Wonder Wo Woman amanat,
Marvel’s SPEAKING Exclusively TO wknd. FROM THE NEW york OFFICES OF marvel COMICS, DIRECTOR OF CONTENT AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT sana WHO Will be i N dubai NEXT MONTH FOR THE EMIRATES AIRLINE FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE, TELLS us WHY THE WORLD NEEDS kamala KHA
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rowing up in the early ’ 90s, Sana Amanat considered herself just as American as anyone else in her school in the US. Until, one day, an angry classmate put caveats to her American identity. He walked up to her and yelled, “You better tell your people to stop attacking us.” The warning, if it can be called one, came in response to the World Trade Center attack. For a young Sana, this would be the first of many times when she’d feel compelled to find a sense of self between “your people” and “us”. Couldn’t she be both? Or neither?
And then last year, Sana found herself in the White House, standing alongside then- President Barack Obama and presenting him a copy of Ms Marvel, one of the first Pakistani- American superheroes to headline her own comic book in the Marvel Universe, at the reception of Women’s History Month. “Ms Marvel may be your comic book creation, but for a lot of young boys and girls, Sana is the real superhero,” said the former POTUS. For the 34- year- old Pakistani American comics book editor, this was recognition of a lifetime.
the big day: Last year, Sana met former POTUS barack Obama at the reception of Women’s history Month and presented him with a copy of Ms Marvel
From having to choose between “your people” and “us” to creating a Pakistani- American superhero, Sana Amanat has indeed come a long way. During her formative years, her dilemma about her identity saw her seek refuge amid a bunch of mutants, who, like Sana, had been at the receiving end of a social other- ing. With its promise of cultural diversity and, of course, superpowers, the pages of X- Men opened a world of possibilities. Here, a black woman could control the weather and a runaway ‘ Southern belle’ could snatch energies from other life forms. In the real world, some people could be less equal than others; in comic books, you strove to preserve these values. No wonder then, this is the world she wanted to belong to.
Today, as part of her job description, Sana is responsible for reimagining stories and characters in order to bring greater cultural diversity in the Marvel Universe. An offspring of this effort has been Kamala Khan, aka Ms Marvel, whose own life mirrors the experiences that shaped her co- creator. Along with Sana, a team of highly skilled writers and artists have been giving Kamala a sense of purpose. This includes writer G Willow Wilson and artist Adrian Alphona. Kamala is a teenage Muslim American living in New Jersey, who looks up to Carol Danvers, the original Ms Marvel. Like most friendly, neighbourhood superheroes, Kamala realises that she possesses special powers; in her case, shapeshifting. As Carol Danvers goes on to don the hat of Captain Marvel, Kamala finds herself gently stepping into her shoes and becoming Ms Marvel. What sets her apart from her predecessor? “Kamala is all of 16. She has to combat the fact that she is a young woman, who has to go to school, deal with her family, figure out the boys and yet take on the mantle of a superhero. Carol, on the other hand, has been through a lot of experiences and understands her responsibilities. But she sees things a bit more in black- and- white than Kamala.”
It is exactly this desire to stay away from ‘ black- and- whites’ that makes Sana’s job at Marvel a not- so- easy task, even if it may seem otherwise. Comic books work on the principle of the good and the bad, with grey being a largely unexamined area. For a comics platform that has been in the business for 78 years, why the need for diversity, you may wonder. The revenue factor is as important as the social responsibility. At the United State of Women Summit last year, Washington Post quoted Sana as saying, “If we ignore populations, we lose money.” Elaborating on that thought, she tells us that the Marvel fan is changing and that explains the need to have characters that can speak to them.
If Kamala’s origin story mirrors that of her co- creator’s, it is not a happy coincidence. After all, it was during a casual chat about Sana’s childhood and her struggle to find a homogeneous identity that she and senior editor Stephen Wacker came up with the idea of creating a Pakistani American superhero. Once the character was given a broad shape, writer G Willow Wilson was roped in to etch out the finer aspects. “Willow and I had almost drawn a mission statement for the character. We worked with Adrian ( Alphona) to create just the right visuals and went to great lengths to figure out her costume since that would come to define her.”
With the specific branding that comes with Kamala Khan, one would imagine her catering to a niche readership. Having made it to the New York Times’ bestsellers list and won several awards, it is safe to say that Kamala is here to stay. Will Mullaly, a writer and film critic based in Dubai, has been a Marvel fan for years. Dissecting the Marvel legacy, he makes an important point. “The thing that has set Marvel apart is that it sets its heroes in the real world and gives them real problems. For instance, Peter Parker is as concerned about paying Aunt May’s bills as he is about defeating the bad guy. The point is clear — these heroes are just like us. Diversity is hugely important because if Marvel is going to reflect the real world, it has to reflect the different stories the real world offers — not just the experiences of the white guys.” Mullaly credits Kamala Khan’s success to two factors. First, she tells a new story and freshness is key when “most of the big Marvel heroes have been fighting the same villains for more than 50 years”. Second, her adventures stick to the core principles that have made Marvel comics resonate for so long — issues related to family and identity. “It’s a human story and that’s something everyone — Muslims and nonMuslims alike — can empathise with.”
Next month, Sana will be in Dubai to talk about Kamala Khan at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. It’s not a city she is unfamiliar with, having lived here for six months in the past. For the organisers, however, her presence emphasises the need to align the world of comic books with literature. As the programming head of the festival Gillian Henney says, “Sana has been described as a ‘ real life superhero’ for the amazing work she has done. Kamala speaks to a generation of children who feel alienated for whatever reasons, promoting the importance of diversity and female empowerment. Her message aligns with the values of the UAE, and I know she will be a big hit with the audiences here.” Amen!
( The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature starts on March 3. Sana Amanat will be part of two sessions on March 3 and one on March 4.)
anamika@ khaleejtimes. com