala Khan.
As for the art, Carlos is growing with every story he draws. Right now, he’s firmly in Marvel’s house style. But his personal style does shine through with expressive characters akin to Ed McGuinness. There’s a lot of dynamism in his pages and layouts which makes for a fun read. Unfortunately there are several times that he frames things in a way that’s very unclear what’s happening, either by framing too close or too wide to the action.
Arciniega’s colors are solid as well. He does use a largely red and purple palette for a story that seems to be set outside during midday, though. I’m not sure whether he’s trying to make it appear that the story is set at twilight but it’s a strange choice in an issue that otherwise looks really good.
All in all, Ms. Marvel & Wolverine #1 is an issue worth picking up. There are some faults, but it’s a lot of fun, and that’s really the key piece. Next time though, let’s let Kamala talk like herself.
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
