After encountering the Kree hero Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers was accidentally subjected to otherworldly radiation that transformed her into a superhuman warrior. Calling herself Ms. Marvel, she established herself as one of the most powerful and prominent heroes and respected member of the Avengers. She has now adopted the mantle of Captain Marvel for herself.
It must be a day that ends in Y, because we have a new Marvel teaser for you!
This one simply says "Ms." and has the number 1 behind it. Of course, there's only ever been one big "Ms." in Marvel Comics, and she now goes by "Captain."
Are we going to see her go back to Ms.? That would be strange based on the newly-announced Captain Marvel relaunch. Does that mean we'll see another character go for Ms. Marvel? We'll find out soon.
Marvel Comics had a whopping 22 announcements at New York Comic Con 2013, most of which were prefaced in the preceding weeks by a redux of one-word teasers. Although many were indications of new series arcs or special story lines, a select amount were for brand new series launches. Today, the publisher has released one more single-word teaser, and it's the most mysterious so far. "Ms." in green letters is the only word on the image, which is sure to prompt speculation -- especially given that this All-New Marvel NOW! teaser has no creative team listed.
Judging from the word alone, the biggest possibility is the return of a "Ms. Marvel" title -- but the publisher has Carol Danvers on lock with Kelly Sue DeConnick's"Captain Marvel" ongoing series slated to return in March with a brand-new volume. "Ms." could also be an acronym, or even an indication of a "Girl Comics" revival -- the 2010 anthology series written and drawn entirely by female creators. The teaser is ambiguous enough that almost anything is possible, though Marvel will hopefully release more details in the coming weeks.
Updated w/Team, Release Date: Meet Kamala Khan, the New Teenage Muslim MS. MARVEL
Meet the All-New All-Different Ms. Marvel. The next character to hold the name goes by the civilian ID of Kamala Khan, a teenager from New Jersey who also happens to be Muslim. She was born of a conversation between editors Steve Wacker and Sana Amanat, the latter being a Muslim-American woman.
G. Willow Wilson will write the series, announced Tuesday afternoon by the New York Times. "Anytime you do something like this, it is a bit of a risk. You're trying to bring the audience on board and they are used to seeing something else in the pages of a comic book," Wilson told the NYTimes.
Just like her real-life tumblr following (#CarolCorps), Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers (who used to go by Ms. Marvel) has a devoted fanbase in the Marvel Universe, including Kamala. The young girl will discover she has shape shifting powers, possibly amongst others, and takes the left-behind name of Ms. Marvel as a tribute to her hero.
"Captain Marvel represents an ideal that Kamala pines for," said Wilson. "She's strong, beautiful, and doesn't have any of the baggage of being Pakistani and 'different.'" Amanat clarified that "it’s also sort of like when I was a little girl and wanted to be Tiffani Amber Thiessen" from Saved by the Bell.
"I do expect some negativity," Amanat said, "not only from people who are anti-Muslim, but people who are Muslim and might want the character portrayed in a particular light."
While being Muslim and a Pakistani-American is a definining part of her character, Wilson said that's not the only focus of the young hero. The book will be "about the universal experience of all American teenagers, feeling kind of isolated and finding what they are."
Wilson will draw from Amanat's experiences, as well as her own as a convert to Islam. While the Times did not announce the artist or release for the series, Newsarama has confirmed via Marvel Comics that Adrian Alphona will join Wilson as the artist for the creative team. Alphona has a history with teenage heroes, having co-created the Runaways for Marvel with Brian K. Vaughan. Ms. Marvel #1 will ship in February 2014, but the character will first appear in January's All-New Marvel NOW! Point One special (she's presumably the blacked-out character on the cover to the left).
Kamala Khan is the second legacy Muslim character to show up in mainstream comics recently. Simon Baz, an American of Lebanese descent, took over as Green Lantern of Earth at DC Comics in 2012.
The character will star in a series debuting in February 2014 written by G. Willow Wilson, known for comic book work including "Air" and her World Fantasy Award-winning novel "Alif the Unseen," and illustrated by Adrian Alphona, the original "Runaways" artist recently seen on "Uncanny X-Force."
“Any time you do something like this, it is a bit of a risk," Wilson, who documented her conversion to Islam in her 2010 memoir "The Butterfly Mosque," told the Times. "You're trying to bring the audience on board and they are used to seeing something else in the pages of a comic book."
