#marco failla

[illyanarasputinfan]

Marco Failla

[spawn-universe]

Gunslinger Spawn #30

Cover A by Marco Failla

Cover B by Javier Fernandedez

[samasmith23]

The best G. Willow Wilson Ms. Marvel scene

Easily my personal favorite scene from the entirety of G. Willow Wilson’s original run on Ms. Marvel was during the phenomenal Mecca arc wherein HYDRA seizes control of Jersey City’s mayor’s office to begin enacting discriminatory policies against Inhumans & Mutants (which heavily mirror the real-life Islamophobic presidential policies of Donald Trump...), and Kamala discovers that underneath the mask of one of the HYDRA regime’s lead enforcers, Discord, is the face of her old classmate Josh Richardson.

This revelation heavily affects Kamala on an emotional level as it forces her to come to terms with the fact that the things people might perceive to be familiar or safe are not always what they seem to be. She learns how specific circumstances can reveal that individuals who once appeared to be rational and reasonable on the surface may actually believe in ideologies that are controversial or dangerous. Therefore, Kamala is forced to ponder whether or not bigoted & fascistic ideologies have always existed within the hearts of people like Discord and if they're truly representative of who they are, which in turn causes her to doubt both her own place in the world and her mission as a superhero. While Kamala is inflicted with feelings of self-doubt in light of these revelations, she understands that she still has a moral obligation as Ms. Marvel to protect the people of her city. She realizes that the so-called “silent majority's” animosity towards her & super-powered peoples does not give them the right to place their own grievances above the law, and that there are still people who believe and are depending on her. And because Josh revealed his true self underneath the mask of Discord, Ms. Marvel responds in kind by taking off her own mask to reveal the face of his former friend Kamala Khan, and all of the pain and suffering that his actions have inflicted upon herself and others like her…

But while Kamala does convey feelings of sadness and remorse towards Josh, she simultaneously understands that she cannot excuse his actions since he's still an individual who wrongfully succumbed to the temptations of far-right extremism and fascism. Essentially, even though Kamala desperately wants to believe that Josh is an inherently better person underneath, she recognizes that he was the one who ultimately made the choice to join HYDRA and help them oppress superhuman minorities. Therefore, Kamala acknowledges that Discord is still her enemy regardless of his reasons or whatever sympathy she might feel.

Kamala decision to NOT condone or excuse Discord’s actions reflects an astonishing level of maturity on her part, and is further indicative of her overall character arc in Mecca. In large measure, Kamala’s character arc is the reason why the storyline is titled “Mecca” in the first place. Although she does not go on a physical pilgrimage to the actual Holy Islamic city, she does experience a spiritual pilgrimage as the HYDRA takeover of Jersey City forces her to realize that not everything is what it seems, that some evils cannot be fought, and that although she’ll endure hardship and failure in her mission she must stay true to herself and others even if there are some people who will never agree with her actions or who she is. It's these revelations that further develop Kamala into "the most human superhero of them all" in my opinion, as it's not just her kindness and willingness to do good that makes her a hero, but also her ability to continue to do good even when confronted with external and internal doubt. And since the entire story takes place over the two-day period of Eid al-Adha, the holiday in which millions of Muslims embark on the pilgrimage to Mecca, Kamala’s psychological journey of self-discovery resonates with the reader on a much deeper level.

And that is why this scene remains my personal favorite Ms. Marvel moment in the entirety of Kamala’s comic book history!

From Ms. Marvel (2015) #21 & #22 by G. Willow Wilson & Marco Failla.

[burningfudge]

Captain Marvel (2016) #6

[wonderwomanart]

Wonder Woman by Marco Failla

[agentem]

I think about this a lot.

Like whenever I have to do laundry. I don't want to do laundry I want to turn people into dinosaurs! So then I don't do laundry.

[nineplanetslegion]

Timberwolf by Marco Failla

Marco was doing some killer monster designs so I asked for the Joe Phillips design of Timberwolf.

