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nmcannon 's review for:
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 5: Super Famous
by G. Willow Wilson
With this fifth Volume of Ms. Marvel, G. Willow Wilson continues to be my favorite. SUPER FAMOUS delivers all the awesome, playful art, lessons about Islam/Pakistani culture, and intersectional feminist happenings that made me love the series so much. In addition to all that though, Wilson manages to writerly embody a concept that I haven't seen elsewhere in Marvel ever: gentrification.
A reader from my background is more unfamiliar with gentrification and its perils. I know the concept, and I've pounded the sidewalk of Park Slope, Brooklyn (After taking the wrong subway 3x, I decided to just freakin' walk to my destinations). Wilson's creativity takes a genius-level Night Vale-esque turn to explain gentrification and how it disrupts set communities. Since the only thing better than a Ms. Marvel comic would be a Ms. Marvel/Night Vale crossover comic, I was delighted throughout. More important than delight though, I felt more conscious of how economics can be used to break neighborhoods apart.
In addition, there was commentary on the line between symbol and person, and who owns the imagery of the symbol: the person who bears it or the people who benefit from it? It was waaaaaaay better conveyed and less ham-fisted than a Black Mirror episode. I didn't even have to doubt my faith in humanity or have cheer-up pie afterwards.
Overall, Ms. Marvel, Kamala, and G. Willow Wilson remain absolutely awesome in Volume 5, and literally everyone on the planet should read this series.
A reader from my background is more unfamiliar with gentrification and its perils. I know the concept, and I've pounded the sidewalk of Park Slope, Brooklyn (After taking the wrong subway 3x, I decided to just freakin' walk to my destinations). Wilson's creativity takes a genius-level Night Vale-esque turn to explain gentrification and how it disrupts set communities. Since the only thing better than a Ms. Marvel comic would be a Ms. Marvel/Night Vale crossover comic, I was delighted throughout. More important than delight though, I felt more conscious of how economics can be used to break neighborhoods apart.
In addition, there was commentary on the line between symbol and person, and who owns the imagery of the symbol: the person who bears it or the people who benefit from it? It was waaaaaaay better conveyed and less ham-fisted than a Black Mirror episode. I didn't even have to doubt my faith in humanity or have cheer-up pie afterwards.
Overall, Ms. Marvel, Kamala, and G. Willow Wilson remain absolutely awesome in Volume 5, and literally everyone on the planet should read this series.