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Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel | Official Trailer | Disney+

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Using Graphic Novels In Education: Ms. Marvel

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Using Graphic Novels In Education: Ms. Marvel

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fra Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

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Welcome to Using Graphic Novels in Education OVERVIEW , an ongoing feature from CBLDF that is designed to allay confusion around the content of graphic novels and to help parents and teachers raise readers. In this column, we examine graphic novels, including those that have been targeted by censors, and provide teaching and discussion suggestions for the use of such books in classrooms.
This month, we take a closer look at Ms. Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona. In this Marvel reboot, Kamala Khan, a 16-year-old Muslim girl from Jersey City, New Jersey becomes the new Ms. Marvel. Wilson, Alphona, and the Marvel team create a modern twist offering fun and diversity for tween readers and beyond. Ms. Marvel is a finalist for the first Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity (nominees range from independent to mainstream comic books) and one of YALSA's Top Ten 2015 Great Graphic Novels for Teens. It is also one of YALSA's 2015 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.

Ms. Mavel: No Normal encompasses the first five issues of Marvel's new reboot. It features a Muslim Pakistani American superheroine who struggles with identity issues whether she's in or out of her costume. Kamala's polymorph superpowers - which mean she can change her shape, size and form - are a wonderful metaphor that reflects her inner struggles as she stretches, bends, and recoils from the pressures all around her. Throughout this volume, Kamala Khan not only struggles with her identity, but with the different ways and expectations of her religion, with the pressures and expectations from her strict (but nurturing) parents, and with her power as well. Throughout all these conflicts, Kamala must also be careful as a polymorph to not be all things to all people, which in the long run, might be very dangerous.

The readers, while passive observers, can't help but be drawn into this story. Despite Kamala's diverse cultural background - or maybe because of it - she's in many ways also a wonderfully typical teenager, wrestling with being a Jersey City girl who happens to come from a modern religious family. Like most teens, she's just trying to figure out how to fit in. Throughout this book, the text provides wonderful insights into Kamala's thoughts and character, while moving quickly along. The art is equally engaging and inviting. Alphona's somewhat comic figures balance Kamala's real-life conflicts with Wilson's wit, drawing us deeper and deeper into the story.

Note that while this is a reboot, readers do not necessarily need to know the original story. It may help, though, as there are some gaps in the beginning of the story. That said, Ms. Marvel is engaging for all readers (tweens and up) and is full of wonderful witticisms and humor while subtly introducing diversity in a previously told but equally engaging story.
SUMMARY
Ms. Marvel is about:

The typical American teenage girl experience;

The struggles and pressures of assimilation and fitting in while retaining family background, family history, and family religion;

The stresses of being an individual trying to fit into various cultural "boxes" or communities, which may or may not conflict with each other;

The ability to balance gifts and pressures in the world around her;

The fact that while a Muslim and a polymorph, what shapes and drives Kamala are her personality, her parents' teachings, her inner strengths and her values - not her labels.

In Ms. Marvel: No Normal, Kamala, a sixteen year old Muslim Pakistani-American, has a "sad nerd obsession with the Avengers" and tries to bridge her Muslim world and friends with the Jersey City kids with which she goes to school. The book opens with Kamala and her friend Nakia in the Circle Q convenience store talking with Bruno (Kamala's "second best friend"). Zoe and her boyfriend Josh walk in, and Zoe, all peaches and cream, condescendingly patronizes Kamala and her friends while inviting them to a waterfront party. While Nakia has no interest in attending because they'll be drinking alcohol. which is against her religion, Kamala wants to go. Despite the fact that Kamala's parents refuse to let her go, she sneaks out and goes anyway. While she sees and approaches Bruno, Zoe comes over to her, openly insults her, and Kamala runs away after they trick her into drinking alcohol. As she runs away, a mist envelops Jersey City, and Kamala meets the Avengers.

Not understanding where she is or what she's seeing, Captain America tells her "You are seeing what you need to see. You stand at a crossroads. You thought that if you disobeyed your parents - your culture, your religion - your classmates would accept you. What happened instead?" Kamala explains that they laughed at her and mocked her family and "brown people" but that she was there because she grew up American, from Jersey City and "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I don't know who I'm supposed to be." When Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) asks her who she wants to be, Kamala answers, "I want to be you." And just like that, she becomes a polymorph, although Captain Marvel warns her, "It is not going to turn out the way you think."

