Ms. Marvel #24 review: A train wreck with the Red Dagger

Ms. Marvel’s life has literally become a train wreck! Yet can she and Red Dagger save both the train and her confidence?

Ms. Marvel #24

Writer: G. Willow Wilson

Artist: Diego Olortegui

Colorist: Ian Herring

Is Kamala’s Head in the Game?

While the pair have prevented a head-on collision, they’ve done little to slow the train down. As Kamala recovers from her latest gambit, Red Dagger notices the change in her demeanor. When they first met during the summer, Ms. Marvel was virtually fearless. Now, she is hesitant despite being on home turf. Referencing her past crisis with Discord (her old pal Josh), Kamala notes how she feels exhausted in more ways than physical. She can’t even trust her own judgement lately.

Image by Marvel Comics

Red Dagger suggests that she take some time to tend to herself. It seems the more time the pair spend together, the closer they appear to get. Little do they know how close they really are. As Kareem, Red Dagger is the son of Kamala’s aunt’s friend. He’s the new foreign exchange student at Kamala’s school, who all of her pals are fawning over. His boundless energy and confidence is infectious, and it seems like Kareem always has the right thing to say. Could this lead to something more?

Image by Marvel Comics

Before it can, the pair have to resolve the current crisis. Even more annoying than the train, is the current media coverage. Thanks to social media, the Internet has already gotten wind of Red Dagger, and he’s proving to be a hit. A whiff of jealousy isn’t doing Kamala any favors either. Eager to resolve the crisis, Kamala confers with the conductor. She plans to take the train to an abandoned track. Hopefully, a large hill and gravity should finally slow it down and save the day.

Image by Marvel Comics

Is Ms. Marvel More Powerful Than a Locomotive?

As a result of Kamala’s plan, however, things consequently go wrong. The tracks on the old track have a gap, so she needs to snap is shut manually. Even worse, the train picks up speed and the hill won’t stop it after all. Remembering the lessons taught to her by her dad Abu, Ms. Marvel sets out to slow the train by any means necessary. Rather than allow it to wipe out, Kamala hops to the rear to slow it down with all her strength. Yet can even Ms. Marvel manage to slow down a train?

Image by Marvel Comics

While Red Dagger is mostly a pedestrian to the crisis, he does his part to help. When the last car snaps free from the rest of the train, it’s his quick actions which probably save Kamala’s life. Yet with the crisis resolved, the resulting media frenzy virtually ignores Ms. Marvel entirely. She’s not as popular as she once was, and seems like yesterday’s news. Kamala appears to take Kareem’s advice to heart, but for the wrong reasons. She seems to feel that anyone could do her job now.

Image by Marvel Comics

G. Willow Wilson has rarely made things easy for her heroine, and this arc is harrowing in its own way. While the speeding training isn’t anything apocalyptic, the real crisis is within Kamala herself. With Bruno a world away and with half the public against her, Kamala is questioning being Ms. Marvel at all. It’s hard to do anything when you’re second guessing yourself, whether being a normal civilian or a superhero! Between losing Bruno and Discord, it’s been two spiritual blows!

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Not Even Red Dagger Can Solve Every Problem!

Much as with his previous appearances, Red Dagger is a hoot. He’s an optimistic, energetic hero who contrasts well with Ms. Marvel’s current mood. When Kamala is in good spirits they play off each other well. Wilson knows how to tease a potential romance with a few bits of dialogue and a few sequences where the pair get closer to each other in innocent ways. Fans could be forgiven for imagining a Disney song playing in the background when they’re tumbling in the grass together!

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In fact my only quibble is the threat itself. While I know it’s all about Kamala’s internal conflict, spending two issues on a speeding train is a bit much. One of the longtime problems with Ms. Marvel has been a lack of a rogues gallery, and unfortunately that hasn’t improved much. There’s Chuck Worthy and Lockdown, and that’s pretty much it. Beyond that are just one shot threats or disasters, and they can make some of the stories seem more aimless and random than they should.

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The Only Other Superhero New Jersey Has Is Slapstick!

Diego Olortegui fills in on art, and it’s great seeing the longtime cover artist get some interior pages to play with. It turns out he has great instincts for action sequences. He makes Ms. Marvel and Red Dagger’s exploits look exciting, which is hard to do with as mundane a threat as a speeding train. As with most issues of Ms. Marvel, there is a critical need for physical comedy, expressive body language and especially Kamala’s facial reactions which Olortegui nails as well.

Image by Marvel Comics

Next: See how the train wreck began in #23!

If it seems like the second time within a dozen issues that Kamala Khan has had to go on a journey of self discovery after a crisis, that’s only because it has. While it does risk being repetitive, it is at least a realistic reaction for Kamala to have. When she started out, she barely knew how serious being a superhero would be. Yet one has to hope that her sabbatical from defending Jersey City will be a limited one. Red Dagger may be a load of fun, but the real story will be Ms. Marvel’s recovery.

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