1. Ms Marvel #1 by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona (Marvel)
And the most awesome comic of the week is... Forever Evil #5! Ha! That comic stinks. Seriously DC, get better! No, the best comic this week is easily G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona's Ms Marvel #1. The comic set the internet afire last November when it was announced Marvel was adding a Muslim/American teen girl to its roster of superheroes and amazingly has managed to live up to the hype! Kamala Khan is a 16 year old Pakistani/American in New Jersey who wishes she were different. Teased for her religion and her culture, she's torn between her family's traditional Pakistani heritage and the appeal of the American society she feels drawn to. Then one day the Terrigen Mist descends and everything changes for young Kamala... First of all, the art - it doesn't look like a Marvel comic. It's undeniably amazing but, like the art on Hawkeye, it feels like it belongs in an Image comic or even farther afield in smaller indie presses like Top Shelf or Red 5. Like the best art styles in Marvel comics, Alphona's is a blend of realism and cartoonishness so that you're always aware you're reading a comic but with certain panels looking utterly real. Wilson's script doesn't read like a usual superhero script either, with the reveal of Kamala's new superhero identity happening on the very last page and Captain Marvel, Iron Man and Captain America showing up in a wonderful hallucinatory sequence - and the comic is actually better for it. The way Wilson brings Kamala to life, making her a convincing teen with her hobby of writing online Avengers fanfic, wishing she could eat bacon, and simply dealing with the spiteful barbs thrown at her by her spoilt (white) American peers, make her endearing and real. It reminded me a lot of Faith Erin Hicks' work and I think if you enjoy her books, you'll really love this it's the perfect blend of Friends With Boys and The Adventures of Superhero Girl. I could read an entire series about Kamala's life completely without the superhero angle to it, that's how good Wilson's characterisation is. Not being Muslim myself I can't speak as to the accuracy of the depictions of the religion here, or whether the Urdu is correct but Wilson herself is Muslim so I take it as read that she's writing from experience and that she's got it right. Plus that hallucination scene where former Ms Marvel/current Captain Marvel's speaking Urdu is just beautifully drawn by Alphona. It's the most arresting splash page I've seen in ages. Decent first issues introduce the main character and their world; great first issues like Ms Marvel #1 make you fall in love with the character instantly. Ms Marvel #1 is written and drawn with enormous skill and imagination and it's a delightful read. All I can say is if the series continues in this vein, we're looking at one of the best new titles of the year and another sure-fire hit for Marvel. * Those are my picks for the week a comic about dogs and a trio of superb Marvel #1s! But what were your favourites? Let me know in the comments below, follow me on Twitter @NoelThorne, and I'll see you guys next week!