Writer: Saladin Ahmed
Artist: Minkyu Jung
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 21, 2019

I have been a Ms. Marvel fan for years now and any sort of worries I had about Saladin Ahmed taking over the character went right out the door in the first issue of this series. He said that the book would be a broader scope thing and it has been, but he hasn’t forgotten what makes it so good…Kamala’s family and friends. Even bare-chested teen alien ones! So, what is Kamala up to now that she’s saved an alien planet? Let’s find out…

The issue opens with a little Kamala recap that is also a reminder of what got her where she is and where she is isn’t so great at the moment. Sure, she just saved the world and her parent’s no longer remember she is a superhero, but her dad is sick. Sick in the incurable disease way and if you’ve been with Kamala since the beginning, this is just devastating.

We don’t have much time to react as Kamala goes off to study with Nakia and Bruno and she figures out the secret identity thing was from Cheb Hura and I loved seeing Bruno get jealous of an alien prince from a galaxy far, far away! Kamala does eventually tell them about her father and it’s a nice scene that again shows that Ahmed just gets these characters…all of them!

Of course, we need some action and that is provided by Deathbringer who calls Ms. Marvel and away she goes. We get to see her awesome new suit in full effect and a little of what it can do to boot. We also get a peek at what seems like Deathbringer 2.0 who raises the dead and if it wasn’t for her new dudes, Kamala might have been done for. Thank god that wasn’t the case!!!

The issue ends with Iron Man (promised on the cover!) hanging with Kamala and giving a sliver of hope for her father. Just a sliver, mind you. The scene has the feels and Ahmed writes a hell of a Tony Stark who seems so sad and vulnerable here. I would be more impressed if I wasn’t praying that this was the Tony who would swoop in and declare that Kamala and her father had nothing at all to worry about!

This was the type of Ms. Marvel issue that I love. A little action, but a heavy dose of family and friends and while I wish the circumstances were happier, it all felt right. Minkyu Jung’s art was great as usual and while I didn’t mention it in the review, I will now because it is half the star along with Ahmed’s story.

Final Thoughts:

Saladin Ahmed continues showing how well he knows Kamala, her family , and her friends. This isn’t the happiest of issues, but it is a must-read or Ms. Marvel fans and a good jumping-on point for new readers as well.

8.5/10