Ms. Marvel proves Muslim-American heroes sell
Last February, the new Ms. Marvel had her first issue sold. Ms. Marvel #1 sold over 50,000 print copies, and that’s not including digital sales. It was the 24th most sold comic in February 2014. More recently, Marvel had a rare sixth printing of the first issue.
Why do these numbers matter? The new Ms. Marvel is a Pakistani-American girl. Ms. Marvel, lead by a Muslim teenager, is being published in a time where Islamophobia is prominent in our society. These numbers show how well Ms. Marvel is doing as the first title to be lead by a Muslim-American superhero. This may bring more heroes like her to comics.
Kamala Khan is a quirky teenager living in New Jersey. She is a character struggling with identity, not only as a Pakistani-American girl, but as an inhuman descendent and an inexperienced superhero. Anyone can relate to Kamala because of her other personality traits. She is the fangirl obsessed with heroes and comics. She writes fanfiction and plays MMORPGs. She is the unpopular nerd. She is the empowerment fantasy superhero fans are used to.
Whether or not you can connect to her cultural identity and home life, you are going to connect to her personality and love for fandom. This is why she is selling so well. She is a character that people can see a piece of themselves in. This is especially true for a minority that deserves representation.
Not only is the comic diverse because of Kamala and her family, but the main writer is a woman. G. Willow Wilson is an American Muslim woman bringing her own insight and experiences to the title. Comics are seriously lacking in women on their creative teams. Having Wilson writing shows that Marvel is making an effort to bring diversity to their comics. With Ms. Marvel’s sales, it’s obvious that their effort is paying off.
Ms. Marvel is doing well enough for there to be a rumor of a show on ABC. With the amount Ms. Marvel has sold, I wouldn’t be surprised if we do get the miniseries. Here’s to hoping it happens!
