Marvelous May – THE FINAL MATCH-UP

Welcome back to Marvelous May! Well, it’s that time, folks. We started with 16…

Quake, Mayday Parker, Ms. Marvel, Storm, Wasp, Squirrel Girl, Emma Frost, Gamora, Rogue, She-Hulk, Jean Grey, Jane Foster, Spider-Gwen, Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch, and Spider-Woman

…and we’re now down to the last two superheroines standing. It’s time to find out which two will take each other on for the crown of Marvelous May’s #1 Superheroine. First up is Jane Foster, AKA The Mighty Thor!

Real Name: Jane Foster
Alias: Thor
Height: 5’7″ (5’9″ as Thor)
Weight: 135 lbs (450 lbs as Thor)
Occupation: Adventurer, Asgardian Goddess of Thunder, Doctor
Current Affiliation: All-New, All-Different Avengers
Powers: Superhuman strength, superhuman speed, superhuman durability, superhuman stamina, self-sustenance, healing factor, electrokinesis, flight, energy projection, weather control
Created By: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby
Debut: Journey Into Mystery #84, 1962
Portrayed By: Natalie Portman (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Kari Wahlgren (Avengers EMH), Peg Dixon (The Marvel Super Heroes), Elizabeth Maxwell (Lego Marvel’s Avengers)

…And her opponent, one of the single-most fan favourite superheroines of this era, Kamala Khan, AKA Ms. Marvel!

Real Name: Kamala Khan
Alias: Ms. Marvel
Height: 5’4″ (variable)
Weight: 125 lbs (variable)
Occupation: Adventurer, High School Student
Current Affiliation: All-New, All-Different Avengers
Powers: Elongation, appearance alteration, size alteration, accelerated healing factor
Created By: Sana Amanat, Stephen Wacker, G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona
Debut: Captain Marvel #14, 2013
Portrayed By: Ashley Burch (Lego Marvel’s Avengers), Priyanka Chopra (Marvel Avengers Academy)

And thus, let the voting begin! And for this, the finals of the tournament, you can now vote on the final match-up by replying to the links to it on Facebook and Twitter. You have until May 31st, when this year’s Marvelous May ends with the reveal of the Marvelous May #1 Superheroine of 2016. Ja né!

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Jane_Foster_(Earth-616)

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Kamala_Khan_(Earth-616)

Marvelous May – Ms. Marvel vs Spider-Gwen

Welcome back to Marvelous May! Sorry this is a little late, but I got maybe just a little distracted by the reveal of the new Pokémon yesterday. Also, I kinda donated my hair. Basically, you put your hair into a ponytail once it’s long enough to make an 8 inch ponytail, cut it off, and then mail it to have it and a few other ponytails converted into a wig for people that have had chemotherapy. And I felt so good after doing that, honestly, I think I might just do it again, although it’s going to take a LONG time to get it back to that length again… … …Anyway, Kamala Khan, AKA Ms. Marvel, vs Gwen Stacy, AKA Spider-Woman!

This is actually a bout that I wish could’ve been saved for at least the semi-finals, if I can be 100% honest. And here’s why: We’re currently in the middle of a new age in Marvel. Regardless of why they chose to do so, whether it was out of a genuine desire to be more inclusive for the sake of new readers or out of wanting to make more money, the fact is that we’re seeing a lot more diversity in Marvel’s starring roles, and a lot of new heroes being pushed to the top. Admittedly, not all of these have been perfect attempts. I still think there have been some serious missteps with the new Thor books, for example, and while I appreciate Sam Wilson being pushed as a big deal and keeping the more traditional shield, the fact that we’ve got two Captains America is weird and I honestly don’t think anyone would REALLY be offended if Sam was referred to as Lieutenant America. But, for me, the two books that have really gotten this formula right are Ms. Marvel and Spider-Gwen. For me, these are the two who, when the old guard eventually hangs it up and calls it a day, will be the ones we look to as the heroes of our age.

