The Comic Book World Steps Up: Introducing a Female Muslim-American Superhero

One of the hardest things about being late to the comic book/graphic novel game is that there are so many series that are so well established it’s hard to know where exactly to start. As I’ve been diving head first into the comic book world over the past year and a half I’ve struggled to find a balance between picking up series that are just starting and finding a place to start with a well-developed series; particularly any series that has to do with superheroes. My struggle with series that have to do with characters in the Marvel or DC universe is that there is so much that I have to catch up on and it’s very easy to get lost in the twisting plots, intertwining of characters, and the other series that grow out of their original stories. Listening to people talk about their favorite comic book superheroes and how their stories have changed throughout the years can become dizzying to those who are just getting involved (AKA me!).

In order to test the waters I have been buying comic books that feature superheroes with less developed histories, associating myself with the superhero world and learning what plot/story arcs to expect along the way. There’s a lot of adventure and action, and not a whole lot of realism. Which I am fine with; the characters are grounded in “normal people” problems such as finding a girlfriend or drama between friends (or their arch nemesis) prior to their becoming superheroes or discovering their true purposes as superheroes. After a while though it becomes difficult to relate to the characters and I enjoy this fact but there are times that I wish for a relatable character aside from women whose only worry is how awesome they look all the time. And I’m being general on purpose because I haven’t found a female superhero that I’ve been able to relate to on a whole lot of levels.

While perusing the news to check for election statuses last night I stumbled across an article on the New York Times website that may be some of the most exciting and promising news to come out of the comic book world. Marvel is introducing a series based on a character who is a teenage Muslim girl. Kamala Khan, our new superhero, is a 16 year old girl who lives in Jersey City that discovers she has super powers after years of being a devoted fan of Carol Danvers, AKA Captain Marvel. Kamala will take on the code name of Ms. Marvel and have the ability to change shape, which I think will offer up some very interesting plot lines as Kamal struggles with her identity as a Muslim-American and being a teenager in general.

Not only are they introducing a female character that is more realistic and diverse than most, she’s going to deal with problems that teenage girls also deal with on a regular basis. In the article on New York Times Sana Amanat, an editor at Marvel, discussed issues Kamala would deal with, “Her brother is extremely conservative. Her mom is paranoid that she’s going to touch a boy and get pregnant. Her father wants her to concentrate on her studies and become a doctor.” Kamala will also battle with her faith along the way, something anyone from a conservative family can relate to and understand. “The series would deal with how familial and religious edicts mesh with super-heroics, which can require rules to be broken.” As a teenager I often struggled with my desire to be an individual and restraining myself to the Christian values that were ingrained on me from the beginning of my life. I wish I had a character like Kamala to relate to in order to help me with those struggles in those formative years that are already so difficult.

Aside from the fact that I am excited for a strong female presence in a comic book, I am also excited to see that a big name such as Marvel would even consider doing a series such as this one. Post 9/11, many people have become wary of Muslim people and their culture for reasons that are quite unfounded because of a complete lack of knowledge and understanding of the culture itself. This series will be able to open the door of better understanding the Muslim culture and in a form that will not go overlooked because of Marvel’s big name.

There are a lot of hurdles that the comic will need to overcome, sales will be a big proponent to whether or not the series even sticks around, but if done properly I think this series can become very popular especially amongst a younger female audience. It’s definitely a huge step in a good direction and from this point on it will be up to us to say whether or not Marvel is successful in their endeavors to diversify and expand their female characters. The series will fully launch in February 2014 and I will be closely following this story as we start to learn more about what it entails, but I think it is safe to say that this will be a comic book series to watch out for and purchase when the time comes.