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FindingJane
Jun 20, 2017FindingJane rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Teenaged superheroes have their own set of problems. Adult supers have to deal with only supervillains, alien conquerors from other planets and the occasional escaped dangerous lab experiment. Adolescents in their shoes have to worry about homework, grades and curfew. Kamala Khan has the additional burden of a repressive religious background. She’s never fitted in with her supposed Pakistani heritage (she’s been reared in New Jersey, for goodness sake) but yearning to be blond and beautiful so she can run with the popular crowd isn’t happening for her either. Her parents want her to attend pre-wedding ceremonies, go to temple and keep away from boys and alcohol (no parties for you, missy!). So they ground her at the first sign of trouble. Unfortunately, trouble comes in the form of a mysterious ground mist. Goodbye, adolescence. Hello, superpower. In one of the most bizarre transformation scenes I’ve ever witnessed in and out of a comic book, Kamala’s change is accompanied by a mind-altering vision featuring the Avengers. It’s so funny that I actually found myself laughing. You’ve never seen funny until you’ve seen Iron Man cradling what looks like a winged sloth and flashing a peace sign. The illustrations are expressive without being heavy on detailing. But I enjoyed the differences, especially scenes when Kamala is having mundane interactions with her friends and family. They pose an integral part of her story, not merely as inconveniences to be shoved aside when she has to dart out to fight crime. This is a superhero origin story with a difference and one that drew me in from the first page when I saw Kamala drooling over a harim sandwich. American or not, ordinary or super powered, life is filled with tough choices. Ms. Khan has her work cut out for her and I can’t wait to see her take it on—along with all the assorted bad guys in New Jersey.