Kamala Khan will be depicted as a Jersey City resident with family from Pakistan, and a major fan of Carol Danvers, the former Ms. Marvel and current Captain Marvel. The origins of the character, the article states, began in conversations between Marvel editors Sana Amanat and Steve Wacker about Amanat's experiences growing up as a Muslim-American.
“Captain Marvel represents an ideal that Kamala pines for," Wilson is quoted. "She's strong, beautiful and doesn't have any of the baggage of being Pakistani and 'different.'"
The "Ms. Marvel" team is quoted as expecting the book to receive some negative reaction from multiple sides. "I do expect some negativity," Amanat said in the article. "Not only from people who are anti-Muslim, but people who are Muslim and might want the character portrayed in a particular light."
While Marvel has been criticized in the past for a lack of female-led titles, "Ms. Marvel" further boosts the amount of such books in their lineup. "Black Widow" and "Elektra" series were announced last month at New York Comic Con, along with a relaunched "Captain Marvel." A new "She-Hulk" series was unveiled in late September.
Keep reading CBR News for more on "Ms. Marvel" and All-New Marvel NOW!.
Hmm. For some reason I didn't quite expect it to be a brand new character. I wonder if she's got her powers as part of the Inhumanity thing. A fan of Carol seems like an O.K. person to take up the name(even if the name makes even less sense on someone else), though shape-shifting powers is a little surprising.
I'm a little disappointed its not a Ms. Thing book with Scott and Darla but this sounds like it could be a good book and I hope that they make it a little more light hearted.
@v_scarlotte_rose:Since she can shape shift maybe there showing of her powers? Ether that or this is going to be like Happy and she will have an cartoon character as a sidekick and guide those are my best guesses.
I'm starting to hate this site and its constant glitches.
@v_scarlotte_rose: I agree its an odd choice I just hope that shows this book will have some humor in it and not be fully teenage angst ridden lol.
Happy was an image comic by Grant Morrison were a sleezy hit man for the mob gets shot and then begins to she a cartoon donkey unicorn Pegasus like character named Happy Horse that tries to get him to save a little girl. I really enjoyed it but it seems to be a love it or hate it book.
Think it happens to me every other post its crazy.
@br_havoc: I'd be O.K. with some humour, especially with FF ending soon. I'm kind of wondering if she's a Reed Richards style shapeshifter, considering her big hand in that picture.
I'm curious, but shape-shifting powers doesn't seem to fit the theme of the Marvel family. Still, I like the idea of heroes just inspiring someone off the street they had no previous connection to.
This will of course annoy those who want Carol to go back to the old moniker, but she could of course still do that. Is it time, however, to finally move the Ms. Marvel wiki page to "Carol Danvers"? Or is that still too soon for some people?
@v_scarlotte_rose: Yeah I'm kind of heartbroken over FF ending and I'm not looking forward to whatever horrible things Robinson is going to do the Fantastic Four. So I need some humor and comics that make me feel good after reading them.
@v_scarlotte_rose: I actually did not but I am thinking of picking it up. I was going to get it as a trade but I think I might cut one of the more depressing books I have on my pull list for it.
I'm hoping that Silver Surfer and She-Hulk can be books to fill the void of FF. Any other new marvel books you are going to pick up?
I'll be getting both of those. I like She-Hulk, so FF and soon Mighty Avengers are/will be good places to see her, but obviously a solo title will get her more attention. I'm not a Silver Surfer fan/reader, having never read any of his comics, but the Allreds doing the art for it is enough for me to give it a go.
Other than them, I'll probably get Avengers World, Secret Avengers as Spider-Woman is joining, and the new Captain Marvel, if that counts as new.
Oh, to anyone in the thread, there's another picture for this topic:
@v_scarlotte_rose: Oh I have no idea I hate to say it but I just assumed they would...... worst case I will buy it digitally.
Allred is my favorite artist his style is so unique with his play on pop art also I think he draws the most expressive eyes I have seen in a comic book. I have heard that Slott is going for a Thing/She-Hulk type of thing on Silver Surfer so it's sure to be a fun book with a lot of heart and humor (Unlike his SSM). I have to make a hard choice to either follow Captain Marvel or Secret Avengers monthly and read the other in a trade I just need to get my pull list to be under 15 comics but I'm having toruble because I enjoy both writers.
The sketch is pretty interesting I can tell already I'm going to like Kalmala.
Maybe they could, but I'm not sure what it would be with. I don't know what happens with collecting one-shots.