The first issue ends with Kamala finding herself trapped in a cocoon. As she punches her way out, she realizes she's been turned into Captain Marvel. She's got the white skin, blond hair, and tight-fitting, body-revealing costume - all of it.

In the second issue, Kamala struggles as she comes to grips with her transformation. On her way home she returns to the waterfront to see that Zoe and Josh are arguing. Zoe pushes herself away from Josh, lands in the water, and because she is drunk, is drowning. Kamala, with her powers and the voice of her father and the Quran echoing in her head, saves Zoe. She then runs home only to find she's been busted. Bruno, worried about Kamala, called her family to ask if she returned safely. When she hadn't, they stayed up waiting and worrying, only to bust her when she returned. This issue ends with Kamala realizing that while she still can't control her morphing power, she feels good about having saved a life and hopes that, "Maybe this is what I've been waiting for."

In the third issue, Kamala finds out she (looking like Carol Danvers' Captain Marvel) was on television and worries about being found out. Even though as Captain Marvel she looks nothing like Kamala, she worries that she's been discovered when she herself doesn't know how or why all this is happening. She is also still trying to learn how to control her powers while wrestling with how to deal with Bruno and his "betrayal." As she walks over to the Circle Q where he works, hoping to talk to him and work things out, she sees he's being held up. She texts the police and then enters as Captain Marvel to save the day. Instead, she gets shot.

In the fourth issue, Kamala finds that as a polymorph, she can heal quickly as long as she doesn't morph. While Bruno begins to call for an ambulance for Captain Marvel, Kamala tells him its her. She morphs to Kamala and begs him not to call for help. As Bruno learns Kamala's secret, Kamala learns that Vick, Bruno's younger brother was the one holding up the store. They keep Vick's identity a secret, and Kamala tells Bruno she wants to help. Bruno, after some convincing, agrees to let Kamala help and tells her that Vick usually hangs out at an abandoned house in Greenville. That evening, before going to rescue Vick, Kamala realizes she needs to be herself and not Captain Marvel. So she changes her costume and super hero look. She now is dressed in modest super-hero attire, wears high top sneakers instead of boots, and keeps her dark hair and complexion while changing her superhero name to Ms. Marvel. With her transformation complete she goes to rescue Vick only to realize that the guardian of the house, Doyle, has creepy "kitty" robots that overpower her. She shrinks to a mini-size to escape and regroup.

In the fifth and final issue in this volume, Kamala, after learning to master her polymorph powers, realizes she still needs some help and enlists Bruno. She asks to "borrow [his] science nerd brain" and the "super snot" polymer he's developing (a project he hopes will help his Rutgers application). She rubs some on her costume so it will stretch and shrink more efficiently as she does. Bruno also insists on accompanying her to the house. They have a code she'll send if she needs help. Kamala shrinks to enter, turns life-size as she rescues Vick, and then morphs into a giant as she storms (with Vick) out of the house. The Inventor, the evil mind behind the scheme, sends Kamala a warning as he angrily tells Doyle, "You haven't just created a problem, Doyle. You've created an urban legend. And the legend ends NOW!"

In Ms. Marvel: No Normal, Kamala learns that becoming blonde and Caucasian doesn't make her happy or glamorous or even popular. She eventually realizes however, that changing shape doesn't mean she can erase who she is. It doesn't protect her from others insulting her values, her family's values, or her religion. It also doesn't protect her from the wrath of her parents or from Sheikh Abdullah, who runs their mosque and its youth lectures she has to attend. Kamala even admits that, "Being someone else isn't liberating. It's exhausting. I always thought that if I had amazing hair, if I could pull off great boots, if I could fly - that would make me happy. But the hair gets in my face, the boots pinch... and the leotard is giving me an epic wedgie."

Kamala also finds that her father's teachings of the Quran give her the vision and strength to use her powers. Just before deciding to rescue Zoe, she remembers a passage from the Quran: "Whoever saves one person, it is as if he has saved all of mankind." She soon learns that while she may look like Captain Marvel on the outside, that's just a costume. What's inside is Kamala, and part of who Kamala is - her family, her religion, her friends, and her ethnicity - are what ultimately guide her and help her realize who she is and how she fits in.
TEACHING/DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS: Plot, Themes, and Values Related
While Wilson and Alphona have created a superhero comic in the classic Marvel mode, they offer a more progressive perspective in the characters, text, and artwork. Alphona provides a wonderful balance of gravitas and whimsy in his art, keeping the tone light and fun with his cartoonish-y exaggerated character expressions and flourishes. Balancing this quirkiness is Wilson's insightful text filled with imagery of its own. Alphona's cartoonish characters, fashion details, and use of color are engaging and add a delightful depth, complementing Wilson's highly expressive, real-life text. All this enables readers to embrace the diversity of their characters while adding a breath of fresh air to this rebooted story.
Critical Reading and Making Inferences
Whether used in classrooms or just read for fun, there is great depth of character and this book provides a wonderful look at the balancing of family, religion, and pop culture that all tweens and teens deal with.
Language, Literature, and Language Usage

