THOUGHTS: Ms. Marvel

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Ms. Marvel, Volume 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona 

Marvel Comics presents the new Ms. Marvel, the groundbreaking heroine that has become an international sensation! Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City — until she's suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! When Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them, as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to bear? Kamala has no idea, either. But she's comin' for you, New York! It's history in the making. 

Ms. Marvel was a fantastic comic!

I am somewhat of a pessimist in terms of superhero comics as I think the genre is kind of tired and the majority of superhero comics have really dry, repetitive story arches. However, stuff like Ms. Marvel comes around every so often to revitalize the genre. 

The premise is so refreshing! As the lady at the bookstore described, "basically just if Malala Yousiefi was a superhero." 

I loved the art just in terms of the way Alphona captured faces. He draws the exaggerated and derpy face so well. It's quirky and adds a nice touch to the comic. 

The storyline itself was, admittedly, fairly predictable and relatively dry. However, it was super relatable and the little bits of pop culture scattered throughout kept me entertained. This being said, it is just the first bind up, it's only the first 6 issues. Since it's just an origin story esstentially, it's not that fair to judge it soley on plot. I hope in future volumes the story becomes better! 

REVIEW: Saga, Volume 1

Saga, Volume 1 (Saga #1-6) by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Published: October 2012 by Image Comics
Genres: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Adult, Adventure, War, Romance, Graphic Novel, Comic Book
Pages: 160 pages
Format: Graphic Novel
Rating: 9/10
Description
When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe. 

I swear, everyone and their mother has read this series! I've heard almost non-stop ravings and hype about this series of comics/trade paperback graphic novels. I knew I had to pick it up, and I did!
It's good, it really is! I just expected a little more because of all the hype. Nonetheless, I am fresh off reading Volume 1 and I really enjoyed it!

Disclaimer: Mature. This is a graphic novel. And by mature, I mean like decapitation, gruesome deaths, guts and blood, sex scenes, child prostitution, crude language and more! All that fun stuff. I'm sure most people would be able to handle it, so I don't want to give an age limit type thing. But if this were a movie, it would like R-rated, and comparable to an animated, space version of Game of Thrones. You probably don't want to read it in front of your parents. But I digress.

The Characters? There were so many! And all of them were so colorful and cool! The character designs were absolutely beautiful. Since Saga is a sci-fi and is set in space, there are so many different races. The artist, Fiona Staples, was so creative with the designs of the various aliens and she executed it wonderfully.
Here's some examples of the wonderfully whimsical, awesome, and fairly messed-up characters we are dealing with: A ghost of a sassy teenage girl who is just floating intestines from her waist down, robots with television-screen for heads, a half woman/half arachnid assassin, a bounty hunter with a lying cat, AND MORE!
It was wonderful to feel culture while reading. From the separate and suspiciously familiar language of Wreath to the varying ethnicity's. It was beautiful.
There was no real black and white characters. Most of the characters are in the gray. No one is fully good nor fully bad. Everyone is more complicated, with several factors and circumstance shaping their goals and nature. Just like real life! It was wonderful to have these realistic, relateable characters.

The Setting? Vast, beautiful, interesting. The sheer world-building is so great. Obviously, because this story is set in war-torn space, the planets we get to visit are absolutely breathtaking. The art is so vivid and saturated. It was a treat to turn each page, and to get more and more lovely artwork. The technology too is quite intricate and interesting. From curious travel pods, to planets that grows wooden rocket ships, it is awesome.

The Plot? Saga is a story of star-crossed lovers. They’re on the opposite sides of a waging galactic war between the planet Landfall and the moon of Wreath. There is a lot of drama, espically with soldiers from both sides of the war trying to eliminate these two lovers and keep the baby alive. 
There's a lot of action, humor, and tension, all bundled into one nice, crazy package. I did wish Vaughan expanded the dialogue a bit. There was a lot of the same type of narrative.

Overall? Just get it. It's crazy, beautiful, shocking, and just weird, man. 

 

It's been compared to Star Wars meets Game of Thrones, and I quite agree. It has the galactic war of politics, money, power ect. of Star Wars with the giant world, and elements of Game of Thrones.