He's not my absolute favourite(that goes to J.H. Williams), but he's definitely high up on my list, being one of the only other artists I'd buy without knowledge of the story or characters involved. I'm going to have to look at my list to see if anything needs dropped as I can't afford too many titles. Of the two of those, I'd get Captain Marvel, but for me it's more based on characters. Spider-Woman is the only one on that team that I follow, and mixed in with a team gives her less attention than Carol would get in her own series. Good luck working out your budget.
She seems O.K. so far. I think I read that we'll see her in Captain Marvel #17, but I don't if that means as part of the main story, or in a few-page preview of her own series.
@v_scarlotte_rose: Ah okay then I will buy them digitally then easier to do than add another book to my pull list.
Yeah I was leaning towards Captain Marvel as well even though I have not been too thrilled with the memory loss storyline but I'm hoping that gets sorted out pretty soon. Secret Avengers will be good so I will pick it up in a trade it will be interesting to see how Kot handles Hawkeye and Spider-Woman being on the same team and to see if he gets them back together but he is a great writer so I expect big things from that team.
I have a feeling she will show up in the background a few times or be one of the characters that tell Carol how much Captain Marvel means to them.
@br_havoc: I've liked the memory loss story so far, as unfortunate as it is, but I'd be O.K. with a resolution to it.
It think it would be cool if Carol actually meets her and approves of her taking on the title.
As for having already seen her, I can't seem to find her in any recent issues, though I don't have any of last weeks comics yet, so maybe she had a brief appearance somewhere in Avengers #22, or Infinity #5, just based on my theory that she's a new Inhuman.
@v_scarlotte_rose: I think it's been an odd storyline seems that Carol has lost a lot of her personality with the memory loss and I loved the BFF relationship of her and Spider-Woman so I would like to see that come back.
Yeah I agree it would be cool if Carol passed the torch and gave here the mantle of Ms. Marvel in the first story arc.
I can't say I have noticed her recently but I am two weeks behind going to pick up my books this weekend and praying that Harley Quinn 0 has the Harley I love no slutty depressed Harley!
@br_havoc: Yeah, I like their friendship. Though if she's going to be in space in her new series(or the start of it at least), she wouldn't see much of Jessica, so if her memory came back a little later I think I could manage.
I didn't know the new Harley series started this week. I might give it a go, also in the hope that it's more like classic Harley.
@innervenom123: that's not what I meant it's just the fact that they're making a point that she's a Muslim, I'm all for adding minority characters but when it feels like they do it because they have to and not want to why bother
@v_scarlotte_rose: Yeah that is true I do not know I hope by the end of the first arc she get her memories back. I do not really like how she has no feelings for anyone does not know any of her friends it take a special piece out of the book.
Yeah issue 0 is out today and I am excited to pick it up. I really hope Jimmy and Amanda can bring back a little bit of the old Harley because the new one is horrible. Then again when Kot wrote her in Suicide Squad he did a great job she was cute and crazy yet dangerous then Kindt had to ruin all that with one issue of his run.....Damn DC why can't we have nice things?
I think its cool Marvel trying new things and launching a new title out of something that happened in a recient event is a good think IMO. I hope they do not delve too much into religion and make it more like Kitty Pryde who happens to be jewish but otherwise is a mutant superhero and that is the main focus of her life. On the flip side I also hope that if religion is mentioned that it will not be more negative stereotypes we get on the news all the time. Also like others have said I think it would be cool if Captain Marvel made a cameo in the first arc to pass the torch so to speak.
G. Willow Wilson's New MS. MARVEL – Teen, Muslim, Jersey Girl, Fangirl!
New heroes are born every day – and this week we learned of comics’ newest hero, Kamala Khan – aka the all-new Ms. Marvel. Announcedin a New York Times article, this brand-new Ms. Marvel will make her debut in January’s All-New Marvel Now Point One #1 anthology before launching her own series in February. One of the aspects that the press has gravitated towards since this new character’s announcement is the fact that Khan is Muslim. Kamala Khan hails from a Pakistani family who are all devout Muslims, which adds in some interesting elements outside your typical superhero origin story… but like any hero, that’s only part of her story.
Khan takes up the mantle from the current Captain Marvel – Carol Danvers – who carried the name Ms. Marvel for decades before acquiring the name of her mentor, the original Captain Marvel. But this new Ms. Marvel’s ties aren’t as close to her inspiration as Carol’s – Kamala is like you and I, a fan. A self-professed member of the Carol Corps (a real-life online group of fans who cosplay, promote, and share in their love of Danvers), Kamala is a card-carrying Jersey girl struggling between a restrictive family life and the needs and wants of being a teenager until she wakes up with superpowers. Never one to say no, Khan takes to the powers – and the name Ms. Marvel – as Marvel’s newest hero.
