Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit

Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit #1-5

by Samira Ahmed (Writer), Andrés Genolet (Illustrator), Zé Carlos (Illustrator)

The greatest hero of the new generation returns in an all-new solo adventure! After an explosion of interdimensional proportions at her cousin’s lab, Kamala Khan suddenly has a doppelgänger to deal with! As Ms. Marvel, it’s her duty to help out the newcomer, but something doesn’t feel quite right. Kamala’s powers are on the fritz, and she suspects that this new hero-in-training isn’t trustworthy. And why has everything around her…turned into a Bollywood set?! New York Times best-selling author Samira Ahmed (Love, Hate, & Other Filters; Internment; Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know) brings all the flair of her young adult fiction to the always-surprising world of Ms. Marvel!

COLLECTING: Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit (2021) 1-5

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Young Adult, Comic Book, Fantasy, Fiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2022

About the author

SAMIRA AHMED was born in Bombay, India, and grew up in Batavia, Illinois, in a house that smelled like fried onions, spices, and potpourri. She currently resides in the Midwest. She’s lived in Vermont, New York City, and Kauai, where she spent a year searching for the perfect mango.

A graduate of the University of Chicago, she taught high school English for seven years, worked to create over 70 small high schools in New York City, and fought to secure billions of additional dollars to fairly fund public schools throughout New York State. She’s appeared in the New York Times, New York Daily News, Fox News, NBC, NY1, NPR, and on BBC Radio. Her creative non-fiction and poetry has appeared in Jaggery Lit, Entropy, the Fem, and Claudius Speaks.

Her writing is represented by Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary, Inc.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I don't want [the villainess of the story] to be hurt . . . She made some bad choices, but this wasn't all of [her] fault." -- Kamala Khan, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel

"I understand. You've got a big heart. Don't lose that." -- Dr. Stephen Strange

It is fair to say the engine powering the graphic novel Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit is indeed the title character's heart - the good-natured and altruistic teenage super-heroine of Jersey City, New Jersey even disregards her personal safety to perform some valiant actions when she is temporarily and mysteriously sapped of her powers. Unfortunately, this storyline increasingly devolves into some pretty thick or zig-zagging sci-fi glop (multiverses! sigh!) and it drains a bit of the goodwill generated in the kooky first half of the book. However, I still proclaim that Kamala Khan is one of the better characters introduced by Marvel Comics in the recent years, and it was also nice that she was able to lean on friends (either a trio of trusty high school classmates or members of the super-heroic crowd like Nadia 'The Wasp' Van Dyne and the aforementioned Dr. Strange) when requiring a helping hand.

[Scratch · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 2.5.

I have been reading Ms. Marvel comics sporadically for years. The recurring theme I have picked up on is that she is the dumbest smart person I know in comics. Here, she picks up a strange multidimensional device, sees visions of other universes, and then drops it and runs home without giving it a second thought. Then, shockingly, there are side effects. ... Huh. Who would have thought?

Also, little annoyed by the multiverse visions that Kamala saw. They were mostly a series of images of girls of other races wearing Ms. Marvel costumes. This didn't even make a lot of sense. The multiverse works by way of bifurication; whenever there is a choice, the timeline splits into two different streams based upon the alternate choices. The multiverse isn't really supposed to operate by convergent evolution. Kamala seemed to be looking at a bunch of different girls all becoming Ms. Marvel. This is the opposite of how bifurication works.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interdimensional doppleganger puts Kamala on the back foot, and has her powers on the fritz! But even Kamala's usual cheerful outlook might fade when she invites this creepazoid into her home. There's only room for one Ms. Marvel in this universe, and it's going to be Kamala Khan!

Beyond The Limit starts really strong. There's some weird bollywood magic going on, a doppleganger, and Kamala being Kamala. But it all kind of goes downhill the further the story goes on, as the plot overrides pretty much any character stuff. There's a lot of talking about multiversal science things that don't really go anywhere, and even the inclusion of Nadia Pym can't keep that interesting.