I’ve gone on and on and on about what I like about Ms. Marvel in the past, so I’ll try to keep it brief here. Put bluntly, she is both a shining role model and heroine to all Muslim people in the real world, as well as someone that the average reader can identify with and love. She has trouble fitting in with both her family and her peers, she has a great sense of humour and wit, she likes a lot of geeky stuff, she writes fanfiction, she loves heroes, and she oftentimes makes mistakes that requires either quick thinking or the admission to her peers that she needs help to get out of. In a lot of ways, she’s the modern-day Peter Parker in that she’s immediately identifiable to the reader. Hopefully, though, when she eventually grows up, she actually acts like an adult, as opposed to the mainstream Peter Parker, who is a man-child, even after obtaining his own international business.

Speaking of being like Peter, though, Spider-Gwen works as a great alternate take on the mythology of Spider-Man. While this version of Gwen Stacy isn’t exactly like the one we knew way back when, she nonetheless is a great and likable character who finds herself in similar dilemmas to the mainstream Peter. She’s being pulled in a lot of different directions and is seen by some as an outlaw, and has to try to find out for herself what the right thing to do in each scenario presented is. And I love how her Peter is the Uncle Ben of her story: The one whose death ultimately taught her that with great power comes great responsibility. It was something that was done with Miles Morales, the Ultimate Spider-Man (which I don’t know why they dropped the Ultimate part of his name, even with the loss of his old universe, just to further keep his book distinct from Peter’s), but it’s done in a new way that honestly makes me wonder if things would’ve been any different in the mainstream universe if Peter WASN’T the one to get the spider bite.

 

But here’s the really big reason why this match means something to me personally: Currently, due to money constraints, G. Willow Wilson’s Ms. Marvel and Jason Latour’s Radioactive Spider-Gwen are the only two Marvel books I’m buying. Well, okay, I’m not actually buying either one right now, but that’s because I switched over to buying the trades when they come out. My point is, these are the only two properties by Marvel that are earning my money, not counting the movies (speaking of, Captain America Civil War was AMAZING, and I FAR prefer it to the event comic Civil War). So, should voting for this match end in a tie, I have no idea who to break the tie for. But hey, that’s all part of the excitement, am I right?

Anyway, time to begin voting! Make sure you get your votes in before May 17th, when we’ll learn who the winner of this match-up takes on in the semi-finals. Also, feel free to click the links below to learn more about these two heroines, and check back in tomorrow for the final match-up of the second round. Ja né!

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Kamala_Khan_(Earth-616)

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Gwendolyne_Stacy_(Earth-65)

https://maryamjameela6.wordpress.com/2014/11/19/kamala-khan-is-the-greatest-thing-that-has-ever-happened-to-me/

https://ladygeekgirl.wordpress.com/2015/03/19/spider-gwen-is-back-and-its-everything-i-wanted/

Ms. Marvel #6 Preview

I…I can’t make jokes about this scenario. The book is doing it for me. XD Anyway, here are the preview pages for my last issue of the misadventures of Kamala Khan (at least until the next trade after the one collecting these issues comes out), Ms. Marvel #6.

• A problem of plenty becomes a problem of many as the Kamala Khan doppelgangers get out of control.
• Kamala always wanted to be the biggest super hero there ever was… but she didn’t mean it literally!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/ms-marvel-6-marvel-comics-2016

Ms. Marvel #5 Preview

… … …Is that a high school gymnasium, or a fucking military training camp?! o.O …Erm, I mean, here is the preview for Ms. Marvel #5.

• TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING
• Flunking advanced physics. Getting beat by B-team bad guys. Life is a mess for Ms. Marvel.
• Fed up with failing, Kamala teams up with her old buddy Bruno and creates her own Militia of Ms. Marvel Automatons to help her fight crime and things are finally coming up Kamala again.
• But is the world ready for this much Ms. Marvel?