Plot and discuss Kamala's goals and dreams. How do they change over the course of the book?

Plot and discuss Kamala's struggle balancing her Muslim Pakistani background with her Jersey City background. Discuss whether her struggles are unique to culturally diverse teens or more universal struggles felt by most American teens.

Discuss issues of assimilation touched upon in this book. Compare and contrast and how Bruno, Nakia, Kamala, and Aamir (Kamala's brother) all deal the need to fit in and with the rules and restrictions of the world around them.

Discuss the various ways people can be different, and the challenges they face as a result. Discuss what it is that makes Kamala different and what makes her like the other Jersey City kids. Discuss why it is so difficult for her to fit in. Discuss why it is difficult for various "different" people to fit in and what your class and community might do to help.

You may want to discuss Joseph Campbell's monomyth (see related links below) and how Kamala does/does not fit into the mythic "hero" stereotype.

Cultural Diversity, Civic Responsibilities, History, and Social Issues

Search for and discuss Wilson and Alphona's use of verbal and visual metaphor throughout the book. Explain how it is used to tell Kamala's story.

Search and discuss Wilson's witticisms and her use of inference. For example:

Discuss what Carol Danvers means when she tells Kamala, "You're about to get the kind of total reboot most people only dream about. But it is not going to turn out the way you think." Discuss how Kamala thinks it will turn out, and discuss how and why things don't always turn out the way we expect.

Discuss why Kamala questions: "This is what I asked for... so why don't I feel strong, confident and beautiful?"

Discuss what Kamala means when she realizes, "Being someone else isn't liberating, it's exhausting."

Discuss /debate: "Maybe putting on a costume doesn't make you brave. Maybe it's something else." Deliberate what makes one brave. What does it take to be a hero?

As Kamala adjusts to her new image and powers, she wonders, "What if I don't fit into my old life anymore? Like it's a pair of jeans I've just outgrown?" Discuss if /when your students have felt this way and why. What did they do to find their way and adjust? Discuss Wilson's use of simile here as well.

As Kamala comes to realize that her Ms. Marvel image has to relate to her, she notes: "Abu is right. Bruno was right. I'm not here to be a watered-down version of some other hero... I'm here to be the best version of Kamala." Discuss what this "best version" of Kamala should be. Have students/readers evaluate what their "best version" of themselves might/should be.

Discuss what The Inventor means when he tells Doyle, "...You haven't just created a problem... you've created an urban legend..." Discuss what urban legends are, and how/why Ms. Marvel may be one. Discuss why this may pose a threat to The Inventor and why Ms. Marvel's legend "must end now!"

Discuss why Kamala tells Captain Marvel she wants to be like her. Why like Carol Danvers and not someone else?

Modes of Storytelling and Visual Literacy

Search, find, and discuss Wilson's use of metaphor throughout the book.

Search for and discuss the many instances of irony across the stories and how it is used to shape the stories.

Search for Wilson's use of Arabic throughout the book. Discuss how it helps tell Kamala's story.

Search and discuss Wilson and Alphona's use of imagery, simile, and hyperbole to help tell their story. For example you might discuss:

Captain America's metaphor: "We are faith. We speak all languages of beauty and hardship." (Issue #1)

Kamala's description of what it feels like to morph: "Its like my skin is one big muscle and that muscle has tensed up." (Issue #2)

Kamala's description of the waterfront after she's transformed: "It smells of - secrets." How might secrets smell and what is the author trying to relay with this description?(Issue #2)

Kamala's adjustment to her new image:" What if I don't fit into my old life anymore? Like it's a pair of jeans I've just outgrown?"(Issue #3)

Nakia describes going to the Circle Q: "We'll just go to the Circle Q for a radio-active razzle-berry squishee." (Issue #3)

Discuss why it is so difficult for Kamala and Nakia to fit in. Discuss why it is difficult for "different" people to fit in and what your class and community might do to help others in your community belong.