Newsarama spoke with series writer G. Willow Wilson about introducing this new character in the world of Marvel Comics, and discussed the long history the publisher has with their stylized origin stories, as well as the evocative and unique work of her collaborator, artist Adrian Alphona.
Newsarama: Willow, what can you tell us about the new Ms. Marvel series?
G. Willow Wilson: The new Ms. Marvel series is about a young girl in Jersey City named Kamala Khan. She’s a high school junior and the daughter of a loving but very conservative Pakistani Indian family. She’s juggling school, friends and what she wants to do after graduation with the unique expectations of a Pakistani family: be a good Muslim daughter, get good grades, and don’t go out with boys. Thrown into that mix is Kamala waking up after a long night out at a party. Ms. Marvel is about how that changes who she is, and how she grapples with that.
It’s a really interesting mix because not only do we have the superhero angle of the classic origin story of a young kid who is kind of on the outside getting superpowers, but here the main character is also the child of an immigrant family and has all the baggage that comes with it; there’re some parallels to Miles Morales in Ultimate Comics Spider-Man.
Nrama: And readers will get their first look at Kamala as Ms. Marvel in January’s All-New Marvel Now! Point One #1, correct? What’s that story about?
Wilson: That story takes place later on in the series after Kamala’s got her powers; you’ll see her beginning to flex her muscles kind of literally, while at the same time concealing her powers and her identity from her family. In the story she’s literally coming from a big fight with an enormous trash monster and having to run and change to show up at a Pakistani wedding for her cousin. She ends up being late and has to deal with the fallout from that. So in that story and the Ms. Marvel series itself, readers will see both sides of her life, from the flash boom bang side of being a superhero but also the family drama going on.
Nrama: Kamala Khan is taking up the name Carol Danvers went by before she became Captain Marvel. What are the ties between Kamala and Carol?
Wilson: Kamala is a die-hard fan of the Carol Corps variety. She looks up to Carol because she’s saved worlds with her bare hands – literally. She really idolizes Carol, and is an ideal she looks up to. So when she gets powers of her own, it makes sense for her to take that younger Captain Marvel role up.
Nrama: Will we see Captain Marvel in Ms. Marvel, or vice-versa Kamala inCaptain Marvel?
Wilson: There’s definitely that possibility. Carol will at least have one cameo in Ms. Marvel, and possible others as well; it’s not set in stone. Defintiely at least one.
Nrama: Kamala is also said to hail from Jersey City – can you describe her life outside of being a superhero, and being based not in the superhero mecca that is New York City?
Wilson: She’s very much the kind of girl who grew up staring wistfully at Manhattan, thinking “If only I could make it to the big city.” Jersey City is not just the backdrop of the series, but very much a part of Kamala’s own journey. She becomes kind of defiant and defensive; Jersey is her turf, it’s where she grew up and she’s not an apologist about it. Jersey City oftentimes seems to plays second fiddle to New York City, with all of the action taking place across in NYC and Jersey City being where people go to dump stuff or discard things. A huge aspect of Ms. Marvel is a “second string hero” in the “second string city” and having to struggle out of the pathos and emotion that can give a person.
Nrama: Correct me if I’m wrong, but you were born in New Jersey, correct?
Wilson: Yes! I grew up in Colorado, but I was born in Morris County and spent my first ten years there.
I consider myself a Coloradoan; that’s where I call home, and when I’m back in the states I go there to visit my parents. I’m secretly from New Jersey though. The landscape there made a huge impact on me; it’s so incredibly diverse, but very suburban and living there you spent a lot of time driving around in cars from strip mall to strip mall. The landscape is part of my childhood, and something I look back on with fondness. I thought it would be the perfect setting for Ms. Marvel because it’s so down to earth and has huge immigrant communities. It’s a really appropriate place to set a story about a character that is the child of immigrants.
Also, there is a particular culture in New Jersey. It’s defiant against being seen as where you live when it gets too expensive to live in New York City. I really tried to do homage to New Jersey through references to Kevin Smith films I grew up with, as well as all sorts of cultural references of Jersey worked in. Ms. Marvel is a love letter to an overlooked state.
