With her recent Disney+ series premier/debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, now is a perfect time to check in with Kamala Khan’s comic adventures in Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit. After an explosion of interdimensional proportions at her cousin’s lab, Kamala suddenly has a doppelgänger to deal with! As Ms. Marvel, it’s her duty to help out the newcomer, but something doesn’t feel quite right. Kamala’s powers are on the fritz, and she suspects that this new hero-in-training isn’t trustworthy. And why has everything around her… turned into a Bollywood set?!
The original Ms. Marvel series written by G Willow Wilson with art largely by Adrian Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa was one of the best Marvel comics to be released in the modern era. It was a fun throwback to the early teen years of Spider-Man with a modern slant and through the eyes of a Pakistani-American Muslim girl. This latest mini-series captures a lot of that early magic and showcases what made it so engaging. Anyone who is looking for a suitable jumping on point for Ms. Marvel’s adventures will find this series perfect.
Whilst this is her comic debut, author Samira Ahmed has a plethora of experience in the young-adult genre and immediately proves she has a great voice for Kamala and her friends. One of the key factors of the Ms. Marvel series’ success has been the strong emphasis on Kamala’s family and friends which proves to be an ideal focus for Ahmed’s skillset. We have Kamala’s lovable but firmly traditional Muslim parents along with her friends Nakia, Zoe and Bruno. We get an early focus on Kamala’s cousin Razia who is not only a great addition to the cast, but also helps establish the cross dimensional disaster that drives the series.
The alternate dimension shapeshifter Qarin makes for a sympathetic antagonist having experienced huge loss in her home dimension. We get to see her as she tries to blend in with Kamala’s family and friends, and her eventual attack on Ms. Marvel in a misguided attempt at revenge. Ahmed does a masterful job at maintaining this balance, which is no easy feat. But she also finds time for light-hearted moments – with the Bollywood hallucination complete with a singing and dancing Bollywood Loki being a particular highlight.
Andres Genolet is a brilliant fit on the art front. He successfully captures the spirit of the original series and gives this storyline an extra boost of energy. All the characters are lively and expressive, and we get some tremendous action to boot.
Beyond The Limit is a fun return for one of Marvel’s top teenage heroes. This will definitely be one new readers will gravitate to after Kamala’s Disney+ success.
Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit is out 28 June from Marvel (9781302931261, p/b, £13.50)
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