Ms. Marvel Returns as a Muslim Teen in Marvel Comics; Comic Book Released in January
Marvel has just announced that it will be bringing another superhero back, but this time she will be a 16-year-old Muslim.
Ms. Marvel was first introduced to the world of comic book in 1968, back then she was known as Carol Danvers who had superhuman strength, stamina and could fly. However, in a press release issued by Marvel Comics today, the company is relaunching the character as a teenage Muslim of Pakistani decent.
Meet Kamala Khan, 16 years old, lives in New Jersey and is a Muslim. She has the power to shape shift, enlarge and shrink her limbs as she fights crimes.
"She's a 16-year-old girl from the suburbs who is trying to figure out who she is and trying to forge an identity when she suddenly bestows great power and learns the great responsibility that comes with it," Marvel Editor-In-Chief Axel Alonso explained, reports ABC News.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Khan will be the very Muslim title character to be created by Marvel. The comic book will have a special issue this coming January 2014, with regular monthly publications starting February. With this, she is also the first Muslim superhero to have her own title comic book published every month.
The relaunch of the character is part of Marvel's efforts to highlight the growing diversity seen in the society today. ABC News reports that according to editor Sana Amanat, the series has the "desire to explore the Muslim-American diaspora from an authentic perspective."
"I wanted Ms. Marvel to be true-to-life, something real people could relate to, particularly young women. High school was a very vivid time in my life, so I drew heavily on those experiences - impending adulthood, dealing with school, emotionally charged friendships that are such a huge part of being a teenager," writer G. Willow Wilson also explained in the report. "It's for all the geek girls out there and everybody else who's ever looked at life from the fringe."
This is not the first time that Marvel Comics has relaunched a character, and not the first to be introduced as a Muslim. Last fall, Marvel announced the new "Green Lantern" series with Simon Baz as the character. Baz is an Arab-America Muslim.