Meet Lunella Lafayette, pre-teen super genius who wants to change the world. But when she uncovers ancient Kree technology, things are about to get a whole lot stranger. Opening a doorway to the prehistoric past, her life is turned upside down when she comes face-to-face with the towering Jurassic giant known only as Devil Dinosaur! But he is not alone. Out of the portal an in to the Marvel Universe are transported the Killer-Folk, an ancient tribe of beings who will stop at nothing to acquire the Kree technology!
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1 is the latest series to take a spin on the magical girl trope, but gives us so many things that are rarely experienced in comics. Written by Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare, the first issue is a bit mixed, but generally really fun and cute, giving us what might be the next comics break-out star, Lunella Lafayette aka Moon Girl! Smart, female, kid, African American, Lunella is something we don’t see enough in comics (Onome a member of the Future Foundation is one, and Princess Adrienne is Princeless is another). Lunella is too smart for her own good, correcting teachers and constantly building items, she’s that student who’s smarter than her teachers and has no problem correcting them or showing them so.
That teenage minority girl being the smartest one in the room is so nice to see, especially how Reeder and Montclare represent it all, with a tone and events we can all relate to. I know I dreaded dodgeball knowing I’d be a target, and it’s moments like that are cute and fun.
The comic isn’t perfect, but those imperfections don’t drag the overall comic down, and the issues I had should be gone by the second issue. The scenes in the past with Moon-Boy, and Lunella’s searching for Kree tech didn’t quite work for me, but those are just moments that set the stage for the series.
Reeder and Montclare are helped by Natacha Bustos who handles art duties and makes it all have a look that feels like it riffs a little from of Marvel’s recent cartoon series. That look works really well for the modern day part of the story and makes it all as cute as can be.
That look, along with some of the plot aspects, makes me think this is a comic geared towards the younger set (nothing wrong with that and much needed in the comic market), but I found myself intrigued as to where this was all going and really entertained. The first issue is fun, and I say it a lot, but some times that’s what you need. I’m looking forward to the second issue, especially to see what this team can do, but because this first issue shows a lot of promise.
Story: Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare Art: Natacha Bustos
Story: 7.9 Art: 7.9 Overall: 7.9 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
