Bracing for Heartbreak and Embracing it: Ms. Marvel #8

The following is my review of Ms. Marvel #8, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Everyone has an inflated opinion of those they idolize. Those inflated opinions allow people to overlook flaws like Tony Stark's drinking, Spider-Man's irresponsibility, or Deadpool's crude sense of humor. For better or for worse, idols often become tied to identity. When one of those idols messes up in ways that make for great tabloid headlines, some take it as an affront to their identity. In this sense, Kamala Khan is setting her identity up for a beating.

Civil War II effectively drew the lines in the conflict. Now, targets are finding their way towards certain characters and Kamala Khan is at the front of that line. Few characters who aren't Spider-Man clones are as closely tied as Kamala Khan and Captain Marvel. Kamala Khan's entire persona as Ms. Marvel is built around her idolizing Carol Danvers. She is the quintessential fangirl and it shows in lovably humorous ways every time their paths cross. Now, G. Willow Wilson is setting Kamala up for a level of heartbreak that exceeds that caused by any Skrull imposter or Hydra agent.

Ms. Marvel #8 begins the process of tying Ms. Marvel's story into the larger conflict unfolding in Civil War II. It's a process that is destined to pit this young, aspiring hero against the idol who inspired her. The emotions surrounding this conflict are as volatile as can be without a Hulk being involved, but G. Willow Wilson doesn't focus on this initially.

Instead, Ms. Marvel #8 starts from the opposite end of the emotional spectrum. Wilson focuses on the hope and benefits of having someone who can accurately predict the future without the added complications of time machines, stage tricks, or excessive phone bills. Just like Civil War II #1, these benefits manifest in major ways for Ms. Marvel. However, just like Civil War II #1, the fine print in these benefits promise to send her to the other end of that emotional spectrum and that end comes with a lot of pain, as War Machine can attest.

Captain Marvel, her trusted idol, tasks Ms. Marvel with making use of Ulysses' foresight. This means she gets her first team of side-kicks, an important milestone for any superhero not mentored by Bruce Wayne. Thanks to these new resources, she is able to stop the leader of a Canadian syndicate of ninjas from going on a rampage in a tank. The basic details of that scenario sound so absurd when said out loud, but they are a testament to the kind of cartoonish conflicts that make Ms. Marvel's narrative so much fun.

The fun doesn't last though. As often happens with teenagers trying to change the world for the better, they trip over some unpleasant realities along the way. Ms. Marvel finds herself treating potential crimes as actual crimes, something every non-Hydra version of Captain America would have problems with. However, Ms. Marvel still believes in the greater good that this method offers. She still believes in her idol and cherishes the trust she places in her. It's like having the keys to all of Tony Stark's cars. It's not easy to give up.

It reflects one of G. Willow Wilson's most effective tactics in making Ms. Marvel such a lovable, endearing hero. She sets Kamala up for heartbreak and disappointment, but she does it in a way that has a powerful emotional impact. That impact is perfectly consistent with the ongoing themes surrounding Civil War II and the themes that make Ms. Marvel such an impactful character.

Wilson effectively uses the opposite approach that slasher movies use with stereotypical jocks. She creates this narrative where its hard not to root for Kamala Khan and her ideals. Her heart is in the right place. Her ideals are respectable. She sees the world through Disney-like ideals. It's clear that those ideals are destined to shatter under the weight of the real world, but even though the outcome is hardly surprising, the emotional undertones are clear.

Those undertones are largely driven by Ms. Marvel's adulation of Captain Marvel. This adulation goes back to before Kamala Khan got her powers. She builds her entire superhero identity around the ideals the standards that Captain Marvel sets. In the same way fans of Spider-Man don't want to believe that he would make a deal with Mephisto, Ms. Marvel doesn't want to believe that Captain Marvel is on the wrong side of a conflict. It makes the looming heartbreak even more powerful. Kamala might even need counseling from Mary Jane Watson when the dust settles.

The emotions and drama mix well with battles involving Canadian ninjas hijacking tanks. G. Willow Wilson also attempts to add a more contemporary context on the whole Civil War II conflict, exploring the history of Kamala's family and the historical conflicts within that history. However, this part of the narrative falls flat and acts as a distraction more than a supplement. Some details are relevant, but not enough to have a noticeable impact on Ms. Marvel's narrative.

There are other attempts that are slightly more successful. Ms. Marvel shows some discomfort in treating potential crimes as actual crimes, but it's not the kind of discomfort that a typical teenage superhero doesn't handle on a regular basis. Some parallels between Civil War II and the whole "tough on crime" era of the '80s and '90s come into play. Again, these efforts fall flat. It's only when the threat becomes personal to Ms. Marvel that the impact starts to manifest.

