Ms. Marvel Breakout Star Launching New Comic Series in Summer

Star of Disney +'s Ms. Marvel Iman Vellani makes her solo comic book writing debut this August. Her series Chachu is set to be published by Tiny Onion and Image Comics.

Chachu is a five-issue limited series drawn by Marianna Ignazzi (Excuisite Corpses) and colored by Jordie Bellaire (Absolute Wonder Woman). Vellani writing comics is extremely fitting to her since she plays Kamala Khan, who is obsessed with all things superheroes. While the series is her first solo comic book release, this isn't her first foray into comics. She co-wrote the four-issue limited series Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant, with Sabir Pirzada for Marvel, and later the duo co-wrote more Ms. Marvel issues together.

Set in 1979, Chachu follows Leila, a 19-year-old Pakistani-Canadian girl with a penchant for film and pulp novels, who travels to California hoping to connect with her estranged uncle—her “Chachu”—a middle-aged, semi-retired private eye once famous for marrying the starlet he was initially hired to find. But when his wife mysteriously vanishes once again, the two are forced on an impromptu road trip investigation that transforms her first taste of adulthood into a thrilling confrontation of family secrets, unresolved grief, and the fantasies both she and Chachu have built their lives around.

Chachu is a Coming of Age Story

“I’ve always been deeply curious about comics as an art form because of their capacity to hold contradiction – arguably better than any other medium. That became especially meaningful to me while writing Chachu, which grew out of this tension between mourning my youth while I still have it, and an incessant urge to come of age already," Iman Vellani said in an official press release from Image Comics.

“From the very first reading of Iman’s script, I could already picture this '70s world revealing itself through reflections in sunglasses and rearview mirrors, slowly emerging through cigarette smoke and neon lights,” Ignazzi said. “I tried to capture Leila and Chachu’s journey through strong blacks and a graphic style that could still feel emotional and deeply narrative. Seeing my pages come to life through Jordie’s colors has been wonderful—she brought an incredible atmosphere, warmth, and cinematic depth to every scene.”

Vellani added, “It’s been an immense privilege to build my first original series alongside such an accomplished roster of collaborators, all of whom challenged and supported me in ways that made this book far better than anything I could’ve imagined on my own or in therapy.”

Vellani appears to approach the series with passion and respect for the comic book medium. Her portrayal of Kamala Khan was adored by fans because of how well she captured the character's love for superheroes. With her previous co-writing credits, she is serious about the power of storytelling that comics are able to achieve.

Tiny Onion Official was launched in 2024 by award-winning comic book writer James Tynion IV. Originally starting on Substack in 2021, the production company has expanded into the animation realm in the last few years. While the company helps with all the publishing aspects, the creators retain ownership of their creations. This makes their partnership with Image Comics a perfect match.

Chachu will be available this August wherever comic books are sold.