An instant apart!

A moment beyond!

Loose from the shackles of past, present, future- a place where time has no meaning!

But where true insight can be gained!

Make your choice! Select your destination!

This Journey is a gift…

Marvel Comics Presents

Generations : The Marvels

• G. Willow Wilson – writer
• Paolo Villanelli – artist
• Ian Herring – color artist
• VC’s Joe Caramagna – letterer

Originally publish date : November 2017

The Vanishing Point

This small set of the Generations comics are some of the best Marvel produced comics I’ve ever read. One of the set made me cry, but that’s another story for another day. I love these stories. In a nutshell, they bring the old you know with the new you learn together for an adventure of a lifetime. I want to write about all of them but that would take far too long. I’m picking out my favorite few, and over the next few weeks, I’ll drop in one of these to bring to you what I most love about comics, amazing adventures. We start with this one because I think it’ll grab some curiosity with the current film being a buzz in theaters, The Marvels. This issue focuses on Kamala Khan and Carol Danvers, the Ms. Marvels of the Marvel comic universe. It is based in the 60’s during Carol’s time as a women’s magazine editor. Let’s get some pavement under our feet…

The issue opens up with Carol in a meeting at the magazine. She calls everything to attention and introduces herself, Editor-in-chief. They go around the room saying who they are and what they cover. At the end of the table, Carol calls attention to the new face. She says her name is Karina, the new intern. DUNDUNDUNNNN It’s the one and only Kamala Khan in disguise. WHAAA you say in return. Stunning, I know. But how? Why?

Long story short, she got sucked into the timestream. She doesn’t know how, why, or for what reason this has happened. We see her zipping through time and space itself. WHACK! She lands in the 1960’s. Clearly at first she has no idea where she is, she asks a gentleman why everything looks so funny. That’s comical coming from a girl with a mask on. That’s when it hits her! The cube sent her to the past!

She knows she was sent back to the past for a reason that has yet presented itself to her. She slides into a ladies clothing store to try and blend in. She struts out of there in some dashing clothes. Twenty bucks goes a lot further then than it does now! Fitting in was just the start of her journey into the unknown. All of a sudden she’s bumped out of the way! “‘scuse me kid! I’m on a deadline! Gotta get those Spider-Man shots!” says the one and only Peter Parker with a camera around his neck.

She’s pulled into the building she was standing in front of. She gets yelled at for being late by J. Jonah Jameson, naturally of course. He tells her to hurry and she might catch Ms. Danver’s morning meeting. Ahha! He calls her Karina and she’s on her way. Kamala sits in the meeting with the other ladies. Carol Danvers, THE Ms. Marvel. Kamala thinks that Carol looks happier, no more weight of the world stuff. She’s just running this magazine. Carol gave up a career in the Air Force at this point to become Editor, because you know that’s just what women did then.

The meeting is trying to decide what to do next with the magazine. What do the readers really want? SKREEEE! Carol is interrupted by a ghastly looking bird-woman who says her name is Barbara Nelson. She’s prepared to purchase the magazine for a handsome sum. She says Jameson already took a proposal. Karina (Kamala shhh) tells her to buzz off. Shooo away. Stoop somewhere else. I’ve got bird puns all day errday. Carol sets the ladies to work. She sets Kamala on assignment to bring her a new story. Then Carol sets out to investigate this hostile takeover…

As Carol struts down the street, Kamala cannot help but admire the strength and competence she bleeds out in every moment. Mission first mentality. Kamala is forever linked to Carol by name, but they’re separated by time, history, and they’re incompatible flaws. CLUNK! Kamala goes face first into a cloaked ship. Oops. It decloaks and its the one and only Barbara Nelson! As she threatens the end of all humans on earth, Ms. Marvel, Carol, appears. Barbara clears out that her real name is Nightscream (Shi’ar) and she was exiled by the Shi’ar for her deviant ideology. She a freak, nahmean. Carol and Nightscream race to do battle. BOOM! Crack! Sit yo ass down, Nightscream.

Carol is struck by Nightscream’s Trilithium blades! Carol calls for a draw, the two of them are too evenly matched and some innocent people will end up getting hurt. Whomp! A giant sized Kamala Khan slams Nightscream into the pavement with a giant paw. They have a ‘I’m Ms. Marvel, whhhhaaa, SO AM I’ moment. I hope Captain America and Captain Marvel have that sort of deal in Endgame. Ba-Boom! Nightscream sets off a grenade and takes off in her ship.

Carol sets off to make sure all innocent bystanders are okay. Kamala always wants to be like Carol in that way. She and Carol just see how to do the mission in different ways. Sometimes too different to even work together.That’s actually how they stopped working together after she took on the mantle of Ms. Marvel. She’s doesn’t see herself as Carol’s successor anymore, but seeing Carol as Ms. Marvel again has struck a familiar core. Belief. What if there was a way to work around their contradictions? Unify the mission.

That’s it! Kamala takes off! She understands why she’s there. She knows her mission isn’t to solve their issues in the future, but to set something right, then and there. Carol shows back up at the newspaper. Jameson is ready to shut the magazine down, women’s lib has ‘damaged the brand’. “It’s not progress if the people don’t want it.” she says. STOP THE PRESSES! Karina (Kamala, i know you know, but i want you to know that i know that you know) bursts through the door! Kamala has written a cutting edge make-up “Shades of Revolution: Makeup for the girl in the mirror”  article for the magazine. The article is about having both; people want equal rights but also they want the permission to have fun. Getting your rights isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about not having to ask permission to be who you already are. Holy shit.

At the end, Carol turned the magazine around on the hit article by Kamala. The two, different by nature and nurture, worked together and saved the day…and they did not even do it as superheroes. But wait! Nightscream’s back for revenge! Ms. Marvel shows up and asks Karina (you know at this point this is ridiculous, but it’s Kamala) to get to cover! She gets to watch Carol kick some bird-bitch-butt but not after one final big boot to the bird-bones face by Kamala. A portal starts to open. Carol asks Kamala if she will ever see her again. “Oh yeah, you will. You know, in time.” Gees I got chills.

You know when you feel like you can handle it all. But there are moments when it doesn’t hurt to let another point of view help out.

This issue just sends chills down my spine. One reason why I wanted to write this one is Kamala Khan. She’s on my top five list for characters I want to see in the MCU (article coming soon). She’d be a good grounded voice of reason, even though she can be so Millennial in her views. I think it’s a good time to have her in the MCU.

Until next time, True Believers.

8/10

Beta Ray Greg is the Comic Critic for SoBros Network, the ‘Fangtastic 5K 2018 Mr. Irrelevant.’ The man has the single most impressive spreadsheet in existence that is used to document his historic collection. He’s a big time Spider-Verse guy. Follow on Twitter: @BetaRayGreg.

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