That impact and the undertones surrounding it remain the greatest strength of Ms. Marvel #8. It takes the larger conflict created in Civil War II and personalizes it. Like a bad movie teaser, it does somewhat spoil the outcome. Ms. Marvel is setting herself up for disappointment and heartbreak. All that idolizing and admiration for Captain Marvel is going to take a crippling gut punch. That punch is going to hurt, but it's worth enduring for certain characters. Kamala Khan is one of them.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Ms. Marvel #8: Nuff Said!

Let's face it. At some point, our idols are going to have days where they'll be total assholes. I'm sure Mother Teresa herself had days where she woke up and wanted to punch the first person she saw. It's a big part of reality that sucks elephant balls. We're all painfully human and that includes our idols. Eventually, we all learn this and if we're exceedingly unlucky, we learn it the hard way.

Kamala Khan has a lot going for her. She's both a popular new hero and an Inhuman, which means she gets the kind of preferential treatment usually reserved for members of the Hilton family. However, even her inherent luck has to run out at some point and it looks like Civil War II is that point. The shit storm is already in full force. The stench finally reaches Ms. Marvel's doorstep in Ms. Marvel #8. How will she handle the kind of shitty luck usually reserved for mutants and the Fantastic Four? That's what I'm here to discern in as sober(ish) way I can manage.

Flashback to Captain America's time for a quick history lesson. For those who didn't sleep through history class or show up stoned, this probably won't reveal much. For those of us who had great weed connections in high school, it helps to provide context.

It involves the formation of Pakistan after India gained its Independence from snooty British types who got tired of riding elephants to compensate for the size of their dicks. Why is this important for Ms. Marvel? Well, she's Pakistani. Her entire family came from Pakistan and anyone who watches CNN sober for more than a few moments understands that Pakistan has its share of problems. A lot of them start with its founding and a lot of innocent people who just wanted some distance from snooty British types got caught in the crossfire. Kamala's family is one of them.

Without revisiting the complex politics of India and Pakistan, most of which require more Adderall and weed than I'm willing to take, there is a relevant purpose to this flashback. It depicts a time when people could no longer trust the friends and neighbors they've always known because they MIGHT screw them over. They MIGHT decide to be petty, vindictive assholes for no good reason. It's the basis behind almost every kind of racism, border clash, flame war on message boards. It's one of mankind's less attractive birthmarks to say the least.

There's a nice bit of genuine human drama, something G. Willow Wilson loves to inject in all her stories. It adds a genuine personal touch that will resonate with all non-racist types. It's also fittingly relevant, given how the events of Civil War II is built around what some asshole MIGHT do rather than what they actually do. It's a bad sign for Kamala. For those of us who like to see Kamala confront tough situations and punch them in the dick, it's as good a sign as any.

Flash forward several decades, sift through a few stock market crashes and Presidential scandals, and we catch up with Ms. Marvel. At the moment, she's as happy as a stoner in a potato chip factory. She just got called to Alpha Flights awesome space station base by her idol, Carol Danvers. It's the equivalent of Jennifer Lawrence asking me to have a beer with her. She's understandably giddy.

Then, she learns about brewing shit storm from Civil War II. This is before it gets so bad that Iron Man and Captain Marvel want to choke each other out in the least sexy way possible. This is when the idea of having someone who can accurately predict the future seems like such a good thing. To Carol, it is and she wants to make use of it. Moreover, she wants Ms. Marvel to be at the front of the line in turning Ulysses' predictions into results that save lives. Naturally, Ms. Marvel has almost no reservations. Her idol is asking her to save lives and be more awesome. That's like Ryan Reynolds asking me to smoke weed with him. You just don't say no to something like that.

Captain Marvel doesn't send Ms. Marvel into the shit storm without some rubber boots either. To make use of Ulysses' predictions, she assembles a team for her. Granted, that team isn't exactly an army of Wolverine clones, but it's better than nothing. Ms. Marvel loves it because it means she has graduated to having side-kicks. Unlike Aquaman, hers don't include talking dolphins. They're basically a bunch of idealistic, hipster types with only a fraction of the douche-baggery. They're willing to work with her to actually make a meaningful difference in places like Jersey City, which is more than 99 percent of most hipster types can say.

Their first assignment involves the leader of the Canadian Ninja Syndicate, Hijinx. No, that's not a joke from Family Guy. Apparently, he's a real character. Even at my most stoned, I could never come up with something like that so whoever is selling weed to Marvel, please keep selling because this leads to Canadian Ninjas stealing tanks. It's every bit as awesome and fucked up as it sounds.