Nrama: You’re working on this series with Adrian Alphona; I know it’s still early on in the production of the book, but given Adrian’s work on Runaways and Uncanny X-Force how do you feel about having him transforming your scripts into comics?
Wilson: I have been so blow away by his early sketches; he’s taking things to the next level with his unique design sense. We’re very much on the same wavelength; he calls Ms. Marvel “an off-kilter story about an off-kilter character,” and that’s exactly right. It’s not classic, shiny sparkly stuff. It’s a little bit weirder, a little bit grubbier, and a lot more complicated – and Adrian totally gets that.
He also adds background details, which are awesome and amazing; tiny little details not in the script but adds atmosphere to the story we’re telling. So I love that his illustrations are kind of stylized. One week he sent me sketches he had been doing during New York Fashion Week; he was sitting around sketching models as they walk around in high-end clothes. He’s a wonderfully unique artistic with a great background.
Nrama: Few people would argue that it’s a positive for Marvel (or anyone else's) line to feature a more real world selection of characters. But do you have any trepidation about the introduction of Pakistani-American Muslim character being turned into, or qualifying as a media mainstream event?
Wilson: That was a concern for me in a sense that when you do a story like this you have to get it exactly right; there is a real danger for it slipping into tokenism, sort of slapping a new face on the cover and saying “Look…Diversity! Hooray!” That’s not what I wanted to do at all, and not what editor Sana Amanat wanted either. We really wanted to tell the story of a true-to-life young Muslim growing up in the United States. There’s a lot of humor in that, but at the same time we didn’t want Kamala do be a poster child for religion or something. She’s very conflicted in some ways about her faith, like a majority of American Muslim women. She does not cover her hair, and does not wear a headscarf. She’s not a token character, and that’s’ what I really appreciated about the feedback I got from Marvel editors; they’re not interested in a token story about female Muslim characters.
At the end of the day, Kamala is a born and bred Jersey girl who’s very American, but she has other aspects to her life that’s not typical to an average kid. It’s important we get the details right and show a fully fleshed out character and not a stereotype. The journey she goes through is in many ways so universal; everyone who picks up Ms. Marvel is going to recognize the adversity of being a teenager trying to fit in. Everyone has gone through that in some way or another, and that’s a big part of our story.
Nrama: Lastly, can you talk about a specific scene or moment in Ms. Marvel #1 you’re proud of that people should look forward to specifically?
Wilson: How do I pick just one? There’s a couple, but I don’t want to spoil the action. There’s one scene with Kamala lusting after forbidden bacon people will find funny. And there’s another scene in which Kamala, who never drinks, takes a swig of what she finds out is Vodka and Orange Juice by accident. Details like that should really pop for people. It’s not at all a serious reckoning on religion in the U.S. or a clash of civilizations. I’m not interested in that. It’s the little details that I think will be really popular.
Wilson Looks to Defy Expectations with "Risky" New "Ms. Marvel" Series
Marvel Comics once again has a "Ms. Marvel," one a lot different from both the past incarnation -- and nearly every other mainstream superhero.
As first revealed on Tuesday, this Ms. Marvel is Kamala Khan, the 16-year-old daughter of Pakistani immigrants, a shape-shifter, a resident of Jersey City and a Muslim -- making her one of very few Muslim characters at either Marvel or DC Comics, and already one of the most high-profile. The new "Ms. Marvel" ongoing series, debuting in February 2014, comes from the creative team of "Air" writer G. Willow Wilson and "Runaways" artist Adrian Alphona, who made a recent return to interior comics work on "Uncanny X-Force."
The book is set to connect to the Marvel Universe as a whole as part of the upcoming "Inhumanity" storyline, where dormant superpowers are activated in numerous unaware Inhuman descendants due to the release of the Terrigen Bomb in last month's "Infinity" #4. Like the real world, the Marvel Universe has devoted fans of Carol Danvers, the former Ms. Marvel and current Captain Marvel -- among them "polymorph" Kamala Khan, who's inspired to take up the previous guise of her hero.
Wilson, who this past weekend won "Best Novel" at the World Fantasy Awards for her 2012 release "Alif the Unseen," said, "The real challenge really has nothing to do with controversy as such, it has to do more with getting people excited about a book that's a little bit different from what they usually see."
The author documented her conversion to Islam in tje memoir "The Butterfly Mosque: A Young American Woman's Journey to Love and Islam," comes to the series with a distinct perspective. In an interview with CBR News, Wilson makes it clear that she's not afraid of any controversy or criticism the book, which she calls "risky," might receive.
