I don't want to say too much about the story arcs, I'd rather concentrate on Kamala herself, and her interactions with others. Her adventures are exciting and dangerous, including dastardly villains, several of whom I gather have been seen before in the Marvel universe. She also gets to work alongside other superheroes, including Captain Marvel herself, as well as Iron Man and others. I know there have been changes to other characters the past couple of years, but this is the first time I've seen the new female Thor, although her appearance is very brief. Others are there but not identified, one of them might have been Sam Wilson/Falcon, but in his alternate Captain America phase. Not sure of the details on that transformation, but I believe that occured before the Civil War 2 scenario, which is what Ms. Marvel's Volume 6 is about. The important thing is they all accept the new Ms. Marvel as one of the team, help her out when they can, allow her to help them when possible. This didn't happen right away, she was alone in her battles for the first couple of volumes, but we learn the Avengers have been keeping an eye on her, and are aware of her skills and her conviction to help others in need. Her basic credo is something she knows from the Quran, "Whoever saves one person, it is as if he has saved all of mankind." As much as she feels restricted by her family, she is also devout in her faith. Each of her family members expresses that faith in different ways, just as is the case in many Christian or Jewish families. One, she is not forced to wear a hijab, and doesn't, although her best friend Nakia does. Her father works at a bank, is grateful for what America has provided for him, but he's still a bit homesick for Pakistan and other family still there. He goes to mosque services but it's not the most important thing in his life. Her older brother is apparently going through a phase of sincere devotion, which I gather is a recent thing. But he's not radical, far from it, simply intent on following the words of the Prophet to the best of his ability. Kamala's mother is the glue that holds them all together, and we find out late in the fourth volume she's known Kamala's secret for a while, and supports her work 100%.

And then there are her friends. Nakia is more like what most people would think of as the typical Muslim girl, in both dress and comportment. Kamala loves her, but doesn't necessarily want to be like her. She would rather revel in her geekiness, which aligns more with her Italian friend Bruno. He's sort of a slacker version of Agents of SHIELD's Leo Fitz. A brilliant chemist, as well as an engineer, he's the first to learn Kamala's secret, which happens when she fends off a robber at the convenience store where he works. He helps her create a new costume that will hold up to her embiggenings, as well as contract when she reduces down to miniscule size. She can flatten herself to go underneath a door or squeeze through other narrow passages. Kamala values his friendship and his help, but things get complicated when he says he would like their relationship to be more serious. She does have feelings for him, but feels more of an obligation to continue her heroic deeds. She regrets that later when he starts seeing another girl, although she also becomes friends with her, and I think it won't be long before Mike (Michaela) learns her secret too. That may have already happened in stories beyond where I've read, so I'm anxious to continue with Kamala's journey. Because she's still so young, there is a playfulness in her behavior even in the direst of situations. I got the impression she sometimes approached her work as if it was just a virtual video game. The artwork in the action scenes is a lot more cartoonish as well. Yes, I know it's a comic book, but the art in other scenes is much more natural and realsitic. This attitude is probably what keeps her sane even though the rigors of her extracurricular activities is grinding her down. She wants to keep up with her schoolwork, she doesn't want to alienate her family and friends, but her commitment to the work of a hero takes precedence. This dedication may harm her for a while, as I gather she clashes with some of the Avengers in the next volume, and maybe her family later, but I feel confident she will do the right thing. She is a hero because she did not run away from the responsibility. She's a hero not only to herself, but to Jersey City and the world. A hero to all Muslims and to all Americans in the real world too. Long may she reign as Ms. Marvel!

One other thing: one of the extra stories in the Omnibus (not sure if it's in any of the individual volumes) has Kamala meeting and working with Phil Coulson and Jemma Simmons. My reaction? Please, PLEASE, get Kamala on Agents of SHIELD!

I highly recommend this series, which was co-created by editors Sana Amanat, Stephen Wacker, and G. Willow Wilson. Both Ms. Amanat and Wilson are Muslim too, and have worked in the comic industry for several years each, but had longed to see a character like themselves on the page. Wilson has been the primary writer for the series, at least for all the issues I have read, and hopefully that will continue. It's easy to believe she knows Kamala inside and out. The following are Amazon links to all available collections. The omnibus is in hardcover only, the individual volumes in paperback, but they're available in Kindle versions too. You might could also track down individual issues online or at your local comic shop.