A ninja in a tank is like killer cyborg with a built-in flamethrower. It combines two kinds of deadly shit and makes both more deadly. However, Ms. Marvel and her sidekicks have the edge. They learn from Ulysses that this guy is doing to do a lot of crazy shit, as is to be expected with any mentally unstable asshole in a tank. They also learn that this tank will explode in the middle of Jersey City if they don't stop it. On paper, it's a perfect use of Ulysses' powers. They're not trying to win the lottery or create some Back to the Future II scenario. They're trying to save lives.

It leads to a fun, colorful clash the likes of which make so many issues of Ms. Marvel memorable. Where else are you going to see a Pakistani American teenage girl beat the shit out of a Canadian ninja? Since Ms. Marvel's team has foresight on their side, Hijinx doesn't stand a chance. In fact, he's genuinely surprised that someone caught up with him before he could do much joyriding. He didn't even know it was set to explode. Thanks to Ms. Marvel, he does no greater damage than a drunk redneck in a pickup truck driving down a deserted road. Given the road conditions in certain parts of New Jersey, most people probably won't notice.

It's another clear epic win, thanks to Ulysses. We saw it in Civil War II. Now, Ms. Marvel gets a taste of it and just like before, it all seems so clean and efficient. It's still kind of fucked up, heroes saving the day without destroying half a city. Maybe it's just a big middle finger to everyone who bitched about Avengers and Man of Steel, but it sends the same powerful message. Having foresight makes kicking ass insanely efficient.

Sadly, Ms. Marvel gets a major buzzkill from her triumph, courtesy of her friend Tyesha. In terms of friends, she strikes me as the kind that flushes your weed down the toilet when the mailman knocks on the door. That said, she brings up a few uncomfortable nuggets with Ms. Marvel. Apparently, Hijinx is going to be tried for shit he might have done with that tank and not just the shit he actually did. Tyesha rightly points out the parallels between this and the whole tough-on-crime shit that certain places endured during a time when Bill Clinton was getting a few too many blowjobs.

It's a relevant issue and one Kamala can't ignore. There are real-world examples of people being charged with shit they might have done and most of that shit is just thinly veiled racism that even the most ardent Trump supporters can see through. Being a minority herself, which is something Captain Marvel can't say being a hot blonde, it bothers Kamala. However, she still sides with her idol and the side of saving lives. That makes sense. She's a teenager. She hasn't yet learned the extent to which authority types will go to screw minorities over.

Ms. Marvel continues to operate Captain Marvel's new team, using Ulysses' predictions to stop crimes before they happen. This includes roughing up some guy who was just thinking about robbing a grocery store. Yeah, he was just thinking about it. As someone who thinks about a lot of dirty shit when I haven't had my coffee, this bothers me. However, Ms. Marvel still isn't bothered enough to step back. Then, her team shows up and says there's a much bigger shit storm on the horizon and it involves her school. Bear in mind, this is the same school that was infested with Loki's golems at one point. They've already endured one too many shit storms and Ms. Marvel isn't about to let another one pass.

That's when she finally gets the kind of dramatic gut punch that every teenager gets at some point. For most, it's being rejected by a prom date or finding out the cost of going to college. For Kamala, it involves one of her friends and classmates being the catalyst for the coming shit storm. Specifically, it's Josh, a recovering douche-bag from the early issues of this series. That means to prevent a crime, Kamala Khan may have to screw over a friend who is actively trying to not be an asshole anymore.

In terms of tough positions, this one couldn't be tougher without grinding against John Cena's chest muscles. It puts Ms. Marvel in the kind of position that brings out the best in her, but it's also the same position that almost guarantees heartbreak. It's a tough lesson for teenagers to learn, heartbreak and tough decisions. At least Kamala Khan gets to confront this situation with her pants on. Some teenagers aren't so lucky.

So...is it awesome?

A big part of Ms. Marvel's awesome comes from her lovable, fangirl nature and this issue definitely captures that. More importantly though, it also captures the primary themes of Civil War II and puts them into practice. There's no debate, discussion, or bitching. The setup in Ms. Marvel #8 is that she still trusts her idol, Carol Danvers. She willingly puts her agenda into action and it has results. Then, it gets personal and just like that, she puts herself in a perfect position for a dramatic gut punch that Carol helps set up.

Once again, G. Willow Wilson is masterful in setting up drama and making Kamala Khan the most lovable character that isn't a talking animal or a singing princess. Her interactions with Carol Danvers bring out the best in her, but this time it puts her in a shitty position. It's like Buffalo Bills fans watching a replay of Super Bowl XXV. You know how it's gonna end. You know it's gonna hurt. Yet you still can't look away. Like a flaming pile of shit in the middle of the freeway, it's bound to be a spectacle for all the wrong reasons, but those kinds of spectacles are when Ms. Marvel is at her best.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

A Girl, Her Dog, and So Much More: Ms. Marvel #8

The following is my review of Ms. Marvel #8, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

The disparity in thought process between teenagers and adults is like the disparity between Eagles fans and Cowboys fans. It's so vast in so many ways that there's little chance of reconciliation. It's not just because of hormones, high school, and acne either. Teenagers still see the world through an untainted, inexperienced set of eyes. Adults see the world through eyes that have been jaded by a potent combination of age, struggle, and harsh reality. Teenagers basically live on a perpetual beer buzz while adults live in a perpetual hangover.