[shanembailey]

Dani Moonstar by Marco Failla

[graphicpolicy]

Preview: Multiversity: Teen Justice #2

Multiversity: Teen Justice #2 preview. When efforts to infiltrate the mysterious Church of Blood backfire, one hero faces a devastating loss! #comics #comicbooks

[illyanarasputinfan]

Marco Failla

[spearclosetcomics]

All-New Wolverine #31 (2018) Tom Taylor Marco Failla

[samasmith23]

Ms. Marvel’s “Mecca” arc: Aamir’s speech and the radicalization of Discord

One of the strongest scenes from the Mecca arc of G. Willow Wilson’s run on Ms. Marvel is the scene where Kamala’s older brother Aamir is apprehended & interrogated by HYDRA agents (who just seized control of Jersey City’s mayor’s office) while delivering food to his neighbors for Eid al-Adha. Although he was targeted as an “unregistered superhuman,” Aamir immediately assumes that he was arrested due to his traditional Islamic appearance and attire. In addition to drawing overt real-life parallels between HYDRA and the Islamophobic policies of the Trump administration here (said-agents threaten to have Aamir's U.S. citizenship revoked since their policies classify undisclosed super powers as a form of immigration fraud), Wilson also uses this scene to have Aamir give an eloquent speech about the causes of domestic terrorism. Aamir states that the individuals most likely to succumb to extremism are those who don’t understand their faith, feel alienated and ostracized by society and/or their peers, or have pre-existing vices plaguing their lives like domestic abuse or drugs. And according to Aamir, it’s those factors which make those individuals “vulnerable to whatever vulture is circling overhead, selling death and despair as a way through the gates of paradise.”

Aamir’s speech is brilliantly executed! Not only is it disturbingly accurate to the causes of real-life extremism, but Wilson also cleverly integrates it into the context of the overall narrative and its main antagonist. When Aamir states that people “get radicalized when they think the only way they can have a starring role in their lives is by playing the villain,” the panels zoom-in and focus on the face of the masked supervillain Discord as he’s watching the interrogation.

This is such phenomenal visual storytelling and utilization of sequential art on both Wilson and artist Marco Failla’s part!

The deliberate focus on Discord during the conclusion of Aamir’s speech directly infers to the reader that although Aamir is specifically referring to domestic Islamic terrorists his words can also easily apply to white nationalist terrorists like Discord, who is not only later revealed to be Kamala’s former classmate Josh Richardson, but is a fascist vigilante taking his anger out on society by illegally arresting and deporting super-powered people. Once he’s later unmasked, Josh is revealed to have felt alienated and ostracized and that a “vulture” in the form of his accomplice Lockdown (aka, Becky St. Jude) took advantage of his negative emotions. Acting like the “junior fascist” that Kamala’s best friend Bruno previously described her as in the Civil War II tie-ins, Becky was able to radicalize Discord into becoming a super villain since he felt that he lacked a purpose in life. And as Aamir stated in his speech, “the most dangerous thing of all [is] when you don’t have a story to tell about who you are and what your purpose is.”

In that sense, Discord may very well be the most multilayered and realistic antagonist for Ms. Marvel that Wilson has crafted to date as his character truly demonstrates how ideas of extremism and fascism can easily corrupt individuals who lack purpose. In essence, the insight that Wilson provides for through Aamir’s speech and Discord’s radicalization into fascist extremism that makes Mecca one of the most well-written & socially relevant story arcs in the entirety of G. Willow Wilson & Sana Amanat’s original run on Ms. Marvel (as well as my personal favorite)!

From Ms. Marvel (2015) #20-21 by G. Willow Wilson & Marco Failla.

[recursive-occlusion]

Harley Quinn on a date in Harley Quinn Annual 2021.

Art by David Lafuente, Marco Failla, Jon Sommarvia, and Miquel Muerto.

[why-i-love-comics]

Multiversity: Teen Justice #6 - "Walls of Heartache" (2022)

written by Danny Lore & Ivan Cohen art by Marco Failla & Enrica Eren Angiolini

[sockich]

I know you're one of the good guys. Even if you did give me your number, but never reply to my texts. Oh, wait, unless that was just, like... a for-emergencies thing? Did I misread...? I don't just give guys my number.

Multiversity: Teen Justice #1 by Ivan Cohen and Danny Lore, art by Marco Failla

[dailydccomics]

Kid Quick by Marco Failla + Enrica Eren Angiolini