Ms. Marvel (2015) #19

Previously, in Ms. Marvel #18

“Make America Great Again” has become code for “return America to the good old days when it was a wee bit easier to oppress people.” The oppressed recognize rhetoric like that for exactly what it is; so when Kamala and her family find signs to “bring back the real Jersey City” in their neighborhood, Kamala is immediately concerned.

She tries to quiet the nagging voice inside of her long enough to enjoy the first day of Eid al-Adha with her family. Dinner is barely finished before Kamala steps out to investigate and her fears are instantly confirmed. Mayor Marchesi has been quietly removed from office and replaced with Chuck Worthy, the smarmy member of HYDRA who tried to take over the city before by gentrifying the hell out of it. His first executive order deputizes other citizens to patrol and report undocumented super-beings. Sound familiar?

Ms. Marvel knows this has the stank of mediocre Becky St. Jude, the most basic member of Carol’s Cadets, now calling herself Lockdown. She’s working with a masked villain named Discord who knows all of Ms. Marvel’s weaknesses; it’s someone she’s met before. That’s not as shocking (no pun intended) as the revelation that none of this would have been possible without the support of the people Kamala dismissed as “a walking internet comments section.” The people who blamed her for the troubles of Jersey City. Furious people who feel unheard.

On the surface it feels like sympathy for the “working class” under “economic anxiety.” While most are resisting, there are those who feel the need to cater to those people. I’m most curious to see how Kamala Khan handles this, especially once Aamir is dragged away under suspicion of being Inhuman.

I have to point out one laugh-out-loud moment. Zoe is celebrating with the Khan family when talk of people with superpowers being round up reaches the dining room. She has a moment of panic that quiets the entire room and draws numerous side-eyes.

I love this series.