REVIEW: ‘The Magnificent Ms. Marvel,’ Issue #18

As we delve into The Magnificent Ms Marvel #18, Kamala has been dealing with the fallout of the OUTLAWED event and the draconian “Kamala’s Law.” She has recommitted herself more than ever to her heroism, but her personal relationships have been severely strained as a result. How does a teenage superhero resolve the pressures of such an extraordinary situation like this? We find out in the conclusion of Kamala’s Magnificent arc with The Magnificent Ms Marvel #18, written by Saladin Ahmed, with art by Minkyu Jung, colors by Ian Herring, and letters by VC’s Joe Caramanga.

For Kamala, this issue is all about resolutions. Resolving her relationships with her family, her friends, and most importantly, herself. The events of OUTLAWED have haunted her the most of all the Champions, especially as she’s been at the center of it from the beginning. While this issue doesn’t deal directly with the government organization C.R.A.D.L.E. or other factors of the cross-issue event, its ramifications certainly haunt Kamala and her friends’ family, and it is about them beginning to heal from it. One or two of the resolving conversations might be brief, but the emotion is felt, and there is the promise for the conversations to continue. Ahmed continues to do a great job of showing  Kamala’s pressure and all of her supporting characters.

And that works into Kamala facing Stormranger, made from her previous alien nano-suit in the Magnificent series when it became corrupted. Stormranger literally is a reflection of Ms. Marvel. As she deals with so much self-doubt, dealing with one of her failures acts as an extra kick in the gut for Kamala. With the arrival of the new hero Amulet, Marvel’s first Arab-American hero, The fight between these two is exemplary, both in its narrative and action scenes. Ahmed does a great job of relaying the anguish, frustrations, and resolutions Kamala must go through in this fight.

The art and colors are magnificent, as they have consistently been through this series. Herring’s colors pop and mesh with Jung’s art so well, and the various textures of the art continue to be fantastic. Again, the fight with Stormgranger is the standout, and the art for this is absolutely superb. The display of Kamala and Stormringer’s powers, the different viewpoints, and the emotions displayed all come together for a fight that is incredibly engrossing to read and watch play out on the page.

As always, the lettering by Caramanga is superb, placed in pitch-perfect spots and complementing the action on the page. Everything about this issue is dynamic, down to the very letters that tell the story.

The Magnificent Ms Marvel #18 is a great finish to Saladin Ahmed’s run on this iconic character. As Kamala must continue dealing with these outside forces and their effects on her, her friends, and her family, she goes through tremendous growth captured in these pages. With great emotional stakes and resolutions, superb art, and thrilling action, this is one issue of Ms. Marvel you won’t want to miss.

The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #18 is available now wherever comics are sold.