Discuss the similarities and differences of Muslim customs versus American and/or any other cultures or religions represented in your classroom/community/reading group.

Discuss what it is like to feel and to look "different" from others and the importance of "fitting in." Conversely, discuss the importance of being oneself. Then, discuss what people might do to reach a comfortable balance between the two.

Discuss how cultural values can shape who and what we are.

Have students share their own cultural folklore. Compare and contrast how the stories are told/ written.

Define and discuss stereotyping:

Why we do it

Pros and cons

How prevalent it is in our daily lives

How hurtful it can be

How it has influenced, shaped and determined national and international incidences and reactions

What we can do to fight it

Have students share their own cultural folklore. Compare and contrast how the stories are told/ written.

Suggested Prose, Graphic Novel and Poetry Pairings
In graphic novels, images are used to relay messages with and without accompanying text, adding additional dimension to the story. Compare and contrast the use of verbal versus visual imagery in this volume. Discuss with students how images can be used to relay complex messages. For example:
Common Core State Standards (CCSS):

Evaluate how Alphona draws his main and supporting characters. Discuss how he adds personality in each of his character's visual rendering.

Discuss and evaluate Alphona's use of costume and fashion to depict his characters.

Have students hunt for visual and verbal examples of stereotyping throughout the book. Compare and contrast the visual and verbal means used to portray and to debunk these stereotypes.

In Issue #3, as Kamala tries to control her morphing in school, discuss how Alphona draws the supporting characters outside in the hall. How does this help tell the story.

Evaluate and discuss Alphona's use of color to portray moods, settings and locations.

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire: An introduction to the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece. Note that George O'Connor (First Second) is also putting out an exceptional collection of graphic novels accurately and creatively accounting the stories of the Greek gods. When reading these Greek Myths, discuss how Kamala's story does and does not parallel these myths.

The Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie: About a bright, motivated young Native American who must decide about commuting to a better all-white school off the reservation and face ridicule by the white kids he must befriend and from his local friends he leaves behind, or remain with his friends, who are heading nowhere fast. Compare and contrast how the characters from different cultures strive to fit in.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang: About a Chinese boy who struggles to fit in with his American classmates. Compare and contrast how Jin Wang and Kamala are similar/different and how they struggle to be American.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: About a teenage girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the ways in which religious and cultural upbringing can conflict with the trials of being a teen.

Captain Marvel, Young Avengers, and Captain Marvel: Earth's Mightiest Hero: Marvel comic series. Compare and contrast these Avenger/Captain Marvel series.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton: A story about the social divisions among kids and the mechanisms that drive their rivalry.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier: A story about a kid who defies social convention in his school and the subsequent fallout from his actions.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
While this book is written for tweens and older, it can be incorporated into language arts and content-area classes for a variety of grades. I therefore will be using the Common Core Anchor Standards for College and Career Readiness for Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening. Reading Ms. Marvel: No Normal and incorporating the teaching suggestions above promotes critical thinking and its graphic novel format provides verbal and visual story telling. Here's a more detailed look:
Help support CBLDF's important First Amendment work in 2015 by visiting the Rewards Zone, making a donation, or becoming a member of CBLDF! All images (c) Marvel Entertainment.

Knowledge of Language: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

Range of reading and level of text complexity: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently

Meryl Jaffe, PhD teaches visual literacy and critical reading at Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth Online Division and is the author of Raising a Reader! and Using Content-Area Graphic Texts for Learning. She used to encourage the "classics" to the exclusion comics, but with her kids' intervention, Meryl has become an avid graphic novel fan. She now incorporates them in her work, believing that the educational process must reflect the imagination and intellectual flexibility it hopes to nurture. In this monthly feature, Meryl and CBLDF hope to empower educators and encourage an ongoing dialogue promoting kids' right to read while utilizing the rich educational opportunities graphic novels have to offer. Please continue the dialogue with your own comments, teaching, reading, or discussion ideas at meryl.jaffe@cbldf.org and please visit Dr. Jaffe at http://www.departingthe text.blogspot.com.

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Using Graphic Novels In Education: Ms. Marvel

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Welcome to Using Graphic Novels in Education OVERVIEW , an ongoing feature from CBLDF that is designed to allay confusion around the content of graphic novels and to help parents and teachers raise readers.

