Review: Magnificent Ms. Marvel, Vol 1: Destined

Title: Magnificent Ms. Marvel, Vol 1: Destined

Author: Saladin Ahmed

Illustrators: Minkyu Jung and Eduard Petrovich

Published: 29 October 2019

Format: Graphic novel, library book

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Ms. Marvel is back – and she’s magnificent! But there’s no such thing as business as usual in Jersey City. Aliens are wreaking havoc in Kamala’s corner of the world, and they seem weirdly interested in Ms. Marvel…and her family! Kamala is about to face a devastating loss – but with an alien invasion ravaging her neighborhood, she’s not going to have much time to grieve. Even if Kamala saves her hometown, will her life ever be the same? And what’s all this business about a “Chosen One”?

Review: 

I was pretty heartbroken when G. Willow Wilson announced that she was no longer writing Ms. Marvel. However, Saladin Ahmed picked up right where Wilson left off and has continued to add to Kamala’s growth in a way that is absolutely fantastic. 

I really enjoy graphic novels, but Ms. Marvel is hands down my favorite. She is relatable, flawed, and funny from how she handles every day problems to saving the world ones. Ahmed excels in capturing Kamala’s hopes, frustrations, and experiences as a teenage superhero. 

I especially enjoyed that different people in Kamala’s life, including herself, talked about how they saw her. I thought it really added something special to the story and narration. It made it even more heartfelt and had my eyes tearing up quite a bit.

This installment focuses especially on family, specifically Kalama and her parents. Despite there being superpowers and aliens, the story was so wholesome and genuine in how it shows the complexity of growing up and how we see our parents versus how they see us. 

My only wish is that we saw more of Kamala’s friends in this volume. I want more of Kamala and Bruno and the rest of the gang. They were such a big part of the earlier volumes. However, the family storyline was outstanding, and I’m so glad Ahmed did it. It could not have been easy to write, but he did it wonderfully.

The art is wonderful throughout the volume. I’m no art expert, but my eyes appreciate the color schemes and detail that are present.

Things are hard right now and a bit scary, even as we slowly start to open things back up in Ohio. There are so many unknowns. I’ve been really stressed and have had a difficult time reading. I am so happy I picked up Magnificent Ms. Marvel. Despite some heavy topics, it was such a comforting read. Reading about Kamala and her adventures always helps bring me back into a calmer state of mind and to remember to keep fighting and to do good. 

Happy reading!

Advertisement