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/ms-marvel-5-marvel-comics-2016

Ms. Marvel #4 Preview

…Yup, I think I see where this is going. lol Ladies and gentlemen and others, I present the preview for Ms. Marvel #4.

• The Hugo Award winning series kicks off its next big adventure! It’s a strange new world for Ms. Marvel. Being an Avenger and a regular teenager isn’t as awesome as she though it would be. But that won’t stop Kamala! She might just need a little help from her friends… A new storyline starts here!

http://www.comicosity.com/exclusive-preview-ms-marvel-4/

Am I Going To Boycott Marvel Comics?

…So, the CEO of Marvel may have ticked off a few people. If you don’t know what’s going on, here’s the short version, as best as I can shorten anyway: Isaac Perlmutter, the chief executive officer of Marvel Entertainment, recently made a $1,000,000.00 donation to a foundation that supports American war veterans. Now, that might not seem like it’d be all that problematic…until you learn the exact foundation in question: The Donald J. Trump Foundation for Veterans, an organization run by a racist, bigoted douchebag trying to garner support for his quest to become President of the United States, and who currently has petitions being organized against him to deny him entry into various countries. In fact, as I understand it, there are some vets who have openly stated that they do not WANT Trump’s money, and given how foundations like this usually work, it’s uncertain if war veterans will ever actually see a penny of the money raised, and thus you have to ask if this donation on Perlmutter’s part was actually to support them, or Trump.

In the wake of this, a number of people have suggested the idea of outright boycotting Marvel, and some may already have. Now, I’m not gonna try and tell people what they should or should not do. If they wanna boycott Marvel, that’s their choice, and frankly, there’re a lot worse reasons to do it over. However, I think these people are sort of neglecting something: The decisions of the CEO of a company do not speak for EVERY SINGLE PERSON who works for said company. In fact, one thing I can’t seem to get confirmation on is if this is his own money he’s donating, or Marvel’s money, which would make a difference, because if it’s his, then the only person this involves is him. If it’s Marvel’s, however, then yes, he would’ve had to have gotten permission from Marvel’s board of directors, which reflects a bit more on the company. But even then, like I said, it doesn’t reflect on EVERYONE in the company. Don’t believe me? Here is the exact reaction of the first person I thought of when I heard this news, transcribed from her Twitter account: G. Willow Wilson.

“So I was actually at dinner in Burbank with some Marvel folks when someone texted us news abt Perlmutter’s donation to Trump’s fundraiser. I sat there in stunned silence for a solid minute. I do have thoughts–many thoughts–but the people who have mentored and sheltered me at Marvel deserve to hear them first.”

Since then, Wilson has gone onto her Tumblr account, gwillowwilson.com, and stated that “The irony that Ms Marvel was launched on Perlmutter’s watch–while Donald Trump would like to prevent Muslims from even entering the United States–was not lost on the mainstream media, nor on me”, but that “frustratingly–boycotting books you love will not take a single dime out of Perlmutter’s pocket, much less out of Trump’s. It will, however, kill the books”. Furthermore, she stated “I am going to continue to work on Ms Marvel, for the following reason: I have never, in my entire career, seen a character and a story light people up the way this has, and I need to see it through a little longer. (Unless of course I get fired for talking about this shit, in which case, it was nice meeting you all.)”. There’s a bit more to what she said, and I highly recommend you read it all here.

