That might be a slight exaggeration. But Disney and Marvel knew full well that killing off Ms. Marvel was a stupid move before The Marvels opens in November. Perhaps you’d call it a cynical ploy to goose sales, and I’m not talking about the cinematic flerkin. Days after releasing a comic book in which all of Kamala Khan’s superheroic friends mourn her heroic sacrifice, of course Marvel announces Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant, a mini-series beginning in August.
Thus, as hinted on the Disney+ show, Kamala Khan is a mutant, not an Inhuman. To be fair, she would have been a mutant in 2013 when created by a Marvel consortium. (That’s editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker, writer G. Willow Wilson, and artists Adrian Alphona and Jamie McKelvie.) The problem was Marvel was minimizing X-Men tie-ins because Fox owned the movie rights. That’s all behind us now.
And Ms. Marvel isn’t just getting a new life in comics — she’s also going to save traditional broadcast television. Again, that might be an exaggeration. Disney has announced that Ms. Marvel the television show will be broadcast on ABC over two Saturdays in August. Running in 3-hour blocks, the broadcast allows people who don’t subscribe to Disney+ to finally watch the show — currently unreleased on physical media. That will be August 5th and August 12th, making the month great for lead actor Iman Vellani because she’s not just the star. Now she writes the comic.
Forgot to mention that. It makes great publicity. But it’s also probably true that Vellani knows more about the character’s comics exploits than anybody else working at Marvel right now. As a fan, she’s read the stories over and over. The previous comics creators only created them once. Teaming with c0-writer Sabir Pirzada and artists Carlos Gomez and Adam Gorham, Vellani gets to guide the new phase of Kamala Khan’s comics career while carving a new path as her onscreen. Pretty cool.
Does this show us where the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be headed? Hard to say, as of course it seems like all of the entertainment industry is in chaos right now. But at least we know the TV series is fun. I’m curious to see how Vellani is as a writer, because if she’s good, that young woman will be a force to be reckoned with in entertainment.
From Marvel:
Ever since Kamala Khan took up her mantle as Jersey City’s greatest hero, fans have come to know her as an Inhuman. A Champion. An Avenger. And now, for the first time ever, fans will know her as…an X-MAN! This August, Ms. Marvel will return for her most pivotal and defining chapter yet, and it all kicks off with an all-new comic book series: MS. MARVEL: THE NEW MUTANT!
Announced exclusively by Entertainment Weekly, MS. MARVEL: THE NEW MUTANT will be a four-issue limited series co-written by Iman Vellani (Kamala Khan in Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel) and Sabir Pirzada (Dark Web: Ms. Marvel, Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel) and drawn by artists Carlos Gomez (Rogue & Gambit) and Adam Gorham (Star Wars: Darth Vader). Covers will be drawn by Marvel legend Sara Pichelli, known for her stunning and acclaimed work on titles such as Ultimate Spider-Man.
“This was way scarier than joining the MCU for me,” Vellani told EW. “Those projects feel like they live in their own dimension, so I guess I can separate myself easier. But you can hold a comic book! I’ve never written anything before in my entire life, but I have read many comics, so I just wrote what I would want to read. I was given a very professional tool to write what is essentially my own fan fiction.”
“It was actually a very humbling experience to work with Iman, because she knows her comics even better than I do, and that is saying something,” Pirzada added. “She was throwing out references to specific comics that came out before either of us were born. She has a very great eye for what makes for a good sequence on the page as drawn by an artist. It was very impressive to me to see her throw out all these references to different artists that she’s been following through the years.”
After Kamala’s heroic sacrifice that saved the world in Amazing Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel’s tragic death sent heroes across the Marvel Universe in mourning. The Avengers, Spider-Man, Champions, and beyond came together to remember Kamala and Ms. Marvel’s life and legacy. But not all was as it seemed. Fans will finally start to learn the truth about Kamala’s mutant and Inhuman identity in the upcoming X-MEN: HELLFIRE GALA #1 one-shot later this month!
courtesy of Marvel Studios
“I want to make it very, very clear that we are not reconning her Inhuman origin. That’s a part of Kamala’s identity that Marvel editorial and myself would very much like to keep and protect,” Vellani shared. “Our book will absolutely reflect all those core themes of identity that the Ms. Marvel comics have consistently explored — only now there’s a whole new label that Kamala has to learn to accept. It’s going to be pretty crazy.”
After being brought back via Krakoan Resurrection Technology, Kamala is shocked to learn she is mutant. But before she has a chance to come to terms with this revelation, the catastrophic FALL OF X will throw her world into chaos…and a secret mission on behalf of the X-Men.
MS. MARVEL: THE NEW MUTANT also marks the debut of Ms. Marvel’s new X-Men costume design, created by superstar artist Jamie McKelvie, who designed Carol Danvers’ iconic Captain Marvel suit and Kamala’s original Ms. Marvel look in the comics. Fans can get their first look at McKelvie’s new Ms. Marvel design, along with a stunning variant cover by artist Stanley “Artgerm” Lau depicting the same, on Marvel.com. Stay tuned for more showstopping cover reveals in the coming days!
Kamala Khan’s journey as Ms. Marvel began in her first headline series in 2014. Quickly becoming one of Marvel’s brightest stars and beloved characters among fans, Ms. Marvel grew to be a key pillar of the Marvel Universe. Over the years, her impact has only embiggened with hit solo comic runs, notable stints with the Avengers and Champions, pivotal roles in crossover events, and memorable team-ups with her favorite heroes. This summer, her next lifechanging story begins.
Don’t miss the beginning of Ms. Marvel’s mutant adventures this August in HELLFIRE GALA #1 and be there to witness the start of a new era in MS. MARVEL: NEW MUTANT #1!
Welcome to the X-Men, Ms. Marvel—hope you survive the experience!
MS. MARVEL: THE NEW MUTANT #1 (OF 4) – 75960620701500111 Written by IMAN VELLANI & SABIR PIRZADA
Art by CARLOS GÓMEZ & ADAM GORHAM
Cover art by SARA PICHELLI
Variant cover art by STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAU
On Sale 8/30
In addition to running Fanboy Planet, Derek has contributed stories to Arcana Comics (The Greatest American Hero) and Monsterverse Comics (Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave). He has performed with ComedySportz, City Lights Theater Company and Silicon Valley Shakespeare, though relocated to Hollywood to... work in an office? If you ever played Eric's Ultimate Solitaire on the Macintosh, it was Derek's voice as The Weasel that urged you to play longer. You can buy his book "I Was Flesh Gordon" on the Amazon link at the right. Email him at [email protected].
