University of Panels: October 2018

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Comic Review: Iceman (Vol. 1-2)

Writer: Sina Grace

Artists: Alessandro Vitti, Edgar Salazar, Ibraim Roberson, Robert Gill & Sina Grace

Sina Grace’s Iceman series excels in its portrayal of the issues the LGBTQ community struggles with!

Ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In one of his famous soapboxes, Stan Lee wrote in the letter’s column of AVENGERS #74, “None of us lives in a vacuum — none of us is untouched by the everyday events about us — events which shape our stories just as they shape our lives. Sure, our stories can be called escapist — but just because something’s for fun, doesn’t mean we have to blanket our brains while we read it!”

What he meant was that although comic books are fictional fantasy at their core, they should still try to be reflective of the societal trends of the time they’re published in. The soapbox was published in response to fans who complained about the inclusion of political messages in comics. However, Stan believed that escapist literature should serve as a vehicle for moral and philosophical discussions. This is evidenced by him alluding to the Civil Rights movement along with Cold and Vietnam Wars, which were subjects that he frequently referenced in the comics he wrote during the 1960s. I find Stan’s words to be fittingly appropriate in regards to subject of today’s review, the 11-issue ICEMAN series by Sina Grace. History seems to have repeated itself. Although ICEMAN is a well-written and brilliant series about a young man’s struggles to come to terms with being gay and further demonstrates Marvel’s efforts to become more inclusive with readers, the book has drawn significant backlash from right-leaning members of the comics' community.

But before I provide my analysis of the book itself, I need to give some lengthy background on both the character Iceman and the controversy surrounding his solo-series. For those unaware, Iceman, a.k.a. Robert “Bobby” Drake, was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963. As his name suggests, Bobby is a mutant with the ability to create and to manipulate constructs of ice, and he was one of the original five founding members of the X-Men. For almost fifty years the character was portrayed as a thrill-seeking jokester and ladies’ man, but, in 2015, writer Brian Michael Bendis decided to reveal that the character was secretly gay. Back in 2012, Bendis launched the series ALL-NEW X-MEN, which focused on the original five teenage X-Men being brought from the past to the present-day. In issue forty of the series, the time-displaced Jean Grey questions the younger Bobby’s flirtatious attitude after hitting on Magik, stating that she knew he was gay due to her telepathic powers, and later in UNCANNY X-MEN #600, the older Bobby reveals that he has always been gay as well when questioned by his younger self.

While the method in which Bobby was outed was indeed problematic in its execution (although I interpret Jean’s attitude as that of a concerned friend), I personally really loved the idea of Iceman being gay and felt it made perfect sense from a character perspective. Although Bobby has been shown to be an incessant womanizer, he was always really bad at being a womanizer, which is reflective of behavior demonstrated by some closeted gay individuals according to real-world studies. Furthermore, in stark contrast to the character’s cool and confident exterior, Bobby is shown internally to be insecure and self-doubting because he was raised by ultra-conservative parents who were unaccepting of their son’s mutant status. This, combined with the racism and bigotry the X-Men fight on a regular basis, forces Bobby to rely on humor as a shield to hide his true feelings. And seeing as how Bobby constantly tries to act hip and cool around attractive women, an individual could interpret his flirtatious behavior as the character overcompensating in order to try burying his inherent sexuality.

Additionally, the decision to have Iceman come out of the closet felt like a progressive effort by Marvel to be more reflective of our diverse and multicultural society. While Marvel has always promoted messages of tolerance and inclusion in books like X-MEN, it wasn’t until Bendis' creation of Miles Morales, an African American-Hispanic version of Spider-Man in 2011, that the company as a whole began to take shape in this direction. Marvel began creating new diverse characters like Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), who is a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager, and America Chavez (Miss America), America Chavez (Miss America), who is a Lesbian Latina woman from a parallel dimension, and Riri Williams (Ironheart), an African American engineering student from Chicago. Additionally, we began seeing new versions of old favorites such as a female Thor (Jane Foster) an African American Captain America (Sam Wilson; formerly the Falcon), a Hispanic Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes), and a Korean-American Hulk (Amadeus Cho).

All-New, All-Different Marvel! From https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/4/4/15169572/marvel-diversity-outrage-gabriel.

Furthermore, Marvel also began hiring more diverse writers such Muslim-convert G. Willow Wilson for the aforementioned MS. MARVEL series, and African American journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates for the BLACK PANTHER books. Making Iceman gay felt like a natural extension of this progressive trend, so when I learned that Iceman received his own solo-series written by Middle Eastern gay author and former editor of THE WALKING DEAD comic, Sina Grace, I was naturally excited!

Unfortunately, however, while I and several others were on board with the series, it has simultaneously been subject to massive criticisms from far-right comic book fans, in particular by Richard C. Meyer and the members of Comicsgate. I already briefly discussed the controversy surrounding Comicsgate in my review of MS. MARVEL (VOL. 8): MECCA since the movement has been centered around making racist attacks against diverse characters and creators in comics, particularly those at Marvel. In regard to Sina Grace’s ICEMAN book, this comic has been one of the most viscerally attacked books by Meyer and his followers (second only to Gabby Rivera's AMERICA, another LGBTQ-lead comic). Not only have they made videos with clickbait titles like “I rip SJW Marvel’s ICEMAN In Half Figuratively and Literally,” but Meyer has also inaccurately labeled ICEMAN as "stereotypical" and “anti-gay propaganda.” This is in spite of the fact that ICEMAN is written by a gay author, while Meyer himself reads all of the character’s dialogue in a stereotypical “gay-lisp” voice, openly describes Bobby's bigoted parents as "nice people," and regularly makes homophobic and transphobic jokes in his videos. Meyer even went as far as to state that people like Sina Grace should be “waned from society" by being killed in a hypothetical third world war, which is hands down the absolute worst thing Meyer has ever said.

