Review: Graphic Audio’s Ms. Marvel: No Normal Brings Kamala Khan to Joyful Life
If you haven’t read the first trade paperback of Marvel’s Ms. Marvel (which collects issues #1-5), what are you waiting for? Get on the Ms. Marvel train immediately, for she is absolute awesomesauce. However, if the idea of trades collecting dust on your shelf doesn’t appeal to you, you want a little more life in your comics stories, or you’re visually impaired and love superhero stories, you should check out the Graphic Audio adaptation of Ms. Marvel: No Normal, which is available today! Check out the trailer above, and listen to a snippet below.
I wasn’t sure how I’d respond to an “audio comic.” Comics are such a visual medium, and unlike audio books, where description is written right into the prose, I wasn’t sure how a comic would translate into something like a radio show. However, listening to Ms. Marvel was a tremendously fun experience! Shanta Parasuraman’s lovely performance as Kamala Khan is by far the best thing about this audio production. Her voice is perfect for the role, and its energy and youthful wonder (and age-appropriate snark) had me glued to my headphones.
The adaptation makes the most of the device of Kamala Khan narrating her own story to fill us in on what we’re seeing and what we should be paying attention to, and director Richard Rohan (who also adapted the comic into Graphic Audio form) does an awesome job of keeping us engaged by striking the right balance between the voice performances and what we need from Kamala’s voiceover. The sound design by Nathanial Perry and the boisterous theme music by Thomas Hogan bring it all together, providing the kind of nuance and atmosphere that even Kamala’s storytelling can’t.
In addition to the story itself, the Ms. Marvel: No Normal audio also includes a great audio interview with Ms. Marvel editor, Sana Amanat, and writer, G. Willow Wilson, which is great for any fan of the series, and may be worth having access to via Graphic Audio, even if you’re not in it for the comic itself. Graphic Audio as a service is super-easy to use, and even if you’ve read a comic previously (as I had with Ms. Marvel), it offers you the opportunity to experience the story in a new, more lived-in way.
Graphic Audio is available at www.graphicaudio.net, as well as an app on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Go on over and explore this and other Marvel books that are available and let Graphic Audio bring your favorite stories to life!
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