So, where does that leave yours truly? Will I boycott Marvel? Well, the answer for right now is no. However, you can be sure that I’m not sticking around for Perlmutter. I am sticking around for the writers I like, for the books they write that I like, and for the characters, specifically one that has quickly become one of my all-time favourite heroes, Ms. Marvel. However, I’m gonna be keeping an eye on this situation as best as I can. And I’m just gonna say this: If I find out that G. Willow Wilson has been fired for going on her own personal forum and giving her honest opinion on this situation, then I’m going to walk. That is the line for me. I will say that this doesn’t affect whether I’m gonna go see the movies or not, since the Deadpool movie is being done by Fox, and as I understand it, Marvel Studios is kind of its own thing now. Don’t ask me to explain how that works. The point is that whether I go to see a movie with characters created by Marvel will depend on if I personally want to see it and I have the money, which I recently mentioned is gonna be a little tight for me in the future. Oh, and before you tell me terrible things that Fox and/or Marvel Studios have done in the past, lemme remind you all that if you boycott EVERYTHING with a bad past and run by people who have made questionably ethical decisions, you would never buy comics from any publisher, watch movies from any studio, buy products from any company, you probably wouldn’t even have or use a computer, and you might not ever be able to listen to your favourite songs the same way again. JUST SAYIN’. lol

Anyway, that’s my two cents on the matter. Lemme know what you think about all of this, and we’ll see how things develop from here. Ja né!

Ms. Marvel #3 Preview

Okay, admission time: I didn’t see the twist at the end of Ms. Marvel #2 coming until I read it, at which point, I’m pretty sure you could hear the sound of my hand slapping my forehead all the way in Jersey City. lol Anyway, here’s the preview for Ms. Marvel #3!

• SPOILER ALERT: The agents at HOPE YARDS DEVELOPMENT aren’t actually interested in real estate.
• Turns out, the development company that co-opted Ms. Marvel’s face has been busy brainwashing the people of Jersey City…including BRUNO!
• Can Kamala find a way to save her city and her best friend from being mindless gentrified automatons?

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/ms-marvel-3-marvel-comics-2016

… … …Also, if anyone could commission Babs Tar to draw Batgirl and Ms. Marvel hanging out, that’d be GREAT. lol

A-Force #1 Preview

…And thus, Singularity absorbed the enthusiasm of animated Starfire. lol Here’s the preview for A-Force #1!

• A-FORCE, ASSEMBLE! From the ashes of Battleworld, Marvel’s newest hero SINGULARITY has risen and entered the Marvel Universe. But she didn’t make the journey alone. To combat the most fearsome threats from across the multiverse, Singularity will summon the world’s mightiest team of Avengers to her side: SHE-HULK. CAPTAIN MARVEL. DAZZLER. MEDUSA. NICO MINORU. Together, they are A-FORCE to be reckoned with!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/a-force-1-marvel-comics-2015-2015-12

Ms. Marvel #2 Preview

The newest Avenger of all has to battle an evil corporation using her face as their logo! It’s the preview for Ms. Marvel #2!

• KAMALA CAN!
• On the Avengers and on a roll! All Kamala needs to do next is take down the evil suits destroying her city without ruining her personal life!
• Too bad all of Jersey City thinks Ms. Marvel is the real enemy!
• Bad guys and bad hair days. (Also the title of Ms. Marvel’s next album.)

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/ms-marvel-2-marvel-comics-2015

A-Force #1 Unlettered Preview

Glad to see the events of Secret Wars will have lasting ramifications beyond setting up the new status quo, although I’m curious to see how much of it will or won’t be remembered in general. Either way, here’s an early preview for next month’s A-Force #1.

• From the ashes of Battleworld, they rise. A new super team for a new era. Today, Marvel is pleased to present your first look at A-FORCE #1, the brand new ongoing series and follow up to the smash-hit Secret Wars series. Blockbuster creators G. Willow Wilson and Jorge Molina return from Battleworld in force, but they’re not alone. Marvel’s newest hero Singularity has returned from the breach, making landfall in the Marvel Universe. Yet much has transpired in the eight months since the end of Secret Wars. To combat the most fearsome threats from across the multiverse, she’ll re-assemble this world’s mightiest group of Avengers to her side: She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Dazzler, Medusa and Nico Minoru – even if they don’t remember her! Together, they are the unstoppable A-Force! And they are A FORCE to be reckoned with! Don’t miss their explosive debut this January in the can’t-miss A-FORCE #1!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/a-force-1-marvel-comics-2016