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Meet Ms. Marvel - the popular new Muslim superhero

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Meet Ms. Marvel - the popular new Muslim superhero

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Fra CBS Evening News

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Meet Ms. Marvel - the popular new Muslim superhero

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Ms.Marvel (No Normal) - SHORT FILM / ALARAS PRODUCTIONS

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Classroom teaching Guide - fokus på diskussion og popkultur

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Classroom teaching Guide - fokus på diskussion og popkultur

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This is the story of Kamala Khan, a Muslim teenager from Jersey City, who rebels against her parents' wishes, to attend a party. As she struggles at the party to fit in with her classmates, a mysterious mist endows Kamala with amazing powers. This, of course, changes her life substantially, as she has to decide whether to conceal her powers from her family and friends, and whether to use them to fight crime.
Hi! Before you read this review, you may want to read "How to Teach with Comics", for a basic foundation on why comic books and graphic novels are an effective teaching tool.

ISBN 078519021X (ISBN13: 9780785190219), English

Difficulty

5-12 grade level.

This book explores high school situations, specifically the social development of teenagers. There are scenes of violence and brief discussions of teen dating, as well as explorations of conflicting cultures. The vocabulary is consistent with the reading level of most young adult fiction, and the author strikes a good balance between drama and comedy. In addition, the artist packs the background with funny sight gags.

Themes

Friendship - Kamala has a core of friends who she's able to discuss her struggles with, whether internal or external.

Culture and religion- As an American raised by immigrant parents, Kamala struggles with the clash of her parents' culture and the culture she was raised in. This shows itself in both comical and serious ways in the story.

Acceptance - Kamala searches for acceptance from her family and her peers, and tries to find peace with her own identity, even as she struggles to define it.

Discussion Questions

1. The author uses Kamala's family to illustrate the cultural differences between growing up in America and growing up in Pakistan. How does this difference come through in their conversations?

2. How does the author use Kamala's friendships to show her strengths and weaknesses? Cite examples from the story.

3. The author spends a significant amount of time contrasting Kamala's physical appearance with that of her favorite superhero, Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel. Why do you think Wilson made this storytelling decision? What do these physical differences say about Kamala's acceptance of her own heritage?

4. Kamala's family seems to be more protective of her than they are of her brother. What similar ways do you see boys and girls treated differently in your own culture? Where do you think these differences come from?

5. Kamala tries to keep her powers a secret from everyone at first. Do you think this was the right decision? How do you decide what to share with family and friends, or what to keep to yourself?

6. One of Kamala's struggles was deciding how much of her culture to share with the people in her school. How should she have handled that? How would you?

7. Explore with students how this text may remind them of another story, book, movie or song. They can identify similarities and differences in these familiar media, and then discuss how those themes show up in their own lives, as well as current world events. When students can build these connections, they are able to better comprehend and make meaning of the ideas in the text.

Lesson Ideas

1. This book is most suited for upper middle and high school grade levels.

2. Based on grade level and reading ability, students can read the story independently or with partners. If you choose to read it as a whole class, you may consider projecting the pages onto a screen and assigning different students to read various characters' dialogue.

3. If some students are unfamiliar with the format, you may want to use the article linked at the top of this page as a quick lesson in how to read graphic novels. You'll want to go over this quick lesson as a class, to make sure everyone understands it before proceeding with the reading in this lesson.

Reading/writing

1. Be sure to review the definitions of vocabulary terms. You'll want to pull words out of the story that are appropriate to the grade level you're teaching.

2. Lead students in a discussion of storytelling devices employed in this book, like humor, foreshadowing, conflict, etc.

Art

Lead students in a discussion of how the story's art communicates its themes (through color, page design, lettering, panel placements, style).

Social studies

1. Lead students in a discussion in which you have them identify the themes of the graphic novel, and how they touch on political and social themes of today.

2. Lead students in a discussion about the social and political conflicts of coming from another country, and trying to assimilate into American life.

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This is the story of Kamala Khan, a Muslim teenager from Jersey City, who rebels against her parents' wishes, to attend a party. As she struggles at the party to fit in with her classmates, a mysterious mist endows Kamala with amazing powers. This, of course, changes her life substantially.

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Marvel's Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal In GraphicAudio Trailer

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7. -10. klasse

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Ms. Marvel Study Guide -  Who did, who said what?

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Ms. Marvel Study Guide -  Who did, who said what?

