Magnificent Ms. Marvel #13 (2019) - Review

Meet Amulet!

Written by Saladin Ahmed, Art by Joey Vazquez.

You can make the argument that Magnificent Ms. Marvel #13 is somewhat of a filler issue. It comes right after the conclusion of the 'Stormranger' arc while #14 starts off Kamala's involvement in the Outlawed event. The issue doesn't feature any major story beats really but is more of a self-contained Ms. Marvel outing that focuses more on progressing some B-plots, explaining Kamala's state of mind and acts as a little breather before her life will be turned upside down by the events of Outlawed.

The plot of the issue is very simple: Kamala's is going to a carnival with her friends, but she has some trouble enjoying herself. Her father live was saved but he has to walk with a cane for the rest of his life which she blames herself for and her reluctance to tell her friends about her and Bruno results in friction between the two. If that wasn't enough inner turmoil her day gets rudely interrupted by some sort of smoke demon which she has trouble dealing with, she isn't used to fighting without the power-boost the Stormranger suit gave her yet. Luckily for her, the new magic-based hero Amulet shows up just in time and together they manage to take down the smoke demon and save the carnival, all just in time for Kamala to get home in time.

A very simple plot but that's because the issue is about only about Kamala's inner turmoil, which it conveys well. A lot has happened in Kamala's life recently and this 'day-off' gives her some time to process it all. This is where the issue thankfully manages to avoid a pitfall as it never dives into being just teenage angst. There is a sense of maturity to it all, a bit of character growth, that together with the light tone of the issue keeps it from becoming to angsty or depressing.

The solicitations of this issue where all focused on the introduction of Amulet, a new Muslim-superhero on the block. His introduction here was done fairly well. You get a good sense of who the character is and you get some flashes of his backstory which is all done in a very humoristic sense yet simultaneously asserting the character as a bit of a powerhouse. While I can get why the promotional material focused so heavily on this new character after reading the issue itself his introduction felt more like the B-plot. That is not a bad thing necessarily, his introduction is handled well and makes for some fun action sequences, but the meat of the issue lies in Kamala's inner turmoil.

Conclusion

Magnificent Ms. Marvel #13 is a quiet and pleasant issue that follows up on some earlier developments while also providing its enjoyable self-contained adventure. Its main focus is on showing the fallout of the major conflicts that have been in Kamala's life recently and how this has affected her. Her inner-turmoil is understandable and by mixing this with a light tone and some good action and the introduction of a fun new superhero and I'd say the issue is worth a look from both fans of the series and newcomers alike.

I like to think as this panel as the 'moneyshot' of the issue.