This was disappointing. I'm a huge fan of Ms. Marvel and her journey since a friend loaned me the first trade a few years ago. This trade, composed of 3 storylines, was subpar.

The first story is a one-shot about how important it is to vote. It seems to set up some long-term stuff by shifting the balance of political power in Jersey City, as well as redistricting some schools to put a new classmate in at school. It came across as incredibly preachy, and this is coming from someone who advocates for voting and voter rights. I love that Ms. Marvel is politically active (even though she can't vote yet), but this had all the subtlety of a Chick tract.

The second story weaves in some nice anti-cyberbullying stuff and a sweet storyline about having compassion for others and having the courage to share your secret self with those you care about. The technology piece needed a tad more research and thus the story fell flat for me. Entertaining but felt light compared to some of the topics and emotional arcs in previous issues.

The third story is another one-shot dealing with Bruno and his studies in Wakanda. This one felt the closest in spirit to other Ms. Marvel and also featured a guest appearance by T'Challa, which I will always welcome when written well, and here he's not given enough page time to really make an impression.

I'm hoping that the upcoming stories get us back on the track Ms. Marvel was on before the Civil War II tie in.