Meyer's rhetoric at its absolute worst!

You Know… for as much as I've complained SPIDER-MAN: ONE MORE DAY in the past, I honestly feel obliged to apologize for my past insults towards Joe Quesada for spearheading that book. While ONE MORE DAY is still my most personally despised comic of all-time since it moronically had Spidey and Mary Jane sell their marriage the devil (which was a complete middle finger to me as a Spider-Man fan), at least that book never advocated for the death of a gay man like Meyer did. I never thought I'd be saying this, but I've finally found a subject more deserving of my ire than ONE MORE DAY in the form of Richard C. Meyer and Comicsgate. They're right up there with Frank Miller's HOLY TERROR as being some of the most racist and hateful blights upon the medium of comics. And seeing as how ICEMAN has been one of the biggest targets of Comicsgate, I feel that it's my duty as a critic to provide a professional and unbiased analysis of the comic. Although the series was canceled after only 11-issues (reportedly due to low sales), it’s one that I personally really enjoyed and felt succeeds in its portrayal of the issues and struggles faced by the LGBTQ community and provides an authentic voice for gay representation in comics despite the homophobic backlash its recieved.

Set directly after the events of INHUMANS VS. X-MEN as part of the RESURRXION relaunch of the X-Men books, ICEMAN opens with the framing device of Bobby Drake struggling to describe himself on a men’s dating website juxtaposed to his sparing with the time-displaced version of himself in the Danger Room. After finishing their training exercise, the younger Iceman leaves to go on a date with his boyfriend Romeo, causing Bobby to momentarily reflect on the current state of his life. While Bobby has yet fully to come to terms with his recently discovered sexuality, his younger doppelgänger is not only fully comfortable with who he is, but he’s currently in a happy and prosperous relationship with a handsome young Inhuman. But before he can dwell on his thoughts any further, Bobby suddenly gets a call that his father is recovering in the New York Presbyterian Hospital from a heart infection. The meeting is awkward and uncomfortable for Bobby because not only are his parents already biased towards him being a mutant due to their conservative beliefs, but they’re also unaware of their son being gay: Mrs. Drake asks Bobby if he has any new girlfriends. As Bobby struggles to answer his mother, the three are interrupted when a teenage girl suddenly runs into the hospital and is shot at by a member of the Purifiers, a group of Christian zealots who believe that being a mutant is a sin against God. After subduing the purifier, Iceman learns that the young girl Michaela Ladak is a mutant as well, possessing the ability to solidify her saliva. Although Michaela laments about her powers being useless, Bobby confesses to her that in his earlier days he was solely restricted to throwing snowballs at his enemies, but that “you never know how far your powers can take you if you believe in yourself.”

Understanding that he’s an omega-level mutant who’s failed to tap into the full potential of his powers and is currently leaving behind a legacy of nothing but bad jokes and failed romances, Bobby leaves the hospital determined to try to establish a better life and legacy for himself. In doing so, Bobby will be forced to contend with challenges far more taxing than the likes of Wolverine’s deranged son Daken or the Juggernaut: namely confiding with his friends and teammates, struggling to find dates, and most draining of all… coming out to his bigoted mutantphobic parents! The road to becoming the best version of Iceman will not be easy, but it’s one that Bobby Drake intends to traverse all the way through!

Similar to the realistic and positive portrayal of Muslim Americans in MS. MARVEL, ICEMAN is a comic that I feel succeeds in conveying the various struggles faced by members of the LGBTQ community. What truly struck a cord with me about this series is how Bobby’s struggles to come to terms with his previously repressed sexuality come across to me as very genuine and earnest in their depiction. I believe that this can be attributed not only to the fact that the Sina Grace is not only a gay man himself, but also more especially that Iceman’s experiences are off those of Sina Grace and his friends. In an interview with IGN Grace states, “My rule with writing all of the personal stuff in Iceman is that it has to come from somewhere real. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to stand up against any criticism.” And in a sense, that mindset echoes all throughout the comic as Iceman’s efforts to come out to those closest to him feel reflective of those of LGBTQ individuals in the real world. For instance, Grace demonstrates how coming out can be beneficial for one’s relationships in the scene where Iceman confides with his ex-girlfriend Kitty Pryde, the current leader of the X-Men. During one mission where Kitty and Bobby struggle to calm down an anti-mutant mob pestering a new mutant named Zach, Iceman inadvertently makes the situation worse by forming a gigantic wall of ice, thereby making the mob angrier. Although Bobby tries to excuse the situation by stating he didn’t know that Zach possessed the uncontrolled ability to decrease or amplify power levels (including electronics and mutant powers) around him, Kitty reprimands Bobby with “Is that your excuse for everything? ‘I didn’t know?!’” Bobby quickly realizes that she’s referring to not just the situation at hand, but also that he didn’t discuss with her that he was gay, and Kitty tells Bobby, "I could have been there for you. When we broke up I couldn’t help but blame myself. ‘What did I do wrong?’ [But] the minute Goldballs told me, I went: ‘Oh! He’s gay. Okay.’ That’s all it took to go from being an angry ex to a concerned friend…” before embracing him in a hug.