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7. -10. klasse

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Ms. marvel study guide Flashcards | Quizlet

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Start studying Ms. marvel study guide. Learn vocabulary, terms and more with flashcards, games and other study tools.

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Vocabulary - flashcards  engelsk/engelsk

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Vocabulary - flashcards  engelsk/engelsk

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Ted Talk

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The story behind Marvel's Muslim-American superheroine

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When Marvel Comics asked G. Willow Wilson to create an American-Muslim superheroine, she told them they were crazy: "New characters don't sell, female characters don't sell, minority characters don't sell." But her Pakistani-American character, Kamala Khan -- Ms. Marvel -- turned out to be a huge hit.

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The Writer of Ms. Marvel Talks About Growing Up With Superpowers at NYCC 2014

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Using Comics in the English Language Classroom - ideer til mundtlighed og samtale m.m.

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Using Comics in the English Language Classroom - ideer til mundtlighed og samtale m.m.

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What the New Ms. Marvel Means for Muslims in Comics

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What the New Ms. Marvel Means for Muslims in Comics

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fra Code Switch, Gene Demby

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subscribe to Code Switch podcast

subscribe to Code Switch podcast

Marvel Comics recently said that it is reimagining Ms. Marvel, one of its superheroines, as an American teenager named Kamala Khan. But the news has gotten so much attention because Khan is Muslim.

Some quick background: The old Ms. Marvel was a blond military pilot who could fly, shrug off bullets, and shoot energy blasts from her hands. (Because aliens or something.) But Khan is a teenager from New Jersey who will be able to grow and shrink different parts of her body, and eventually she'll be able to shape-shift.

"Kamala has all of her opportunities in front her, and she is loaded with potential, but her parents' high expectations come with tons of pressure," Marvel said in a press release. "When Kamala suddenly gets powers that give her the opportunity to be just like her idol, Captain Marvel, it challenges the very core of her conservative values."

Notably, the new Ms. Marvel will be edited by Sana Amanat, herself a Muslim.

We decided to pick the brains of a few Muslim comics fans to see what this might augur for the future of Muslim representations in comics. Mariam Asad is a doctoral candidate in digital media at Georgia Tech. Zainab Akhtar blogs about comics at Comics & Cola. Muaz Zekeria runs the gaming blog Twinfinite.

Here are some highlights from our exchange.
Gene Demby: How do you think Muslims and Islam are represented in comics now? Are there any depictions that you think are done especially well?
Zainab Akhtar: Awww, man. Are we talking all comics and not just mainstream comics?
Demby: We are!
Akhtar: Well, I would say it's rarely represented unless it's represented negatively. There was, for example, this recent gem of an example, in the small press/independent comics scene of which I'm more familiar, in which the author claimed to be riffing on B-movies of the action and gross-out vein, with the "good white guys" killing brown bearded men who spoke gibberish and yelled things like "Allahu Akbar." The subsequent comments thread was very interesting. There was some vague explanation about it being satire, but lazy satire which has no point still has the ability to be racist and Islamaphobic. There's a lot of that going around, to varying degrees.

I was actually talking about this the other day with a friend, and my own views on it are ever-shifting, but representation of other cultures, races and religions by the best-intentioned people who are not from those groups lack the ability to capture the nuance and subtleties and understanding of what they're portraying. Craig Thompson's Habibi, is a beautiful, beautiful book, and I love that the clear admiration and respect he has for the language and script - but there were parts of it which fetishised and emphasized the exoticness of Arab culture, and the distinctions between culture and religion were not always made. ... People who aren't aware of those cultures and religions then read these depictions as given. I'm all for representation, but the way to get it right is to allow those people to tell their own stories, which simply doesn't happen, due to a white, middle-class hegemony of the literary establishment, which extends to comics to a significant degree.

The way people of colour, or religion, or anything else should be written shouldn't be what defines them. Character comes first. ... I'm a person, you know, I like comics, crap food, crappier music, and I also happen to be Muslim. It's a huge part of me, but it's not the way I introduce myself, or the way I want to be perceived necessarily.

The way people of colour, or religion, or anything else should be written shouldn't be what defines them. Character comes first. ... I'm a person, you know, I like comics, crap food, crappier music, and I also happen to be Muslim. It's a huge part of me, but it's not the way I introduce myself, or the way I want to be perceived necessarily. I want people to think of me as a person, not as a Muslim and, let's be honest, all the negative connotations that carries in society today.

