Ms. Marvel #13 Review: The Voting Comic That Feels Awkward Now

Ms. Marvel leads a voting drive in Jersey City to defeat Hydra! But is an ill-timed comic intended to capture the madness of the 2016 election an awkward read now?

Ms. Marvel #13

Writer: G. Willow Wilson

Artist: Mirka Andolfo

Colorist: Ian Herring

Yet Another Awkward Moment Brought to You by High School!

This school day starts off reflecting this. Bruno was seriously injured opposing Captain Marvel’s cadets over civil liberties, and left for a scholarship in Wakanda. Both Kamala and Mike are devastated. Now they’re stuck in yet another boring class with needless drama playing out around them. When exchange student Gabriel Hillman suddenly joins the class, Kamala and Mike get exposed to a new plot by Hydra to take over Jersey City. Their efforts are clandestine, but real.

Image by Marvel Comics

It turns out that the entire area of Jersey City has been redistricted for the upcoming mayoral election. As Mike explains, it’s a byproduct of gerrymandering which is done to slice up voters into blocks for political reasons. It is usually how incumbents get reelected. A visit to Mayor Woodby’s office reveals that his hands are tied, and he fears a greater power. The entire effort is another plot by Dr. Faustus to take over the area via economic or political means instead of costumed ones.

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Despite the fact that Woodby’s opponent is the “Hydra hipster” Chuck Worthy, low voter turnout and mass apathy seems all but assured to hand over the city to resident Neo-Nazis. This forces Kamala to improvise and figure out a way to save the day without punching it out with giant fists. With help from Mike and Nakia, Ms. Marvel rallies her local high school teens for a voting drive. Unfortunately, the voting drive’s main obstacles are mass ignorance and cynicism in the people.

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It Isn’t as Easy as Captain America Makes It Look!

Exasperated, Ms. Marvel spends a two-page sequence which comes very close to being a lecture. She rattles off no end of voting facts and statistics to fix all of the misconceptions and misinformation about voting. Kamala then leads her rally to one of Chuck Worthy’s events, where his security attacks her. Yet, when having to choose between an unpopular incumbent or an evil newcomer, is there a third option for Jersey City residents? It all gets wrapped up a little too neatly.

Image by Marvel Comics

Ms. Marvel #13 may be a great comic overall, but there are parts of it that are awkward. It continues the serialized soap opera of Kamala Khan’s life, which is great. However, the middle section verges on being preachy, and after all of the madness of politics, Wilson may be preaching to an already overstuffed choir. The finale also may represent the most unrealistic thing which has ever happened in the entire history of the Marvel Universe. Even more so than Quicksilver’s origin.

Image by Marvel Comics

The Marvel Universe is a wild, wacky, and wondrous thing. It’s a universe that grounds itself in reality but has no end of absurdity. There are mutants who transform into ice cream, people who return from the dead every season, and very consistent appearances by the genuine Santa Claus. Yet the notion that Ms. Marvel could not only get 90% of the electorate of a major city to vote, but that said voters would elect a clean and competent third party candidate, is pure wish fulfillment.

It Misses Being Preachy by That Much!

This isn’t to say that this exercise in wish fulfillment or “info-tainment” preaching is poorly executed. In fact this may be one of the best written and handled “message comics” Marvel has ever produced. It certainly is leagues above the anti-drug or pro-literacy comics of the 1980s and 1990s. Its hand isn’t quite as heavy and it is a story which skillfully ties into the overall arc of the series. Furthermore, Kamala Khan is the sort of eager and earnest heroine who could pull this off.

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Ever since the defeat of the Inventor in the first volume, Ms. Marvel has often lacked reoccurring villains. Dr. Faustus is the closest she has to one now, and he’s one of Captain America’s spare rogues. Wilson has a great take on him, as Dr. Faustus has been more of a planner and psychologist than a fighter. After years of working for Red Skull, he’s taking his zeal to exploit economic and political loopholes for Hydra’s aims. This has actually made him more dangerous.

Image by Marvel Comics

Chuck Worthy make a worthy ally to Faustus, pun intended. Dubbed “the Hydra hipster” by Kamala, he hides a thuggish zeal behind trendy clothes and haircuts. His ordering of security to attack protesters in the middle of a rally would seem unrealistic if not for footage from Donald Trump rallies being well known. He acts as the face of Faustus’ efforts, with Faustus acting behind the scenes. I can imagine Faustus recruiting the near fascist “Basic Becky” from the Civil War II arc.

There’s a Lot to Unpack with This Issue!

G. Willow Wilson writes a very interesting comic this month. She juggles her regular efforts with characterization and adventure with some education and wish fulfillment for a segment of readers. Kamala’s voice, as always, is spot on, and it is good to see a teenage hero rally their peers around them in a genuine way. The presence of a white supremacist underbelly within the U.S. has been a relearned fact lately, and this story explores it without being too exaggerated about it.

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As always, Kamala Khan herself shines through in this issue. Her growth is paramount to anything else, as it should be. The name “Ms. Marvel” once stood for women’s liberation in the 1970s for Carol Danvers, and Khan is using it for more socially aware super-heroics now. Over the course of the series, Kamala has shown a willingness to take a path away from where the adult heroes she adores walk. Between this and her leading the Champions, she’s on a path towards great change.

Image by Marvel Comics

Gabriel Hillman makes a great addition to the cast. Being “siblings in law,” he replaces Bruno in a way. The merging of families means more potential for some genuine moments, and step-siblings create all sorts of potential situations. Extended family tries in comic books tend to be a mess, but the Khan family succeeds by coming off as fairly down to earth. They’re Muslim-Americans in every sense of the word, with Kamala representing a middle between tradition and a new West.

Good Thing Nobody Ever Recognizes Kamala’s Voice!

Mirka Andolfo delivers another terrific effort in art. In fact, I hope she becomes a part of the series’ regular rotation of artists. Her style is close enough to the series’ two previous artists that it fits, while she has a flair all her own. This issue really gives Mirka a chance to shine with plenty of character beats between Kamala and Mike, and all of the various voters. Ian Herring enhances her strong line and ink work with his usual vibrant color palette.

Image by Marvel Comics

Next: Check out Kamala'soul searching from issue #12!

A part of me thinks that G. Willow Wilson envisioned a different outcome of the 2016 Presidential election when she drafted this issue. A message of hope over cynicism and rallying voters towards a third option besides a corrupt career politician and a right-wing lunatic is a worthy one, even if real life events have made it an awkward read. Regardless of current politics, it’s an issue where Ms. Marvel prevails by the strength and determination of her character. She’s a hero for our times.

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