Once the dust clears and the series is over, I wasn't even sure what happened. Everything's all resolved, and even though there are lingering threads, I can't even bring myself to care about whether they're picked up on or not.

Andres Genolet's artwork is solid as always, but after the first issue or so, he really doesn't get much to work with. His Runaways and She-Hulk runs have shown that he's great at fashion as well as emotive storytelling, but all he really gets to do here is draw Kamala getting more and more confused. The best parts are his designs for the alternate dimension Ms. Marvel, to be honest, and we only see her a few times.

A strong first issue followed by a steady decline unfortunately makes this Kamala's least interesting outing yet. Compared to all of the other wonderful books she's appeared in, I'd definitely rank this very near the bottom.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed G. Willow Wilson’s series of Ms. Marvel books (published 2014-2019). It was fun reading about a teen trying to balance superhero life with regular life—which, in Kamala Khan’s case, includes her Muslim culture and traditions. So, when I saw a favorite YA author, Samira Ahmed was taking a turn at Ms. Marvel, I hurried to buy a copy.

And, then I proceeded to…not read it for two years?! Why? Who knows! But leave it to a reading challenge to give me a nudge to move it off my TBR. I enjoyed this dive back into Kamala’s life, seeing her friends again, getting a new storyline that involved the multiverse, and, because of that fact, getting appearances by other favorite Marvel characters: Wasp and Doctor Strange.

My only complaint? I have no idea who the man in the trench coat is nor what his storyline is. From some online research into the order-to-read Ms. Marvel, it looks like the story may continue online? But it is very hard to tell where to go next and if I would even get any resolution when I got there. At least G. Willow Wilson and, then, Saladin Ahmed, had series that felt complete in their story arcs.

[inês · Rating 2 out of 5]

more like a 2.5 🌟
it was confusing, some funny parts but didn’t get to me tbh

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool! Ms Marvel is a young Pakistani superhero who works with her friends to solve problems and defeat villains. This comic embraces Kamala’s heritage, even in the multiverse.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gostei bastante desse encadernado que traz uma minissérie da Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan a tempo de sua série no Disney+. Na trama, um experimento é sabotado e a realidade da Ms. marvel vira de cabeça para baixo, inclusive com uma outra Ms. Marvel. Mas, com uma ajudinha dos amigos, Kamala vai dar um jeito de entender toda essa situação que, inclusive a coloca dentro de uma realidade a estilo de filmes de Bollywood. Acredito que gostei mais dessa minissérie por Samira Ahmed do que toda a fase de Saladin Ahmed na personagem. Talvez as mulheres saibam escrever a Kamala melhor. Já os desenhos de Andres Genolet que vem da série dos Fugitivos, ainda inédita no Brasil, tem um traço muito agradável e gostoso de acompanhar sua narrativa com as peripécias de Kamala, Bruno, Nathifa, Zoe e sua turma. Ao fim da história temos um gancho para novas aenturas e novas realidades multiversais que aguardam nossa amiga Kamala Khan.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beyond the Limit is easily the worst of the now-long-running Ms. Marvel series. It feels like a publication that was generated and published simply to keep Ms. Marvel in the public eye.

Ms. Marvel touches a doodad, which messes with her power set by adjusting how she receives said powers. Rather than pulling from her future self, she pulls from another version of herself in the multiverse. She also pulls a new frenemy through the portal.

In the end, the pieces are reset and Ms. Marvel learns a tiny bit about her powers. Beyond the Limit is extremely decompressed, though - this could have been a one-shot. Ms. Marvel is more teenagery than ever, in all the worst ways. Andres Genolet produces fine, boring art to match the storytelling. Skip this one.