Kitty Pryde comforts her ex-boyfriend. From Iceman #2 (Jun 2017).
Art by Edgar Salazar and Ibraim Roberson. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

These words give Bobby confidence and allow him to think strategically by not only knocking Zach unconscious, thus allowing them to use their powers efficiently, but also by forming a legion of ice-clones to fend off the mob while Kitty helped them escape. Grace effectively uses the scene to convey how in some cases coming out to your friends can have a positive effect on LGBTQ both personally and socially. And the scene resonates even further when Grace later states in the letter’s column of issue 4 that Kitty and Bobby’s conversation is based on “a real talk [he] had in college,” thus making it feel even more genuine.

Conversely, Grace portrays how coming out can also potentially negatively affect a gay individual’s relationships and is one of the most emotionally draining and terrifying issues the LGBTQ community still struggles with. This is nowhere more apparent than with Iceman’s parents, William and Madeline Drake. In addition to their already struggling to accept their son’s status as a mutant due to their conservative religious backgrounds, their narrow-minded world views caused problems for Bobby even as far back as a child since his father continuously pushed him to pursue a career in accounting despite it not fitting in with Bobby’s own dreams, and was even downright racist when Bobby dated women who were Italian or Japanese during the 90s. These attitudes made it difficult for Bobby to function as a child and caused him to begin using humor as a shield to hide the insecurities and feelings of self-doubt that he would carry on into his adult years. And while Bobby’s parents do express love for their son, such as when William speaks out against anti-mutant bigot Graydon Creed back in UNCANNY X-MEN #340, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to interpret their relationship with their son to be borderline abusive in nature.

Grace perfectly understood this. The entire first half of the series is dedicated to building up Iceman’s fear and anxiety about coming out to his already mutantphobic parents. And when Bobby finally does come out to them in issue 5, it should come as no surprise that their reaction is negative and rejecting. Grace expertly demonstrates how parents with conservative backgrounds can say especially cruel and harsh things when their children come out. For example, Bobby’s father states “So where’s the Bobby Drake we raised? Our son’s dead. The Iceman wins.”

And similar to the conversation between Kitty and Bobby, Grace bases the one between Bobby and his parents off both his own coming out experience to his Muslim mother as well as those of an ex-boyfriend and lesbian friend of his. So, when Bobby’s mother questions why he doesn’t continue dating tons of women and Bobby states, “Haven’t you ever been with someone and known deep down that it’s not right. That’s how it's felt with every girl — every time. I don’t think that’s how you’re supposed to feel when you love someone,” his words resonate on a very genuine and authentic level. In large measure, Sina Grace greatly excels in his portrayal of LGBTQ struggles in ICEMAN by drawing upon his own personal experiences and those close to him, thus making them feel genuine to those unfamiliar with such situations.

Another element of ICEMAN that I particularly enjoyed is its depiction of Bobby’s powers and how they operate as metaphors for coming out and self-confidence. While mutants in the X-MEN books have always served as metaphors for oppressed minorities and the dangers of racism, in recent years many scholars and fans have interpreted being a mutant as analogous to being gay and struggling with issues like homophobia. This idea was undoubtedly portrayed by Bryan Singer in the movie X2: X-MEN UNITED, in the scene where Iceman first shows his powers to his parents and they infamously ask, “Have you ever tried… not being a mutant,” which is eerily familiar to real questions parents have asked their children when they come out. Grace provides an interesting take on the analogy between mutants and LGBTQ people with the idea that the level of Bobby’s ice powers is dependent on his self-confidence and state of mind. This idea is not entirely new. It has been implied since the 1990s that Bobby is significantly holding back with his powers and isn’t using them to their full potential. In UNCANNY X-MEN #314 from the 1990s Emma Frost telepathically takes control of Iceman’s body and uses his powers in ways that he himself had never imagined. This causes Bobby to feel ineffectual and worthless, as is later demonstrated in UNCANNY X-MEN #319 when he forms a gigantic castle made of ice on the Long Island beach but laments to Rogue that he’s “been kind of a slacker over the years,” and “had [his] face rubbed in the fact that he [hasn’t] been living up to the full potential of [his] mutant powers” for reasons he cannot explain.

While it was heavily implied back then that the sole reason Iceman relegated himself to be the class clown was because of conservative and borderline abusive parents, Sina Grace further builds on the idea through suggesting that it was also due to his repressing his sexuality. In recent years, psychological studies have shown that gay people who come out and accept their sexuality are more likely to live happy and prosperous lives than those who try to hide and suppress it. While this certainly won’t be the case for everyone, as homophobia is unfortunately still a real problem (even with the nationwide legalization of gay marriage back in 2015), it does seem to be the case for Bobby and his respective author.

This is most effectively demonstrated in issue 4, where a doubtful Iceman fails to stop his student Zach from being recruited by Daken, Wolverine’s evil son, who tells Bobby “I can smell the insecurity on you… the nervous energy. Good luck getting any of those X-Teens to fall in line with a leader who reeks of fear.”