It's this disparity that allows a teenager to see a dog as just the most adorable creature since the Olson Twins whereas an adult sees it as just another chore between paying bills and mowing the lawn. It also serves as a defining moment in Ms. Marvel #8 that further reinforces Kamala Khan's title as Marvel's most lovable teenage superhero. She's still very new to this world of supervillains, superpowers, and alien dogs. But she still sees that world with the kind of wide-eyed optimism of someone who has not yet had to deal with the DMV or the IRS.

This untainted view of the world has been one of the many reasons Ms. Marvel has been a breath of fresh air from the brooding and bickering that has plagued so many adult heroes. Kamala hasn't had time to develop a deep, dark secret that makes her so jaded that she resorts to making deals with Mephisto. She's still just a kind, caring teenage girl who wants to do good in the world without understanding how easily the world complicates good deeds. She spent many early issues just establishing herself as a hero, making some pretty big mistakes and dealing with family issues along the way. Now she has become that hero and others have taken notice.

After her first ever team-up with Wolverine, the Inhumans have taken notice of this lovable teenage girl from Jersey City. That's what brings Lockjaw into the picture. Where others see a big, hulking, monstrosity of a dog, Kamala Khan sees her new favorite pet. And it just so happens that her new favorite pet is a big help in her ongoing battle against the Inventor. However, it's through this fight that Kamala's rosy worldview of heroes and villains becomes complicated.

Lockjaw acts as an enabler of sorts, allowing Kamala to do more than most 16-year-olds with a 9:00 pm curfew and no car. In some ways it's necessary because to this point, Kamala's resources have been limited to her friend, Bruno, and information that can be easily Googled. This was still enough to help her rise to the top of the Inventor's hit-list, but she needs more if she's to be the reigning champ of that list. That's exactly what Lockjaw does, allowing Kamala to get to where the action is and be the superhero she wants to be. It proves useful, but it also has the effect of having a diabetic live next door to a Baskin Robbins.

Thanks to her new pet, Kamala is able to take part in the kind of superhero action that exists on every other page of a Wolverine comic. In the previous issues, she got to fight a giant alligator. Now she gets to fight a giant robot. For a superhero, that's akin to a teenager's first car. But for Kamala, she ends up running over a few cones because the Inventor takes advantage of her inexperience. He exposes the drawbacks of seeing the world through such rosy glasses and it didn't even involve having to clean up after Lockjaw.

It's a lesson every experienced superhero and adult learns at some point. It's not enough to just confront problems. They need to be confronted carefully and thoroughly. Teenagers see them as problems that can be solved easily with fists, trash talk, or just blocking them on Facebook. But the Inventor isn't a problem that can be blocked. As competent as Kamala is at attacking giant robots, she's not as competent when it comes to out-thinking her enemy. She doesn't even notice until its too late. Like a tax return she thought she paid, it comes back to bite her.

It leads to Kamala being more vulnerable than she's been at any point in her brief superhero career. It's a moment where she has to take off those rosy glasses through which she sees the world and realize that this is serious. She's messing with someone who isn't afraid to hit her when she's out of costume and surrounded by friends. She basically took out a loan from Tony Soprano and now he's back to collect. It overwhelms Kamala in a way she hasn't experienced to date and for a girl who recently fought a giant alligator and spent a day with Wolverine, that's saying something.

She goes from a lovable teenage girl with a new pet dog to an overwhelmed teenage girl who gets in over her head. Yet somehow, Ms. Marvel #8 manages to maintain the same strong themes that have helped make it so enjoyable. Even as Kamala learns the hard way that being a superhero means occasionally leading a killer robot right to her school, it's still a fun, spirited narrative. There's never a sense that Kamala is about to become an overly jaded teenager with one too many body piercings. Previous issues have firmly established the wonderful girl she is. That's what makes these new complications she faces so compelling.

Ms. Marvel #8 is yet another step in the process of Kamala Khan becoming a superhero. She's had her first major battles. She's fought her first killer robot. She's had her first team-up with Wolverine. She's dealt with complicated family issues. Now she has to learn to deal with the larger complications that come along with being a superhero. And this is all in addition to having a new pet in Lockjaw. She's had to deal with a lot in such a brief span, but the manner in which she deals with it is part of what makes her so much fun.

Final Score: 9 out of 10