There are sometimes shifts in a story’s sequence that change the universe of the story forever. G. Willow Wilson introduces such a schism in Last Days, the fourth volume of Ms. Marvel, and it resets the universe in a way that I’m not sure of yet. The story is dramatic, and it ends on an unsettled note, which makes me wonder where the direction of the series will go next.
Kamala and her loved ones are all threatened by a cataclysmic event that will end the world as they know it. In there, Kamala’s brother Aamir goes missing. In her quest to find him, Kamala wants to ensure her family’s safety, while trying to dodge her best friend Nakia’s questions and suspicion. It’s not easy being a superhero, so thankfully, Kamala gets a little help from her personal hero, Captain Marvel (aka, Carol Danvers). In there is a commentary on life and how we face our ends.
I’m not a huge fan of the “end of days” conceit, I admit. This volume therefore got a four star rating from me, because that’s just how my personal taste works. That said, the way Kamala’s family examines their relationship is truly tender in this volume. While Kamala expresses typical teenaged frustration at her parents, her love and care for them—as well as theirs for her—emerges best in this volume. Her conversation with her mother choked me right up, in fact, and showed a richness to the relationship I had not been expecting.
Cross-posted to my blog.
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