Grace draws effective parallels between the two characters as Bobby becomes envious of Daken, as the latter is not only bi-sexual but is also fully content with who he is and embracing the full potential of his mutant powers. This leads to Bobby deciding to confront his worst fears by coming directly to his parents the next morning instead of in a letter like he had previously intended. By overcoming the most egregious and emotionally draining hurdle in his life, Bobby is able to express his mutant powers to their fullest potential, which Grace effectively demonstrates by having him fight the Juggernaut alone.

While the Juggernaut is one of the X-Men’s most powerful and dangerous enemies (he is often described as “unstoppable”) Iceman manages to defeat him singlehandedly with minimal effort because in a sense Bobby already has faced an even more unstoppable force in the form of his bigoted parents. Oftentimes in the real world an individual can only appreciate themselves after they've confronted their worst fears. And once they do so they are more likely to accept who themselves for who are internally, and only then will they have a chance of gaining the acceptance of others, as well as enduring and triumphing over hardships. Iceman's victory against the unstoppable Juggernaut after confronting his parents effectively symbolizes this idea. And even though Bobby does somewhat reconcile with his parents when his father states, “Bobby… I Love you. Nothing changes that,” the series still portrays them as struggling to accept Bobby’s sexuality as is demonstrated when they discover the existence of the younger time-displaced version of their son and say that he’s “a second chance,” that “[they] can raise this boy right,” to which the older Bobby describes their attitude as “a smack in the face to me.”

Bobby's parents continue to be verbally abusive. From Iceman #8 (Dec 2017).
Art by Robert Gill. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

This is reflective of how in the real world even families who do still love their children after coming out may not fully accept their sexuality and even continue to say offensive things in front of them. But even after all of the negative experiences with his parents, Bobby still pushes forth to try and maintain a working and healthier relationship with them, as Grace stated in an interview, "that's what makes us really mazing heroes, and that's what makes us really strong as a community, because we have to just absorb so much pain from our loved ones, and still love them back." In essence, Bobby is trying to be the best version of himself both by loving his parents even if they don't fully accept him being gay, which in turn allows him to perform better as a superhero and as a mentor to his student. Grace also simultaneously acknowledges in the letters column of issue 5 that “there are reactions that are several times worse than what Frosty had to deal with,” which is again reflective of real-life LGBTQ people enduring homophobia but still thriving as individuals and a community by gaining the acceptance from themselves and others. Overall, Grace’s handling of Bobby’s evolution from a joking underachiever to an omega-level mutant further develops him into a three-dimensional character, while being further symbolic of the real-world struggles of coming out, self-confidence and acceptance, and dealing with issues like homophobia.

While I did enjoy Sina Grace's work on the series, there were a few flaws that prevented me from elevating it to 5-stars. For instance, I feel that the second half of the series which focuses on Iceman beginning his first gay relationship doesn’t resonate with me as strongly as Iceman’s conflict with his parents did in the first half. Another nitpick that a friend pointed out to me is the how sometimes otherwise serious scenes would be interrupted briefly for a quick joke. While I could definitely see this annoying others, it isn’t too egregious of a flaw for me since the conversations themselves are so expertly handled. Speaking of humor, while some of Bobby’s one-liners and “dad jokes” fell flat for me personally, I can easily let them slide since Bobby’s jokes are intentionally supposed to be awkward, a fact that he himself acknowledges in the book. But the biggest flaw I find in ICEMAN is the villain from issues 6 and 7, Leti. In contrast to Bobby’s parents, Daken, or the Juggernaut, who all serve as effective antagonists for Iceman in my opinion, Leti is easily one of the most stupid comic book villains I’ve recently encountered. Her plan is to build an army of Sentinels (i.e. giant mutant killing robots) that will purposefully rampage across the streets of Los Angeles and fight Iceman and then sell footage of the fight to a special-effects company in Hollywood that will hopefully recruit her for a job.

Just wow… this plan makes absolutely zero sense. Not only will having giant robots tearing up the streets undoubtedly get her thrown in prison, but what studio would want to associate itself with a person who willingly destroys public property for the sake of a publicity stunt. And to make it even worse, after stopping her Iceman takes pity on Leti and gives her contact information for a job in mechanical engineering instead of tossing her in jail like he should have. This isn’t quite as dumb as the Jackal’s idiotic plan to kill the entire human population and replace them with clones from SPIDER-MAN: MAXIMUM CLONAGE, but it sure does rank high among insanely stupid villain plans. While I can easily ignore the other flaws I mentioned, it’s stuff like Leti and her stupid evil plan that demotes a star from this otherwise fantastic series.

But aside from that, Sina Grace’s ICEMAN series excels as a character-driven narrative about an individual’s struggles to find acceptance both within himself and from others while simultaneously providing an excellent perspective of LGBTQ issues drawn from the author’s own personal experiences. While the bigoted fans who make up the Comicsgate crowd were celebrating when both ICEMAN and Marvel’s only other LGBTQ-lead book AMERICA were cancelled back in March 2018, I was heartbroken as I personally loved this series. It presented a respectful and passionate portrayal of an otherwise marginalized community. Thankfully, the series was granted a second lease on life in September with Sina Grace back at the helm, proving that bigotry and intolerance has not won yet. And like how Bobby Drake pushes forward to become the best version of Iceman that he can be, I wish the same for Marvel!

“With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.”

