Unraveling: Ms. Marvel #10 Review


Ms. Marvel #10 is another brilliant, heartbreaking instalment in her Civil War II saga, and I honestly can't say much more without going into spoiler territory. Just read it. Really. It’s amazing.

[Spoilers beyond this point.]

Ms. Marvel #9 was a lot about the side characters that make up her life, but this latest issue puts the spotlight squarely back on Kamala, and her reaction to everything that’s been happening, as her senses finally catch up with her.

Every month, I find myself wondering how G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Aphona are going to top the opening flashback sequence from the previous issue, and every month they blow me away. Kamala on her first day of second grade is one of the most adorable things I’ve ever had the privilege of reading in a comic book (keep you eyes peeled for Aphona's fun background details), and her first encounter with Bruno makes the sudden cut to him grown up and unconscious on a hospital bed all the more devastating.

I can't handle the adorable.
A more cynical person than me would call it emotional manipulation. I was too busy sobbing to call it anything.

Her eyes finally opened to the results of the work she’s been doing, Kamala goes off to confront “Basic Becky and the Junior Fascists,” as Bruno dubbed them in the last issue.

Apparently they skipped the morality lessons to spend time practicing that pose.
We get the typical protect/change the future argument, which is rather one sided, morally-speaking, since Becky clearly doesn’t care about collateral damage. As per the norm, verbal fights lead to physical ones, and I won’t deny it was satisfying to see Kamala take her down.

Unfortunately, Captain Marvel swoops in at that moment, and, despite everything, Kamala still doesn’t have it in her to say no to her face as she’s asked to get back to work. She instead resolves to prove that Ulysses can be wrong in her own way, and for that she needs help from a particular Canadian Ninja (never before have I been so glad to see a running joke pay off like this).

He's wearing crocs! With kittens on them!
Everything’s not ok though. Bruno’s vitals begin to crash as Kamala is visiting him again, this time as herself, and the issue ends on an uncertain note regarding his fate. It’s also worth observing that even if he survives, he’ll have lost the use of his dominant arm, which means the story has already had some very real, very heartbreaking consequences.

I can’t take this, have another panel of 2nd grade Kamala instead.

Winged sloth!
This was definitely a darker issue than most, but one that sets up the finale for this arc amazingly. While her cohorts may not have much character, Becky herself seems to be an interesting antagonist, a darker version of Ms. Marvel (and perhaps even more sinister than that, as it happens). This is also the third meeting between Kamala and Carol in as many issues, and each one has been more abrupt and stiff than the last.

Really makes you yearn for the good old days of this:

She's just so happy!
On a side note: Carol’s completely unyielding attitude towards Kamala isn’t entirely unjustified, as explored in Captain Marvel #8.

Overall, I absolutely cannot endorse Ms. Marvel enough. Even if you aren’t reading any other comics, or are avoiding anything related to Civil War II (not something I can blame you for), read this. It's worth it.


Aranwe Quirke is a totally real, definitely not made up name. No, you may not see the birth certificate.