Daring feats. Dastardly villains. Lives rescued. And still at home on time to meet curfew? The following graphic novels and comics feature young women with special abilities. From a Muslim American Ms. Marvel to a galactic Egyptian princess, these superpowered leading ladies leap incredible bounds and get things done.

DeConnick, Kelly Sue. Captain Marvel: Higher, Further, Faster, More. illus. by David Lopez. 136p. (Captain Marvel). $17.99. ISBN 9780785190134.

Wilson, G. Willow. Ms. Marvel: No Normal. illus. by Adrian Alphona. 120p. (Ms. Marvel). $15.99. ISBN 9780785190219.

ea vol: ebook available. Vol. 1 Marvel. 2014. pap.

Gr 9 Up –Two series openers offer gender inclusivity, in creators and content, into the mainstream superheroes comic book world. These stories showcase how both main characters undergo a process of self-identification and searching for a role within their own respective worlds. In Ms. Marvel, which collects issues #1–5, Wilson introduces readers to Kamala Kahn, a Pakistani American teenage girl from New Jersey. In this adventure, she initially transforms into Carol Danvers’s Captain Marvel, a white superheroine who Kamala admires and is responsible for giving the teen the power to evolve. Kamala encounters external and internal transformations to accept and create her own persona as a teen and as a superheroine. Captain Marvel, which contains issues #1–6, offers new adventures with the infamous Carol Danvers, who was orginally introduced as Ms. Marvel in the 1970s. In her writing, DeConnick portrays a self-determined and bold character who is committed to her heroic duty. Here, Captain Marvel is on a mission to save a girl and to return her to her planet, which then shifts to a story of discovery, critique of diplomatic relations, and a special appearance of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Both illustrators, Alphona and Lopez, imbue the proceedings with vibrancy and showcase the now official aesthetics of Ms. Marvel’s and Captain Marvel’s outfits. VERDICT Fun and much-needed comic series that defy the typical oversexualization and damsel in distress archetype of women in comics.–Sujei Lugo, Boston Public Library, MA

Maihack, Mike. Cleopatra in Space: The Thief and the Sword. 192p. (Cleopatra in Space: Bk. 2.) Scholastic/Graphix. May 2015. pap. $12.99. ISBN 9780545528450.

Gr 4-7 –Cleopatra is back for more galactic adventures. In the opening scene, a foreign spaceship is infiltrated by a young thief using a series of daring and skillful maneuvers to defeat scores of troopers. The action then shifts to the futuristic Planet Mayet, where young Cleo and her talking cat now reside. Cleo, outfitted in a cheerleader-style space outfit with a cobra headband over multicolor bobbed hair, possesses a fearless and impulsive attitude. These attributes, along with her ray-gun skills and predetermined status as heroine of the universe, make her a popular teen classmate. Maihack’s characters, both human and nonhuman, are diverse, expressive, and visually distinct. With action varying from tumultuous chase scenes to quiet secret meetings, the book skillfully uses color to impart mood. This title is suitable for fans of Ben Hatke’s “Zita the Spacegirl” series (First Second) and Jeffrey Brown’s “Jedi Academy” (Scholastic) who are ready to move on to older characters and more complex images. Younger devotees of Jeff Smith’s “Bone” (Scholastic) may also enjoy it. VERDICT This full-color adventure series is recommended for public and school libraries.–Gaye Hinchliff, King County Library System, WA

Tamaki, Jillian. SuperMutant Magic Academy. 224p. Drawn & Quarterly. May 2015. pap. $22.95. ISBN 9781770461987.

Gr 9 Up –This quirky solo work from Caldecott- and Printz-winning graphic novelist Tamaki collects strips from her long-running webcomic about a school for mutants and witches into one mostly cohesive anthology. Riffing off popular phenomena, such as Harry Potter and the X-Men, this title sets teen angst-y situations in a world populated with cat-eared prom queens, the Everlasting Boy, and superpowered jocks. Most of the strips are a page-long, with the exception of the never-before-seen 40-page story arc that concludes the series. While at times these snippets may confuse readers because of their brevity and often weighty existential themes, these snapshots often center on the same cast of characters, each of whom teens get to know more deeply by the book’s end. The mostly black-and-white art is divided in a range of single, full-page to six panels, and rare bursts of color are deftly used to moving effect. Marsha, the misanthropic witch with a crush on her female best friend; Frances, the boundary-pushing artist; and Cheddar, the athlete trying to find the meaning of life, among others, stand out as the more fully developed protagonists, but readers will find bits of themselves in many of the realistic characters. Poking fun at the “Chosen One” mythos, Tamaki has created a stellar graphic novel that combines her slice-of-life expertise and clean, uncluttered art style. VERDICT A must-have volume reminiscent of Alan Moore’s Watchmen (DC Comics, 1987) and her and Mariko Tamaki’s This One Summer (First Second, 2014) in sensibility and Raina Telgemeier’s works in appearance. See our interview with Jillian Tamaki.–Shelley Diaz, School Library Journal

Wilson, G. Willow. Ms. Marvel: Generation Why. illus. by Jacob Wyatt & Adrian Alphona. 2. 136p. (Ms. Marvel: Vol. 2). Marvel. 2015. pap. $15.99. ISBN 9780785190226.

Gr 6 Up –The second installment of the “Ms. Marvel” series picks up with boisterous Kamala Khan continuing her hunt for Jersey City’s newest villain, The Inventor. She stumbles upon a suspicious sewer drain that leads her to deadly robots, giant alligators, her hero Wolverine, and none other than the nemesis himself—a cockatiel-human hybrid, genetically cloned from Thomas Edison’s DNA. Kamala also discovers that her newly acquired powers are far from a fluke and that she might be superhuman after all, thanks to some more familiar faces in the Marvel Universe. In a disturbing final standoff, the source of The Inventor’s “clean energy” is revealed, leading our heroine to realize that her generation needs a voice now more than ever. Packed with just as much action, snark, and plot twists as its predecessor, this second entry might be even more enjoyable than the first, as it begins to tackle the fraught concept of “the new generation,” and whether technology keeps teens plugged into the world, or tuned out. Wyatt and Alphona’s vibrant and textured artwork complements Kamala’s brave, yet compassionate nature, while perfectly showcasing her “elastic” talents. VERDICT Fans of Ms. Marvel will not be disappointed in this exciting continuation. A worthy addition to any library’s comic collection.–Ashleigh Williams, School Library Journal