-Dalai Lama

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Comic Review: Ms. Marvel (Vol. 8): Mecca

Writer: G. Willow Wilson

Artists: Marco Failla & Diego Olortegui

Arguably Ms. Marvel’s best story thus far! MECCA is reflective of the current issues we face today!

Ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The concept of an “allegory,” or a story that can be read from both literal and figurative perspectives is one that has existed all throughout human history. From classical fables of the ancient Greek philosopher Aesop to the modern political satire of George Orwell, allegories are often employed by writers as a method of commentating on individual, societal, and political issues through the usage of symbolism and metaphor rather than direct reference. George Orwell’s novel ANIMAL FARM, on the surface, appears to be a simple story about a group of farm animals that rebel against their corrupt owners but end up creating a society that’s just as bad, if not worse. In actuality however, the novel is designed to serve as a critique on Russian Communism and the totalitarian regime of Joseph Stalin. Comic books also are no strangers to the usage of allegories, with the most famous example being the X-Men. X-MEN is unique in how it handles allegory. While its mutants are metaphorical representatives for oppressed minorities, it is more overt in its discussions about racism and homophobia, with the fictional island nation of Genosha’s treatment of mutants symbolizing South African Apartheid, or the Legacy Virus serving as a metaphor for the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s.

These examples serve as a nice transition into discussing the form of allegory known as satire, in which an author targets a specific subject or issue in his work, usually one that’s political in nature. While the aforementioned ANIMAL FARM is perhaps the most famous example of political satire, two important instances of this in the realm of comics are Frank Miller’s BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and Alan Moore’s WATCHMEN, two of the most critically acclaimed graphic novels of all-time. Although both books are primarily about superheroes and themes of vigilantism, both Miller and Moore decided to have their stories take place in semi-realistic settings that reflected American society in the 1980s. Miller, for instance, uses this type of setting in TDKR to satirize the mass media and the Cold War politics of the Reagan administration (primarily through the usage of talking news heads), while Moore’s WATCHMEN portrays an alternate America in which the existence of superheroes would have changed key historical events such as U.S. obtaining victory in the Vietnam War or Nixon passing an amendment that allowed him to serve for three terms. Regardless of its form, allegory continues to remain an important literary device. It allows authors to create stories that reflect and comment on the issues of their respective societies at the time.

Such is the case with the eighth volume of the hit-series MS. MARVEL, “Mecca,” which serves as an allegorical satire discussing the political and cultural issues that currently predominate American society. As I mentioned way back in my review of MS. MARVEL (VOL. 1): NO NORMAL, the new Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, is quite easily one of the most important comic book characters created in the past decade.

Ms. Marvel, a.k.a. Kamala Khan, punching a bank robber. From Ms. Marvel Vol. 3 #6 (Jul 2017).
Art by Jamie McKelvie and Matt Wilson. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

Conceived by both writer G. Willow Wilson and editor/Vice-President of Content and the character development at Marvel, Sana Amanat, Kamala Khan is a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager who gains polymorph powers after being exposed to the mysterious Terrigen Mist. I personally loved MS. MARVEL (VOL. 1): NO NORMAL, and praised Wilson’s writing for her nuanced portrayal of Muslim American characters, fleshing them out to where they felt like genuine human beings and that their religion was not their only defining character trait. And I’m not alone in that opinion as MS. MARVEL has proven to be critically and financially successful. The first issue was listed as Marvel’s top-selling digital comic and was one of the company’s few books to receive a seventh printing. The series also won the Hugo Award in 2015, the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics in 2016, and has been nominated for six Eisner Awards (essentially the Oscar-equivalent for comics). Furthermore, Kamala’s success has contributed to Marvel’s increasing attempts to appeal to wider demographics, which has been evident through the diversification of older characters such as making Thor a woman and having Iceman come out as gay, as well as the creation of new diverse characters such Riri Williams (Ironheart), an African American girl from Chicago who built her own version of the Iron Man armor. I have personally followed every single one of Kamala’s adventures since her first issue and have loved each volume for its stellar writing, complex characters, near-perfect balancing of humor and drama, and its exploration of adolescence, heroism, and even issues that affect minority groups in America ranging from gentrification to racial profiling. In fact, Kamala Khan may very well be my second favorite superhero of all-time (right behind Spider-Man), as although she adheres to a different faith, she's incredibly relatable due to her nerdy personality and struggles to find her place in life. But most especially, Kamala's fierce determination to help others simply out of the kindness and decency in her heart makes her an inspirational figure for others to follow. While Linkara once described Superman as "the most human superhero of them all" in his review of KAMANDI AT EARTH'S END #1, I personally think that Kamala fits that bill even better than Clark Kent!

Despite the success and popularity of MS. MARVEL, however, it, along with all of Marvel’s other books starring new diverse characters, has recently become subject to massive criticism from far right-wing fans. Their criticism led to the formation of an online movement called Comicsgate sometime between October 2016 to July 2017. According to an article by Buzzfeed, the proponents of Comicsgate “[use] racist, sexist, and sometimes threatening language to intimidate [’SJWs’ or ‘social justice warriors,’ which refers to] people [who advocate] for diversity in the [comics] industry.” Prominent Comicsgate members like Richard C. Meyer, creator of the ironically named YouTube channel “Diversity and Comics,” have made repeated attacks against diverse characters like Ms. Marvel in the form of unscripted videos with clickbait titles like “MS. MARVEL Is SJW Propaganda On Almost Every Page” and “MS. MARVEL Is Another SJW ‘Hero’ Who Is Obsessed With Being Oppressed.”