CBR News: Willow, you've been concentrating on prose work, making "Ms. Marvel" your first comic book work of length since "Mystic" in 2011. Had you been keeping up with the world of comics in your time away from the medium?
G. Willow Wilson: Absolutely. I never stopped following all the gossip and all the stuff that's going on in the industry; reading the books that people are recommending. It's great to be able to get back into it, for sure.
I've been reading a bunch of the new series that have been coming out. I've been reading "Saga," going kind of nuts over that. That's one of my favorite books from recent years. I'm following all of the fascinating ups and downs of DC's move to Burbank -- it's almost like a fraternity, you know? You're out, but you're never really out. You're always sort of listening in on what's going on.
Let's start at the beginning with "Ms. Marvel" -- how did it come about for you? Was it an idea that you pitched to Marvel, something they came to you with, or somewhere in between?
It was something they came to me with, which I was terribly flattered to be asked. I got a call from [Marvel editors] Steve Wacker and Sana Amanat over a year ago. It was extremely abstract at that point. They knew they wanted to have a young Muslim girl superhero, and that was kind of it. They said, "Do you think this is something that you'd be interested in tackling?" and I said "Heck yes!"
We started working on it, and we really spent a lot of time in development to make sure that we got to a character we were all excited about, and a story to tell that was really interesting. I think it really paid off, because we're all very excited about how this series has shaped up. I think all the work that was put into it beforehand will show.
Was it always going to be under the "Ms. Marvel" title, or was it originally not even that developed?
It wasn't even that developed. There was some relay about what direction to go. There were several Marvel events that were in production at that point, and there was some question as to whether we wanted to tie this character into any of those events. It started out very open-ended.
I think it was Sana's idea, because we had been talking about the most recent other big, successful rebranding of a female character, that being "Captain Marvel," and the very interesting fan culture that's come up around that, and all the great work that Kelly Sue [DeConnick] has done with it. It was in the course of that conversation that Sana came up with the idea -- "Wouldn't it be interesting if this girl was a hardcore Captain Marvel fan? A Carol Corps person?" In that case, it would make sense for her as sort of a junior female superhero who really looks up to Captain Marvel, to take up the "Ms. Marvel" mantle.
The book ties-in to the forthcoming "Inhumanity" status quo, then, with multiple emerging new potential superheroes?
Yes. But the details of that, in terms of how the book will fit into the larger scheme, and what kind of potential crossover might be there, has not yet been fleshed out. There's not a whole lot more detail than that at this point.
So the main character is a Captain Marvel fan -- what else can you share at this point about her? She's a shape-shifter, right?
Yes! She's a polymorph. She can grow and shrink, both her whole body and specific limbs, and eventually she'll be able to transform into different people and objects, as well. We wanted to give her a very physical, visual fun power set. I didn't want to make her another sparkly, flirty kind of a character. I wanted her to look a little bit weird. We made her a true polymorph, in the tradition of Morph -- god rest his soul.
A Muslim lead character on one level shouldn't necessarily seem so rare or significant, but it really is, because there's certainly not a lot of that in mainstream comic books -- or North American pop culture fiction in general. How important is that aspect to you?
I thought it was cool that Marvel wanted to go out on that limb and take on such a risky character -- to take on a character that had those elements to her background. Kamala is the daughter of Pakistani immigrants, so she's got this real tension between her very ordinary life as an American teenager, and also the expectations placed on her to be this very good, dutiful Muslim daughter by her loving but conservative parents.
For me, I was excited that they wanted to do a character like that, and take that risk, but at the same time I knew that we would have to get it exactly right. Whenever you do a character like this that is going to be somewhat controversial, but also could be interpreted to be just an act of tokenism, you really have to pay attention to detail and make sure that it's a character and a story worth telling, and a character that stands alone in their own right. I was excited, but also nervous, because I knew there was going to be extra scrutiny placed on a character wish such a controversial starting point. I really thought it was my job to make this the best possible book, and to put into the character all of -- not just the pathos, but the humor and the day-to-day quirkiness and drama that goes along with the very unique situation of being the child of immigrants, and balancing two worlds in one very young life. In a sense, there's kind of a Miles Morales parallel, I think.
To me, it was a challenge. It was challenge that I was happy to take on. I'm one of these people who responds well to pressure. [Laughs] I thought this was a really great chance to do something truly new and different, and to show the universal aspects of a character with a very specific background.
Given the expectations of it being controversial, and use of the word "risky" -- is it because a lot of people aren't used to Muslim lead characters, or is there something more to it affecting your expectations?