[marisdreaming · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry about the low rating, but... what was this even about?
The whole thing about Kamala borrowing matter from her past and future selfs is confusing, but fine. Since when did she lose the ability to morph, though? I know she's never used it after the first few chapters of her comic (to my knowledge), but I don't remember they ever stating she could't shapeshift anymore. She doesn't because she's come to accept she can be an hero just as valid as Ms Marvel or any other, and because she can't heal while she shapeshifts. But her just losing an ability manifested with her inhuman powers doesn't make any sense. (Her ability to shapeshift was even referenced during the Outlawed arc by Dum Dum Dugan.) Didn't like this retcon one bit.
Aside from that... I wish they'd just give the Kamala/Bruno thing a rest. This eternal up and down of choosing to be just friends *but feelings* is a bit annoying, tbh. Let them be best friends, that's more than enough and honestly way more interesting than a forced and awkward romance by now.
It was nice seeing Nadia, but the whole plot didn't leave me anything; it was just weird AND mostly glossed about the fact that Kamala (even if unwillingly) KILLED/absorbed one of her variants from another universe. That's kinda heavy but no one really cares except for Qarin.
A bit of a waste.

[TJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easily the weakest Ms. Marvel story yet. It feels uninspired and awkward. Another YA author trying to make the jump to comics and mostly missing. 2.5/5 stars.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 3 out of 5]

This definitely had moments where it felt very disjointed, which does make sense later on, but it was rough to read at first. Overall, an interesting first story.

[Paulina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun with this comic following Ms Marvel after she stops a burglary at her cousin's lab. The art, the plot, the humor was exactly right for me and I loved getting a glimpse into a couple different universes with alternate Ms Marvels.

I'd highly recommend for anyone starting out with comics, especially if you're already familiar with the MCU. You'll see some familiar faces and also get a great original story full of action, awkwardness, and friendship.

[Petergiaquinta · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this multiverse-lite tale, Kamala Khan spends the weekend in the Windy City with her cousin who happens to be a particle physicist at the University of Chicago. They have brunch; Kamala goes to visit the Bean, and then she gets a peek into the many worlds of Ms. Marvel due to a lab disaster down in Hyde Park. (The geography is all wrong in this story, but that's the least of the problems here.) Kamala's foray into the multiverse causes unforeseen problems back in New Jersey, but frankly none of it is very interesting or worth talking about, although in one humorous moment she finds herself in looney tunes South Asian version of Jersey City transformed into an extended Bollywood song-and-dance routine, including Loki atop a festooned elephant.

As far as I am aware, this is Chicago YA author Samira Ahmed's first attempt at writing a superhero comic and maybe she'll get her sea legs in the next volumes, I dunno, but I'm not in a big rush to find out.

[Heatherblakely · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

pacing felt a little off (the resolution was rushed) but the build up was really fun

[Conor Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also a fun start to this run! Also excited to see where this goes next! Some pretty cool setups for future stories, and really loved the central conflict of the book.

[Nabil Hussain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mega-tastic and Magnificent Ms. Marvel volume!!!

This graphic novel was superb and very entertaining. The artwork was brilliant and full of bright colors. Great story about Ms. Marvel doppelganger in the Multiverse. Coupled with the TV series of Ms Marvel this comic book series reaches new heights!!

[Panda Incognito · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last few Ms. Marvel comics have all been letdowns, and I know I should give up, but I'm so attached to the characters that I still read every one. This was probably the worst so far, especially since the author coasts on readers' existing investment with the characters and doesn't use any of them to their potential.

One of the reasons why I love the Ms. Marvel comics so much is because Kamala's family and friends are all well-rounded, complex characters with their own meaningful subplots. However, in this volume, they could have been replaced with anyone else, including a talking potato. They're just there to prop up Kamala and the swiftly declining story, and there is no emotional depth. There is an opportunity for depth when Kamala has the horrifying realization that she accidentally killed a version of herself from elsewhere in the multiverse, but the characters gloss over this and swiftly move on. The story doesn't absorb the implications of this at all.

It's also clear that the author is used to writing narration-heavy novels, not comics. She overuses the device of Kamala talking to the reader when what Kamala says is already obvious, is redundant, or could have been better conveyed through dialogue with someone else. This is especially distracting when the author packs a lot of narration and dialogue in together, because I often read narration as dialogue and then realized Kamala hadn't said that out loud.

