Ms. Marvel Comics: New Series Featuring Muslim Teen Girl as Young Superhero [VIDEO]
An upcoming Marvel comic book series will feature a Muslim girl as the lead character, becoming one of the first in the company's history.
Marvel Entertainment is bringing back the character Ms. Marvel for an upcoming comic book, this time as a Pakistani immigrant living in Jersey City. Ms. Marvel's real identity in the new series is Kamala Khan, a regular 16-year-old girl who happens to be Muslim.
Series editor Sana Amanat, along with writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Adrian Alphona, said that the series will explore Kamala learning about her powers while dealing with adolescence.
Amanat said that the new series was made out of a "desire to explore the Muslim-American diaspora from an authentic perspective" in addition to examining the struggles of growing up while dealing with the character's extraordinary powers.
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Wilson added that the story will represent something that is true to life and relatable, especially to young woman.
"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," Willow explained.
Ms. Marvel's first comic book series was in Jan. 1977 with the first volume going on for three years. The second volume began in 2006 and concluded in 2010.
Though there have been multiple Muslim characters in popular comics, Kamala is among the first Muslim women to ever lead a comic. DC Comics unveiled its latest Green Lantern series in fall 2012 with Arab-American Simon Baz as the titular hero.