I think it's pretty much just a matter of overcoming that certain reluctance that people might feel to pick up a book that they think might not relate to them. It's easy to think, "Oh, this character doesn't have anything to say to me specifically," because it's a character from a very specific background. It's overcoming that that's the real challenge.
Occasionally, because of who I am and what I do, I get a certain amount of backlash from the usual suspects on the fringe of certain right-wing political groups. It's never really been a real issue. For me, the real challenge really has nothing to do with controversy as such, it has to do more with getting people excited about a book that's a little bit different from what they usually see. That I really see as my job. It's up to me to overcome that, and make a book that people do get excited about, regardless of what they come into the store with.
We've touched on it a little bit , but the "Ms. Marvel" name, though it appears to be used in a very different context here -- obviously it has a lot of history at Marvel Comics, but there's also a sense that "Ms. Marvel" is outdated as a superhero name. What's your approach to that, and to its relevance in this series?
Because Kamala is so young -- she's 16 -- it makes sense for her to take on that particular mantle. In this day and age, if you were to do "Ms. Marvel" as a worldly adult superhero woman, it would come across as condescending. But for a teenage girl who really looks up to Captain Marvel, the former Ms. Marvel, it really does make sense, because it's sort of her embodying a younger or earlier version of that particular character.
If we wanted to relaunch the book with an adult character in a skimpy costume, that would definitely be kind of a left turn and not a great way to go. [Laughs] Especially with all the work that Kelly Sue has done with "Captain Marvel" that people have responded to with such wonderful enthusiasm. It's really this particular character that makes it work, because she is kind of a junior superhero, and a hardcore Captain Marvel fan. I think that's what makes it work.
Since she is a polymorph, and you mentioned embodying a younger Ms. Marvel -- is there a literal aspect to that?
I don't want to give too much away, but certainly there's a real potential when you've got a polymorph to externalize all of your inner thoughts and desires and demons and fears, and all that stuff. Without saying too much -- yes. There is definitely a potential for that.
That could also be a controversial aspect.
Oh yeah. This is something we had a lot of discussions about, Sana and I, for that very reason. What's going to be great about this book is that it tackles so many of the fears and insecurities of being a teenager, but adding on to that a layer of superhero powers that ordinary teenagers don't get to experience. What if you had all of those ordinary teenager insecurities but you could act on them? What if you could become somebody else? What does that mean? What does that say about your own identity? That is definitely part of the particular inner conflict of this character.
The "Captain Marvel" series is relaunching in March, around the same time as this book debuts. Is there a pretty concrete coordination between these two books, at least on the onset?
There's a loose correlation. You can expect a Captain Marvel cameo in "Ms. Marvel." In terms of any sort of long-term overlap, I think that really depends on the direction those books go. I know that there are no plans right now to have Ms. Marvel show up in the new "Captain Marvel" relaunch, because I think Kelly Sue is taking the book in kind of a different direction. But there will definitely be at least one Captain Marvel cameo in "Ms. Marvel."
By nature of shared universe characters, fair or not, whenever you introduce a new character -- like this new Ms. Marvel -- you need to have other characters people know show up. Can readers expect to see some other familiar faces in the book beyond Carol Danvers?
Yes, you can expect that. Not always in the way one would expect. But yes, there will be definitely other familiar characters that will show up in the book -- in fact, in the very first issue, although, again, not quite in the familiar way.
I'm being so mysterious, I'm sorry. [Laughs] There's a couple of really fun scenes in the first issue that I don't want to blow.
Understandable, and with a polymorph lead character, there seems to be some interesting potential there.
All sorts of potential madness!
One thing you likely can talk about is the artist on the series, Adrian Alphona. How's it been working with him thus far?
I feel like it's sort of a mind-meld, because we really had exactly the same expectations, both stylistically and emotionally for the book. He put it the best, when he was doing character sketches -- "This is an off-kilter girl with off-kilter powers." I think that's exactly right, and I think his particular style really just suits the book so well. I get excited every time I see stuff from him in my inbox.
I'll get random e-mails from him, like -- "Hey, I'm at Fashion Week in New York, doing all of this fashion editorial stuff, but I'll be back at my desk tomorrow." It's so cool to be working with somebody who has that kind of flexibility, and who has that range. He just brings such a cool sensibility to the book.
