Ms. Marvel #25 Review - Marvel Monday

Ms. Marvel #25 Review 

Writer: G. Willow Wilson

Art Team: Nico Leon, Ian Herring

Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Marvel Comics

Release Date: December 20, 2017

Cover Price: $3.99

Review by Anthony Guia

Where in the world is Kamala Khan?

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Ms. Marvel has finally begun her journey into the Marvel Legacy branding, but the only problem is that the titular hero is nowhere to be found. Her essence is, however, found in this issue and hopefully for the rest of this arc. What I love about this book and what has kept me reading this title is all within these 20 some odd pages, so let’s jump in.

We start off this issue in a correctional facility in New Jersey with Dr. Gregory Balthazar Knox being released from his imprisonment. Last we saw him was in the first volume of Ms. Marvel a few years back. He was the one who created Ms. Marvel’s first villain, The Inventor. On his release, he vows to finish unresolved business with a certain hero.

Later that evening, a robbery is taking place on a neighbourhood rooftop and a cosplayed Ms. Marvel shows up to save the day. With a failed attempt at a superhero landing and a ballooned embiggened hand later, she takes out the robber with one punch a la Pokemon’s Team Rocket styled defeat. The victim thanks the fill in hero and states she saved her family heirlooms (The Simpsons reference, anyone?). If you still couldn’t guess who this fill in was (it was Mike), we find out that Kamala’s friends have all gathered and decided to take up the mantle of Ms. Marvel, as the real inhuman hero has just disappeared without an explanation. Mike says she quits on patrolling as she’s taking too much of a beating and so Zoe says she will step in.

The next morning, they’re all gathered in their high school hallway. They’re approached by Naftali who is looking for Kamala, as he has a sandwich he usually brings her on Wednesdays. Nakia tells him that she’s disappeared and hasn’t answered any texts, calls, or shown up when they creepily do house surveillance. He leaves and vows to deliver the sandwich no matter what.

At the Khan residence, we see Aamir is filling in a moving truck alone - no thanks to his dad just supervising him - and Naftali arrives to ask him where he can find Kamala. Aamir lets him know that she has strictly told him not to tell any of her friends where she is or to contact her in any way, so Naftali just leaves the sandwich with Aamir and tells him that things are going sideways without her.

That night, we find Zoe, now in her Ms. Marvel costume, out on patrol. Red Dagger arrives to ask where the real Ms. Marvel is and they are interrupted with an elderly man screaming his lungs off while riding his mobility scooter. He claims that someone has got everyone in the senior home locked up in a science dungeon. The heroes head to the senior home with the elderly man to find nothing. Red Dagger thinks they should they take a look around anyway and are stopped in the hallway by Dr. Knox who tells them that the area is restricted to residents only. Knox escorts them out of the hallway and slams the door behind them. 

Red Dagger feels like an idiot for thinking there would be a dungeon at the home, while Zoe thinks she’s seen Dr. Knox before on the news. Shortly, they are attacked by a giant mechanical chameleon and the issue concludes.

Art

As usual, I typically love the art teams for this book, so no complaints here. I do like the small details that just add to this book by Nico Leon. From the $5 price tag on the wig worn by Mike and Zoe to emulate Ms. Marvel’s brown hair to the Spider-Man web-fluid mechanism styled balloon fist to emulate Ms. Marvel’s polymorph abilities. These details always remind me why I love this book - it’s just dumb fun.

Bits and Pieces

The first Legacy branded issue for Ms. Marvel reminds me why I enjoy this book - it’s just fun - even without the main character or her alter ego found within these pages. This is a great jumping on point for new readers who want to get an understanding of why fans of this title read this book. The art is great and it’s always nice to catch small details that just adds to my enjoyment.

8/10