Also. Even though I love some ideas related to the multiverse, I am tired of people using it as a sparkly band-aid because they've run out of ideas. One's hope is that introducing the multiverse will introduce a fascinating new range of characters and narrative possibilities, but I'm tired of seeing established series latch onto the multiverse to overcomplicate their world and distract readers from how few ideas they have left.

On another note, the character who kept referring to science in quasi-religious terms was just annoying. Bruno is trying to patch together an emergency technological fix for their disaster, and he's afraid that it will fail, because the consequences could be catastrophic. And this chick keeps telling him to ~believe the science!~ as if his concerns aren't completely legitimate, and as if failure and the resulting consequences aren't part of scientific experimentation. I honestly feel like this character's belief-based reassurances were just supposed to distract the reader from how implausible it was for Bruno to be able to throw together this totally unexplained technology at the last minute to save the day.

So, is this the end? Is this the last new Ms. Marvel comic I will ever read? Probably not. I'm sure I'll be back for more, because I am deeply invested in the characters and will always hope for one good new volume. However, it's probably just time to reread the whole original series from before it went downhill, and to celebrate how well the Disney Plus TV show captured the characters that I care about so much.

[Jaye Berry · Rating 2 out of 5]

The way I was confused the entire time was truly iconic.

Kamala is visiting her cousin and she stops a break-in at her cousin's lab. There she touches a mysterious object and then sees visions of her other selves. Then her powers start going haywire and another her shows up in town.

Like I'm sorry Kamala is so dumb here- she touches some weird ass thing that shows her in the multiverse and then immediately is like okay bye ! and goes home. Then her powers start messing up because of whatever happened there and she's like omg what is going ON.

I've never been so confused before as to how Kamala gets her power and how it works and why she can't shapeshift anymore but this one really confused me for no reason. Apparently she gets her power by stealing from her future self? Or something? And then she ends up accidentally stealing it from a multiverse her? Or something??? Like why is that all so weird and complicated I thought she got hit with the mist then went boom, superpowers what do you MEAN she does all of that to have power???

Then she starts having visions and one was a big Bollywood number which was fun but also hUH.

The art was really bright and colorful, I absolutely loved it and it was the best part of this confusing mess of a story.

The entire time Kamala is as confused as I was.💀 In the end everything is solved I guess?? Something something they just kept putting "quantum" in front of everything and called it a day.

[Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like it could have been absorbed into her self titled series itself, or maybe tacked onto an Annual. It could even run in one of her team books as a backup story.

My guess? With the TV series coming out and her monthly title on hiatus, they needed to figure out what to do with the character to keep her in the public eye. Jury rig this story and make it a refresher, of sorts (Ms. Marvel 101?) As it stands, nothing really advanced for the character and we're reminded that there will be more in the summer of 2022.
---------
As it stands, this is a placeholder for the character. We get a little multiverse mischief. We get characters we know (and Marvel doesn't have to commit to an ongoing series). Nice try, Samira Ahmed. You'll probably want to work with a stronger story next time.


Bonus: When did they end up describing Ms Marvel's powers as shifting matter from the future to the present? THAT's how she enbiggens?

[Rhys Causon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s been a few years since I read Ms Marvel and I can tell there’s been a few changes to her as a character I’ve missed along the way but this still feels like the Kamala Khan I read all those years ago.

It’s also been a while since I’ve read any modern stories in Marvel comics so I don’t know if this is leading to any ongoing story that’s taking place now but if there is a sort of sequel to it, I wouldn’t mind reading that at some point.

Honestly the only thing I didn’t like much about this book was the lettering, it was the first time I’ve read a comic and had the feeling that the Letters in the speech bubbles felt too generic for each character. There didn’t seem to be any character in the letters themselves. But the art made up for that, even if the story did speed by occasionally.

[Lilybeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the Ms. Marvel that I love.
I want to love the TV version but she simply pales in comparison to the Kamala of the pages.
Comics Kamala is funny, brave, intelligent, insecure, confident, a whole plethora of emotions that speak to her teenagedom. TV Kamala, I feel, is so one-note that she teeters on boring.