With Ms. Marvel, I'm a little more hopeful, due to the fact that two Muslim ladies are in charge of it. I can see why her being Muslim is such a big deal, even as I wish she weren't marketed as such.

Muaz Zekeria: We're not portrayed positively in most media, so comics can't be expected to be much different. ... Any Muslim superheroes I've seen introduced goes through the same cycle: introduced; heavily featured in one book; book either gets canceled or wraps up; character fades into the background; and is rarely, if ever, heard from or featured again. This also goes for most minority characters. I think Luke Cage, Black Panther, Cyborg and John Stewart are the only ones who have bucked this trend, and even they don't get as much attention as your Iron Man, Captain America, Batman, Superman, etc.

Mariam Asad: The 99 is my favourite representation of Muslims in comics so far. I think Zainab hit the nail on the head: A "good" depiction for me - not just of Islam, but any religion or culture or character - is one that is nuanced and multifaceted. It's not about creating an archetype to represent an entire group, it's not about "getting" or understanding them. That, to me, makes a representation or a depiction feel cheap and exploitative, like it's a static platitude to be consumed and never considered again. That's not what any kind of identity is about, right? People are complex, and being Muslim is just one part of that complexity, and The 99 I feel does that justice. It's not to downplay being Muslim, of course, or to dismiss it, but instead it's more like incorporating religion into the larger, more holistic representation of what it is to be a person: you're a human being first, and Muslim second (or third, or fourth, or ninth, or whatever).
Demby: Could you give us some examples of those negative depictions?
Akhtar: One of Batman's staunchest villains has been Muslim, although his religion is rarely discussed. I'm talking about Ra's Al Ghul which translates from Arabic to "Demon's head." I don't mind that he's a villain at all, because he's consistently portrayed as a smart, intelligent, genius-level guy, who while wanting to cleanse the world of evil, obviously goes about it the wrong way. So of course, in Batman Begins he was played by... Liam Neeson. Couldn't possibly have a smart, elegant, Arab dude be a reasonable-ish villain now! (Same thing happened with Khan in Star Trek.)

Zekeria: Has Ra's ever actually been portrayed as a Muslim? I haven't been following DC for that long so I genuinely don't know. The only thing I know of his portrayals is that he's the Orientalist idea of an exotic Middle Eastern villain.

I've never actually seen Muslims portrayed in comics as villains. It seems Marvel and DC are very careful as to never show them as Muslim bad guys, just Middle Eastern bad guys or insurgents.

The closest I think either have come to saying "This is a Muslim villain," was during The Ultimates 2. The leader of the Ultimates' counterpart, the Liberators, is Colonel Abdul al-Rahman who is the Captain America equivalent. There was also a Syrian mutant named Swarm, who was The Wasp's counterpart.

Akhtar: Ra's isn't religious and sort of views himself as a god, but I've always assumed back when he was a man he was a Muslim - that's the reading I got - could be wrong, of course!

Asad: Oh man. I'm actually less familiar with negative depictions. Whenever I'd see news or articles or whatever about Muslim superheroes, I'd intentionally avoid reading them if they weren't about something positive. I feel like I read enough about negative portrayals of Muslims in other media (the Coachella Valley mascot, anyone?). Though I do remember one of the Arabian Knights being super awful, like wearing-a-turban-wielding-a-scimitar-on-a-magic-flying-carpet awful. That was Marvel, right? [Ed. note: Yes, in fact. There was a turban-clad Marvel character named the Arabian Knight who wielded a mystical scimitar and rode an indestructible flying carpet.]
Demby: Real quick: Could you rattle off some other Muslim superheroes? I've been trying to think of other characters whose religions have been a big part of their stories at all. So far I can only remember two X-Men: Nightcrawler, a devout Catholic; and Dust, the Muslim X-man who turns into sand. (This reminds me of Jubilee, the Chinese-American member of the X-Men whose initial power was fireworks. #headdesk.)
Akhtar: The only other Muslim heroes I can think of are Faiza Hussain, created by Paul Cornell for Marvel, in consultation with a group of Muslim women; she operates under the code name Excalibur (again with the sword thing - generally an "Eastern" icon/weapon), is a medical doctor, and also briefly became Captain Britain for a time (the comic she appeared in), and her portrayal is well-done.

There was also the Muslim "Batman," aka Nightrunner, aka Bilala Asselah, an Algerian French black Sunni Muslim. He was recruited by Bruce Wayne in the "Incorporated" storyline, where Batman wanted to go global and for there to be a Batman in each country in the world. It was a very well-written storyline, and nicely characterized, more contemporary and contextual, taking in French politics, and attitudes towards Muslims, etc.

