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!”

The Khan's holiday is interrupted. From Ms. Marvel Vol. 4 #19 (Jun 2017). Art by Marco Failla. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

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.

Mayor Worthy and his agents Discord & Lockdown. From Ms. Marvel Vol. 4 #20 (Jul 2017). Art by Marco Failla. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

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. 

Kamala learns about the silent majority. From Ms. Marvel Vol. 4 #19 (Jun 2017). Art by Marco Failla. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

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.

Ms. Marvel continues to oppose Discord. From Ms. Marvel Vol. 4 #22 (Sep 2017). Art by Marco Failla. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

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.

Aamir defends his sister from Kamran. From Ms. Marvel Vol. 3 #18 (Sep 2015). Art by Adrian Alphona. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

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 discusses the causes of terrorism. From Ms. Marvel Vol. 4 #20 (Jul 2017). Art by Marco Failla. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

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.

Discord watches Aamir's interrogation. From Ms. Marvel Vol. 4 #20 (Jul 2017). Art by Marco Failla. Copyright © Marvel Entertainment.

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