Anyway, Beyond the Limit brings me back to my homegirl. While I miss her interactions with her family, I enjoyed this one. I can tell I've missed a few chapters and I need to catch up (Nadia, The Wasp!). The multiverse of it all got a little confusing for a minute as far as her powers but they brought it all home in the end.

Reading Ms. Marvel comics just makes me happy.
Plus, a visit from Doctor Strange is always welcome. :)

[Helena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms Marvel Beyond the Limit is a fun miniseries and a worthy followup to the previous runs. It does a great job of acknowledging Kamala’s growth and the events of the previous seventy-five(!) issues. Samira Ahmed wrote a wonderful continuation of Kamala’s story that’s full of science, charm and heart, and influenced by South Asian cultures. This miniseries gives us a lot of great moments with Kamala’s friends, as well as an awesome team up with Nadia van Dyne, aka The Unstoppable Wasp. Everything about this book is wonderful— from the story to the art, to the gorgeous covers, which I’m so happy to have in my collection!! Ms. Marvel Beyond the Limit is the perfect story for Ms. Marvel fans.

[Miranda · Rating 2 out of 5]

In technical terms, Ahmed does well enough in going from prose to comic script writing. But, uh... she made Kamala kind of an idiot. As long as Kamala's been in the game by now and as genre-savvy as she is, I couldn't buy that she didn't put the pieces together at least somewhat before the plot decided she needed to. Even a teenage reader, Kamala's audience, would be able to put together what happened before she did.

Not awful, but definitely not the strongest run in Kamala's history, and not the one I would give to newbies to introduce them to Kamala.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine. Ms. Marvel picks up her previously unmentioned super-scientist cousin's cube and sees a bunch of other Ms. Marvels. She also accidentally sucks another teen into reality that proceeds to Single White Female her (if you get that reference). The story is surprisingly dark for a Ms. Marvel title and ties into the awful "Incursions" story that is so nasty and has our heroes involved in genocide.

Still, some good moments like BOLLYWOOD WORLD and the new Wasp.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was mostly just weird. I enjoyed the Bollywood scene, but it didn't advance the plot at all, so I'm not sure why it was there. Then the ending was very rushed and felt more like set up for another series (which doesn't seem to exist?) than an actual ending. Plus this gets dark but is trying to be lighthearted anyway, and reminds us of where the characters were but doesn't develop them any further.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the way Ahmed wrote the various characters, and there are some really fun scenes. The entire Bollywood section is a delight, even if Loki's presence ended up being a let down. But the overall storyline is kind of disjointed, and the multiversal stuff felt slightly off. Not the best Ms. Marvel storyline, unfortunately.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I've read more than I've reviewed, so... knee-jerk reaction time!**

A really fun read. Some of the parallel world explanations/power-sharing seemed a little hand-wavey, but not to an extent that it took away from the enjoyment of the book. Samira Ahmed nails the voice of, not only Ms. Marvel, but also all of her friends!

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ms. Marvel has been one of my favorites, but I was hesitant to jump back in once Saladin Ahmed's run ended. Turns out my instinct was correct, as this is a jumbled entry into Kamala's world, where she makes a lot of really confusing decisions that don't really jive with her character. In general I haven't been a fan of Marvel's recent comic output, and this unfortunately continues the same trend.

[Alex Sarll]

An inoffensive if weightless outing for Kamala, the much-trailed Bollywood musical sequence taking up less than a whole issue before we get into some fairly standard evil doppelganger stuff and an underpowered reprise of Hickman's Secret Wars. I remain hopeful that Marvel will one day get a good Ms Marvel comic out of someone other than Willow Wilson, but they're not there yet.

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost all the fun of Ms Marvel with none of the heart. Hinted at previous plot points with Bruno and her friends but just let them drop. No family storyline which is so important to Kamala’s character. All action, very rushed, very unsatisfying especially as this was supposed to be a comic starting point for Kamala as she was introduced to the MCU. Really disappointing.