I'm really excited to be back in the saddle with a title like this one. I was just looking over the script for the first issue the other day and getting freshly excited about it, because I think this is really something that could appeal to a very broad range of readers. It's a classic superhero origin story, but with a twist that makes it really unique. I just hope people like it as much as we've enjoyed working on it.
And it's your first Marvel Universe story at length, right?
Yeah! I did "Mystic," which is not in the Marvel U. Other than that, it was "Girl Comics," which was all standalone stuff. This is the first ongoing Marvel U title that I've ever done, so I promise that I've tried faithfully to live up to that standard. [Laughs]
"Ms. Marvel" #1 by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona arrives in Februrary 2014.
The new Ms Marvel #1 as announced yesterday. Debuting properly in All New Marvel NOW! Point One. And making a teaser debut in today’s Captain Marvel #17.
And a certain Supergirl #1 from a few years ago by Gary Frank … a couple of logos ago it seems…
@innervenom123: that's not what I meant it's just the fact that they're making a point that she's a Muslim, I'm all for adding minority characters but when it feels like they do it because they have to and not want to why bother
Why bother? Because a lack of positive representation allows negative stereotypes to be perpetuated, damages the self-esteem of the people who aren't being represented (especially children), and is just plain unrealistic. I mean, come on--they should have to just by virtue of statistics. But that doesn't even seem to be the case here--the formation of Kamala as a character was described as happening after Sana Amanat, who is (a? Not sure about the correct terminology) Muslim, told Steve Wacker an anecdote about her childhood. They noted "the dearth of female superhero series and, even more so, of comics with cultural specificity," formed an idea, and presented it to the writer, who is also a Muslim. So to think that two Muslim women are writing a series about a Muslim girl because they feel they "have to" seems pretty silly to me.
And as for "making a point" about it... well, see above re: stereotypes and self-esteem. Media reflects and informs about the world around us, and making a point of providing positive representation is hardly a bad thing.
@soupnazi: my apologies I'm terribly misinformed I never realised a) the writers are Muslim and b) it was their idea for the book so I'm all it will be good as they'll be enthusiastic about it
Was it always going to be under the "Ms. Marvel" title, or was it originally not even that developed?
It wasn't even that developed. There was some relay about what direction to go. There were several Marvel events that were in production at that point, and there was some question as to whether we wanted to tie this character into any of those events. It started out very open-ended.
I think it was Sana's idea, because we had been talking about the most recent other big, successful rebranding of a female character, that being "Captain Marvel," and the very interesting fan culture that's come up around that, and all the great work that Kelly Sue [DeConnick] has done with it. It was in the course of that conversation that Sana came up with the idea -- "Wouldn't it be interesting if this girl was a hardcore Captain Marvel fan? A Carol Corps person?" In that case, it would make sense for her as sort of a junior female superhero who really looks up to Captain Marvel, to take up the "Ms. Marvel" mantle.
Wait, what? Successful rebranding of a female character? Are they looking at the same sales numbers I am because Captain Marvel hasn't been successful at all. Maybe Marvel just doesn't care what kind of numbers Carol brings in because they had low expectations for her anyway, but when she's bringing in far worse sales rankings than she did as Ms. Marvel, then I don't call that a successful rebranding.
But they say this is a new hero for a new generation of readers. The same thing DC said when they created the New 52 universe. The big companies are making it loud and clear that anyone born in the previous century shouldn't be reading comic books anymore. Message received, Marvel. Message received. At least Carol's still Ms. Marvel in all the new Marvel games that have been released recently.
I don't know. I don't care for the whole recycling of previously used codenames. Why give her Ms. Marvel when she can be Deviant, Kidcast (a combo of Kid and recast, like to change people in a play), or even Urdu-variant names? Carol will always be my Ms. Marvel (though I consider Mar-Vell or Genis-Vell as Captain Marvel).
I don't know. I don't care for the whole recycling of previously used codenames. Why give her Ms. Marvel when she can be Deviant, Kidcast (a combo of Kid and recast, like to change people in a play), or even Urdu-variant names? Carol will always be my Ms. Marvel (though I consider Mar-Vell or Genis-Vell as Captain Marvel).
Bro, I'm pretty sure it's against the rules to bump long-dead threads.
Even then, Kamala being called Ms. Marvel makes perfect sense.
@innervenom123: That rule only applies to Battles and possibly General Discussion, but not for Character Forums. That's just ridiculous, and makes no sense. Now about Kamala being Ms. Marvel, I haven't read anything about her; my comment was toward the re-use of codenames (not how well she portrays it).
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