For most people, the phrase “superhero comics” doesn’t automatically evoke an image of a teenage Muslim girl from Jersey City. But that image describes Ms. Marvel — street name Kamala Khan — the first Muslim superhero to have her own series of comic books in the Marvel universe.
Ms. Marvel creator G. Willow Wilson visited CU-Boulder Thursday for “Islam in Comics,” an event co-sponsored by the Cultural Events Board of CU and the Project Nur chapter of CU. Wilson spoke to a diverse crowd in the Glenn Miller Ballroom before taking questions and signing books. Wilson’s presentation aimed to empower social groups, including millennials, women and Muslims.
“The whole point of this was to introduce a narrative of Islam outside of the typical terror and oppression-stricken faith, and hopefully Islam will be a bit more normalized and not be as foreign and dangerous as a lot of people perceive it to be,” said Alex Elnagdy, president of CU’s Project Nur chapter.
Part of Wilson’s talk focused on the importance of Ms. Marvel‘s success.
“In times of tremendous upheaval, we need stories to remind us of what’s worth fighting for,” she said, referencing the wars in the Middle East as well as climate change.
She reminded the audience of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, created after World War I, as well as Superman and X-Men, both created by Jewish cartoonists during World War II, and how they became escapes for many people who thought the world was trending toward its end.
“Giving people hope is only one part of the equation — you have to give them purpose to keep trying,” Wilson said.
Wilson said some of that purpose comes with a more accepting culture. A lot of the fear of Islam and of cultural minority groups stems from lack of familiarity, Wilson said. She avoids making Ms. Marvel comics overly violent, to contradict stereotypes.
“We’ve all thought: ‘Who am I?’ and ‘What am I going to be when I grow up?’ and all of those are questions you ask no matter what your background,” Wilson said. “I try to put those touchstones in the comic.”
Both Wilson’s speech and the Q&A emphasized the uniqueness of Ms. Marvel. The main character, Khan, doesn’t have a troubled past or dark upbringing. Her story is not one of darkness, a deliberate decision on Wilson’s part.
Instead, Khan’s most significant ongoing conflict is the turmoil of finding her own identity. The character opts not to wear a headscarf, representing a multitude of American Muslim teen girls that don’t regularly wear religious garments. According to Wilson, Ms. Marvel reflects a legacy character whose evolution and journey emphasize the generational shift in the comics community.
“[Wilson] definitely conveyed her ideas well and connected them to the context not only of her own experience with Islam and Islamophobia, but also connecting it to intersectionality as a whole — not just for Muslim Americans but for all of Generation Y,” said Deanna Payne, a second-year student at CU. “I really could connect to Kamala Khan as a character because I can understand balancing family, religion and education all in one, but I just don’t have superpowers.”
Above all, Wilson made it clear that she’s not ready to give up on the world just yet, identifying as a millennial herself.
“The millennial generation is an audience that prefers to know exactly how bad things are,” Wilson said in her speech.
“Sometimes a mess stays a mess,” she continued, referencing the popular perception that millennials will fix current problems. “There’s not always a way out. But there is always a way forward.”
Contact CU Independent News Staff Writer Lucy Haggard at lucy.haggard@colorado.edu.
