by Jade Ashley

I recently got my hands on a copy of Volume 1 of "Ms. Marvel: No Normal" written by G. Willow Wilson and drawn by Adrian Alphona. And I gotta say, it sure lives up to the hype. Ms. Marvel is the first Marvel comic to feature a Muslim super-heroine. Since her comic first debuted in 2014, she's easily become one of Marvel's most popular superheroes. Kamala Khan is just a regular 16-year-old Pakistani girl. She's a junior in high school and she's obsessed with the Avengers and writes fan fiction in her spare time. She lives with her strict but loving parents and her very religious brother in Jersey City. One night, after getting enveloped in a fog that blasts the whole city, she has a vision of her idol, Carol Danvers (the previous Ms. Marvel, now known as Captain Marvel). She wakes and discovers that she has the ability to shape-shift, shrink and enlarge her body. She takes up the mantle of Ms. Marvel and sets her sights on protecting Jersey City from a new villain called "The Inventor."

Right off the bat, the writing and her characterization reminds me of Peter Parker's. She's young, geeky, just finding out she has powers and is struggling to juggle them with all of her other responsibilities. She's also got that sarcastic and witty humor that we know and love Peter Parker for. So if you're a fan of Spidey, check this out! The book, all in all, was a joy to read. It's colorful, diverse, refreshing and new. It's awesome seeing a female fronted comic about a person of color being so popular in the Marvel universe. I absolutely love how Kamala's faith and culture are highlighted in the story. Her family and home life are a big part of who she is. She's balancing between her religious duties and struggling with disobeying her parents so she can be the hero she wants to be. The story itself is just so genuine. Between the gorgeous art and the hilarious and insightful writing, I gotta give this one five stars. Go ahead and pick this up, I guarantee you'll love it.