I love Kamala Khan. The Pakistani-American teen is joyful and anxious about life, and earnest about her new, Terrigen Mists revealed inhuman powers. She has so much with which to contend – new powers, secret identity, parents who want her to observe Pakistani customs, an inhuman family she’s just getting to know, and being a teenage girl.
In Crushed, Kamala faces off with a benevolent Loki, her first crush, her family’s expectations and traditions, and some sort of malevolent pizza dough. I enjoyed the volume, but it’s very much the middle of the story. We learn more about the fall out from events in volumes 1 and 2 and it seems that we are being set up for an inhumans vs inhumans conflict. (I see now that there is a larger Marvel-wide story about to be told).
The artist for the three issue arc of Kamala’s first crush is Takeshi Miyagawa, an artist who has previously worked in anime. You can see the anime influence in the eyes and the hair. Anime hair is a thing, right? However, Kamala remains drawn in ways that are age and culture appropriate. Mostly. Some people have complained that Kamala looks less Pakistani since Adrian Alphona moved on.
The three issue arc of Kamala’s first crush feels a little rushed. There are some beats that could have done with more exploration. I did enjoy her team up with Coulson and Simmons. It was no team-up with Wolverine, but she did get to fangirl all over them. The stand alone stories with Loki at the beginning and Coulson and Simmons at the end did a nice job of bookending Kamala’s life in highschool with a secret identity. The school and Jersey City are Kamala’s territory, but she hides so much from her family and friends that she remains separate.
I would love to see a Kamala Khan as a movie, or better yet, as a series. There’s a lot to explore. Lets start dream casting.
I love this comic and Kamala SO much! She is such an amazing character. Sadly, as I can’t rely on getting comics from my library (stupid Oslo public library, prioritizing mainly Norwegian books rather than American comics), but have to buy all of them, I can’t afford to get too many in one go. Hence, I suspect I shall have to wait a bit to actually read this trade and the ones to follow. I do have a birthday coming up, though. I know what’s going on my wish list.
I feel you. My growing love for graphic novels and my long standing dislike of returning library books is getting expensive. There’s a huge sale at my local comic book store this weekend, I’m hoping to stock up without breaking my bank account.