Richard C. Meyer's "Reviews..."

Meyer has frequently made inaccurate and offensive statements about the content and creators of MS. MARVEL, like saying that the book is racist towards white people, that it promotes left-wing propaganda, and he has repeatedly called Wilson a “self-hating white woman” and a “fake cosplay-Muslim who converted to Islam solely for the oppression.” The reason I bring all of this up is that Meyer's racist rhetoric, the growth of Comicsgate, and the derision of diverse characters and creators is eerily reflective of the current state of American politics. Alt-right hate speech has unfortunately become more mainstream in recent years, and US government policies have been increasingly hostile towards immigrants and minority groups during the current presidential administration. And since both G. Willow Wilson and Sana Amanat are Muslim and are therefore especially affected by these rising negative trends, it makes sense that one of latest volumes of their MS. MARVEL series would be utilized to critique these issues. And thus, MS. MARVEL (VOL. 8): MECCA serves as an effective story with multiple layers of allegory and symbolism, while also being a well-written and character driven narrative in its own right that ties up loose plot threads from the previous volumes, making it arguably the best story arc of the series to date!

(As a brief aside, while the MS. MARVEL (VOL. 8): MECCA TPB contains both the “Mecca” and “Northeast Corridor” arcs of the series, I’ll only be focusing on the “Mecca" arc for this review. While the NORTHEAST CORRIDOR arc was a fairly enjoyable storyline in its own right, it’s MECCA that steals the spotlight here!).

The MECCA arc opens on the outskirts of Jersey City where Kamala and her family are preparing to celebrate the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha. After a humorous sequence in which Kamala fails to convince her father not to sacrifice a goat for the holiday feast and her sister-in-law Tyesha is revealed to be eight-months pregnant, the Khan family returns home only to discover that their neighborhood has been blocked-off with series of signs stating “Bring Back the Real Jersey City!”

While the rest of her family and neighbors celebrate their feast for Eid, Kamala decides to investigate the situation when she is randomly stumbled upon by agents of the newly formed organization K.I.N.D. (the Keepers of Integration, Normalization, and Deference), an agency conceived by the newly and illegally empowered mayor of Jersey City Chuck Worthy. In actuality however, Kamala knows that Worthy is secretly a member of the Neo-Nazi terrorist organization HYDRA, who had attempted in the previous volumes of the series to seize control of the city through neighborhood gentrification and gerrymandering the mayoral elections. Despite having been defeated by Ms. Marvel on both occasions, Worthy and K.I.N.D. managed to usurp Jersey City’s rightful Mayor, Stella Marchesi, and have now issued an executive order forcing all residents with superpowers to register their status or be forcibly deported from the city limits. Recognizing these policies as familiar, Ms. Marvel soon discovers that Mayor Worthy is in league with the main antagonist from the CIVIL WAR II tie-in arc, “Basic” Becky St. Jude (a.k.a Lockdown), alongside a mysterious new villain named Discord.

Although Discord’s face is hidden by a mask, Ms. Marvel believes that he is someone she has previously met, as he knows all her weaknesses and seems to hold a personal grudge against her. As Ms. Marvel struggles to fight against Lockdown and Discord, the agents of K.I.N.D. suddenly arrest Kamala’s older brother Aamir, as he was accidentally granted temporary superpowers during the LAST DAYS arc of the series. With her brother in danger and Discord relentlessly pursuing her, will Kamala manage to defeat K.I.N.D. and bring down the fascist regime that has seized control of her city? And even if she does succeed, will she be able to come to terms with the fact that there are some evils dwelling within the hearts of people which cannot be fought?

Out of all the volumes that I have read of MS. MARVEL, the MECCA arc easily stands as my personal favorite storyline from the series thus far! Not only is it very well-written with solid character development and resolutions for previous story arcs, but it’s also highly topical and relevant, providing complex allegories and metaphors for various issues that we as a society are currently dealing with today. In my opinion, the best type of symbolism is that which can be interpreted on multiple levels in various ways rather than just one. MS. MARVEL (VOL. 8): MECCA excels in this regard, as the HYDRA takeover plotline can be interpreted as either an allegory for the controversial policies of the current presidential administration, or for the backlash against Marvel’s lineup of new diverse characters from Comicsgate supporters. For instance, Mayor Worthy’s executive order requiring mutants, inhumans, or any person with superpowers to disclose their status or face deportation is primarily reflective of Donald Trump’s immigration reforms and travel bans. These parallels are clearly made evident with Discord’s statements of “Jersey City is done with super heroes… we are getting back to normal,” and “[we’re] making life in New Jersey so inconvenient for super-powered folks that they’ll self-deport back to New York.”

Discord threatens to deport Jersey City's superhuman population. From Ms. Marvel Vol. 4 #20 (Jul 2017).
Art by Marco Failla. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

But while Wilson’s primary intention was likely to draw parallels to the Trump administration, an individual could simultaneously interpret the HYDRA takeover as metaphors for Comicsgate and the rise of alt-right hate speech. The scene in which this is most clearly evident is where Ms. Marvel asks the former mayor Marchesi for advice on how to stop Mayor Worthy and K.I.N.D., Marchesi states that “Chuck Worthy has tapped into the fear that lies at the heart of all other fears… greed. The desire for more fueled by the fear of losing what you already have.”