Both are fringe characters, though, only appearing in the comics intermittently.

Zekeria: Other than the aforementioned heroes, I can really only remember two. Simon Baz, who is the new(-est) Green Lantern. He's from Dearborn, Mich., which has the country's highest population of Arab-Americans. He's also the son of immigrants, and when DC was introducing and setting up the character, they made a point of touching on how he has to balance his two identities before ever having put on the ring. An interesting little tidbit that stood out to me was a scene when Simon is mistakenly arrested for a terrorist plot, and one of the interrogating federal agents pointing out a tattoo Simon has on his arm that reads "Courage" in Arabic, and asking why Simon had the tattoo if they are forbidden in Islam. While to the average reader that may seem like just regular knowledge, I was impressed since it showed that not only was DC making an Arab-American superhero, but they were also doing research into the religion instead of just going off what people think they know about Islam, most of which is inaccurate.

The second super is Monet St. Croix, a mutant member of X-Force. The character has long been established as having a half Algerian, half Afro-European heritage. For the longest time, that was about all that I knew of her background, but in a recent issue (I want to say the past 12-18 issues but I can't find my copy right now) she revealed that she self-identifies as a Muslim. I don't think that it has been mentioned since, but the series ended last month or the month before so I don't know if that was something the writer, Peter David, meant to expand upon in the future.

Just to touch on what Zainab was talking about, Faiza Hussein actually wields Excalibur, so it's not so much a rehashing of the "Eastern weapon" iconography but more of a meshing of the East and West. She also had to deal with more conservative parents and balancing her British, Muslim, superhero and doctor identities.

Asad: Yeah, Dust is the first hero that I think of and, I mean, enough said, right? The other superhero that comes to mind is Ibn al Xu'ffasch from the Kingdom Come series, who's the son of Batman and Talia al Ghul in an alternate universe. (I warned you I was more of a DC lady!) I don't know that he's canon though, and I'm pretty sure he's never actually identified as Muslim.

When I think of Muslim superheros, I think of The 99 series. It's published by a Kuwaiti publisher, and I remember it got lots of coverage, like a TED talk, and I think President Obama gave it a shout-out at one point. The 99 is a reference to the 99 names of God (which are also characteristics of God, if my summer school memories serve me right), which is fairly prominent in Muslim tradition. I was really happy to see The 99 come out because it wasn't on-the-nose religious, but a subtle, more complex perspective of Islam; the series dealt with virtues, not dogmas.
Demby: Does being Muslim complicate your fandom?
Asad: It doesn't really play a role for me at all. I mean, my being Muslim impacts how I consume some television shows or movies or video games, but somehow I've given comics a pass? It might have something to do with the time in my life when I was really heavy into comics - it was more in my earlier teenage years when I wasn't really interrogating my cultural or ethnic identities too much, so maybe it's just bad timing?

Akhtar: Yeah, it doesn't really affect the things I read or consume. That's down to taste and preference. Actually, I guess I actively tend to avoid things [that tackle] overtly Islamic issues; I've never watched Homeland for that purpose; I have no desire to see yet another rehashing of all those themes. I'm tired of it all.

Zekeria: Honestly, it doesn't affect it at all. The only way these two ever intersect is when dealing with the "gods" in comics such as Thor or the Greek pantheon in DC comics. One of the main creeds of Islam, as in all other monotheistic religions, is that there is only one God. But, obviously they are fictitious characters in fictitious universes in comic books, so it doesn't affect me. I mean, I even still consider Thor my favorite superhero. ...

I don't really find myself avoiding media that focuses on Islam, but I've come to expect at best an inaccurate depiction, and at worst a portrayal of Muslims as ignorant, bloodthirsty, violent savages. I'm looking forward to seeing what Marvel does with Kamala, but I feel like this is more of a short-term thing than the establishment of a character that we'll be seeing and talking about for the next 10, 20, 30-plus years. I'd love to be wrong, but I'm not that hopeful.

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What The New Ms. Marvel Means For Muslims In Comics

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subscribe to Code Switch podcast subscribe to Code Switch podcast Marvel Comics recently said that it is reimagining Ms. Marvel, one of its superheroines, as an American teenager named Kamala Khan. But the news has gotten so much attention because Khan is Muslim.

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