Stella Marchesi discusses "the fear that lies at the heart of all other fears." From Ms. Marvel Vol. 4 #20 (Jul 2017).
Art by Marco Failla. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

While Marchesi’s dialogue is highly reminiscent of the tactics that Trump uses to appeal to the far-right, it can also be used to refer to the dissatisfaction and anger demonstrated by Comicsgate. Although Marvel in recent years has sought to appeal to a greater audience than just adolescent white males, there was a small vocal minority of that original audience who were not in favor of making superheroes more multicultural and ethnically diverse. Consequently, when Marvel began introducing new characters like the African American-Latino Miles Morales and the Muslim American Kamala Khan, or replaced older white heroes with new characters like a female Thor or a Korean American Hulk, this vocal minority feared that they were being robbed of the voice they once possessed. And just like the Mayor Worthy convinced a minority of Jersey City residents in MS. MARVEL that Kamala was “trying to force super hero garbage” on them, prominent Comicsgate members like Meyer have managed to convince this vocal minority of fans that Marvel is trying to push an “SJW agenda” onto the readers, tapping into the fan’s greed just like Marchesi describes to Kamala. Wilson is to be complimented for her ability to weave together an allegorical narrative that is topical and relevant on so many levels.

While the metaphors and parallels Wilson provides are highly informative, they never become overly preachy or distracting from the overall narrative of the MECCA arc as she utilizes them to fuel a character-driven narrative centered primarily around Kamala, Aamir, and Discord. Kamala’s arc is given the most attention, as MECCA serves as a major turning point for Kamala's character development throughout the series. She comes to the important realization that despite all of her efforts and good intentions, there are some evils that are impossible to fight, evils that dwell deep within the hearts of average people. This revelation is made light to Kamala during her first encounter with Discord, as the masked man quickly subdues her and forces her to remember what she witnessed when she thwarted Chuck Worthy’s previous HYDRA real-estate plot and rigged mayoral campaign. While in the moment she was solely focused on stopping the bad guy, it is only in hindsight that she realizes each time there were crowds of people supporting Worthy, failing to consider that there were people who openly supported Worthy's toxic ideas and rhetoric and that not “everybody agrees with [Ms. Marvel’s] agenda” as Lockdown earlier described.

Wilson further fleshes out Kamala's development in this volume by tying it into events from previous books of the series. During the ARMY OF ONE arc Kamala created clones of herself in an effort to balance her overwhelmingly busy schedule, which ended up rapidly multiplying into an army that ran amok in Jersey City and caused a lot of property damage (which was made no better by the inclusion of a cloned t-rex designed specifically to eat the clones). Additionally, during the CIVIL WAR II arc Ms. Marvel briefly supported Captain Marvel's predictive justice program, which relied on an Inhuman psychic to detect future crimes and prevent them before they occurred. However, Ms. Marvel soon turned against Captain Marvel when she learned that the program basically amounted to violation of due process, kidnapping, and profiling, as not only was her classmate Josh Richardson illegally arrested, but her childhood best friend Bruno nearly got himself killed and crippled for life while trying to break him out.

These past mistakes come back to haunt Ms. Marvel during the MECCA arc despite her previous attempts to rectify them. Not only are the clone army and dinosaurs are used by Discord and Mayor Worthy as political propaganda against Ms. Marvel and Jersey City's superhuman population, but Discord holds a personal grudge against Ms. Marvel because of her involvement in the predictive justice system. This, combined with Ms. Marvel's aforementioned efforts to stop Worthy's real-estate and election schemes, results in her being scapegoated as a public menace and the silent majority being unwilling to acknowledge her previous heroic deeds or the Mayor's obvious associations with HYDRA. Consequently, Kamala begins questioning herself and her superhero activities just like the public. The major turning point, however, is the discovery of Discord's true identity. Without going into spoilers, when his mask is finally removed it's revealed that Discord is indeed someone that Kamala is familiar with despite never having witnessed him supporting fascist ideologies beforehand. This revelation heavily affects Kamala on an emotional level as it forces her to come to terms with the fact that the things people might perceive as familiar or safe are not always what they seem to be. She learns how specific circumstances can reveal that individuals who once appeared to be rational and reasonable on the surface may actually believe in ideologies that are controversial or dangerous. Therefore, Kamala is forced to ponder whether or not these toxic ideologies have always existed within the hearts of people like Discord and if they're truly representative of who they are, which in turn causes her to doubt both her own place in the world and her mission as a superhero.

While Kamala is inflicted with feelings of self-doubt in light of these revelations, she understands that she still has a moral obligation as Ms. Marvel to protect the people of her city. She realizes that the silent majority's animosity towards her and super-powered peoples does not give them the right to place their own grievances above the law, and that there are still people who believe and are depending on her. Thus Ms. Marvel continues to stay true to her ideals and keeps fighting against the corrupt HYDRA regime which threatens to ruin the livelihood of her older brother and the superhuman population. The scene in which this development is most effectively illustrated is where Ms. Marvel unmasks Discord. While she does convey feelings of sadness and remorse towards him, she simultaneously understands that she cannot excuse his actions as he's still an individual who wrongfully succumbed to the temptations of far-right extremism and fascism. Essentially, even though Kamala wants to believe that Discord is an inherently better person underneath, she recognizes that he was the one who ultimately made the choice to join HYDRA and help oppress superhuman minorities. Therefore, Ms. Marvel acknowledges that Discord is still her enemy regardless of his reasons or whatever sympathy she might feel.

The decision to not condone Discord reflects an astonishing level of maturity for Kamala and is further indicative of her overall character arc in MECCA. In large measure, Kamala’s character arc is the reason why the story is titled “Mecca” in the first place. Although she does not go on a physical pilgrimage to the actual Holy Islamic city, she does experience a spiritual pilgrimage as the HYDRA takeover of Jersey City forces her to realize that not everything is what it seems, that some evils cannot be fought, and that although she’ll endure hardship and failure in her mission she must stay true to herself and others even if there are some people who will never agree with her actions or who she is. It's these revelations that further develop Kamala into "the most human superhero of them all" in my opinion, as it's not just her kindness and willingness to do good that makes her a hero, but also her ability to continue to do good even when confronted with external and internal doubt. And since the entire story takes place over the two-day period of Eid al-Adha, the holiday in which millions of Muslims embark on the pilgrimage to Mecca, Kamala’s psychological journey of self-discovery resonates with the reader on a much deeper level.

The other two characters that Wilson provides great care and attention to are Aamir and Discord. Aamir has been an interesting character throughout the series as while he is naive and overly pious to the point that he refuses to have a bank account or job (a running gag throughout the series), and possesses conservative religious views while dressing in traditional Islamic clothing, he has been portrayed as a kindhearted individual who loved his family and little sister, and appeared to know more than he let on. Wilson ingeniously used his character to shatter stereotypes as while the character self-identifies himself as “traditional and conservative” he was not ashamed of who he was, openly despises violence, and he was willing to put the needs of his family before himself and do whatever he could to protect them. This was best demonstrated when Aamir was kidnapped by Kamala's evil ex-crush Kamran during the LAST DAYS arc, and Aamir stood up to Kamran, telling the latter to stay away from Kamala.

These character traits demonstrated by Aamir come full circle in the MECCA arc. Since Aamir was forcibly granted temporary superpowers back when he kidnapped, he is now targeted by K.I.N.D. for being an unregistered superhuman. This label placed on him leads to a brilliant scene where Aamir is apprehended by K.I.N.D. while delivering food to his neighbors, and Aamir immediately assumes that he was arrested due to his traditional Islamic appearance and attire. Wilson not only draws further real-life parallels as K.I.N.D. threatens to have Aamir's U.S. citizenship revoked since their policies classify undisclosed super powers as a form of immigration fraud, but she also uses this scene to have Aamir give an eloquent speech about the causes of domestic terrorism. Aamir states that the individuals most likely to succumb to extremism are those who don’t understand their faith, feel alienated and ostracized by society and/or their peers, or have pre-existing vices plaguing their lives like domestic abuse or drugs. And according to Aamir, it’s those factors which make those individuals “vulnerable to whatever vulture is circling overhead, selling death and despair as a way through the gates of paradise.”

Aamir’s speech is brilliantly executed. It’s not only disturbingly accurate to the causes of real-life extremism, but Wilson also integrates it into the context of the story. When Aamir states that people “get radicalized when they think the only way they can have a starring role in their lives is by playing the villain,” the panels zoom-in and focus on Discord’s masked face as he’s watching the interrogation.

This focus infers to the reader that although Aamir is specifically referring to domestic Islamic terrorists in his speech, his words can also apply to Discord, who is a super villain taking his anger out on society by illegally arresting and deporting super-powered people. Discord is eventually revealed to be a person who felt alienated and ostracized and that a vulture in the form of his accomplice Lockdown took advantage of his negative emotions. Acting like the “junior fascist” Bruno previously described her as in CIVIL WAR II, Becky was able to radicalize Discord into becoming a super villain since he felt that he lacked a purpose in life. And as Aamir stated in his speech, “the most dangerous thing of all [is] when you don’t have a story to tell about who you are and what your purpose is.” In that sense, Discord may very well be the most multilayered and realistic antagonist for Ms. Marvel that Wilson has crafted to date as his character truly demonstrates how ideas of extremism and fascism can easily corrupt individuals who lack purpose. In essence, the insight that Wilson provides for both Aamir and Discord not only contributes to the growth of their respective characters, but also furthers the topical metaphors and allegories that MECCA provides for its readers.

At the end of the day, MS. MARVEL (VOL. 8): MECCA stands as not only my personal favorite story arc of the MS. MARVEL series so far but also as one of the best comics that I’ve read in recent memory. The story serves as an effective allegory for the issues surrounding the current presidential administration and Comicsgate while simultaneously delivering complex arcs for characters like Kamala, Aamir, and Discord as well as exploring themes of self-doubt and realization, pilgrimage, and the dangers of extremism and fascism. Although the current state of both American politics and comic book fandom is quite disheartening, it is important that we have characters like Ms. Marvel in our lives, who serve as a reminder of basic human kindness and decency. And like Kamala’s pilgrimage, we should continue to do good for our society even if that society is currently against what one believes in or stands for.

“Life is a pilgrimage. The wise man does not rest by the roadside inns. He marches direct to the illimitable domain of eternal bliss, his ultimate destination.”

-Swami Sivananda