Natacha Bustos

Lunella got her hands on a possible Kree device that she believes she can use to stop the inhuman genes in her body from transforming her into a monster. Devil Dinosaur is sent from the prehistoric past to keep the device out of the hands of the evil Killer Folk, a time traveling band of bad to the bone cavemen. Phew. It’s a lot of plot. But it’s also a really great exploration of a young girl’s understanding of her own identity AND a story of a burgeoning friendship between dinosaur show more and girl. I really loved it. show less

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This story brings back the JLI's other well-loved duo, Fire and Ice a.k.a. Bea and Tora, the boisterous Brazilian swimsuit model and the demure Scandinavian ice princess. Here, Bea's impetuousness causes problems, so Superman basically exiles them to Smallville to get their lives under control. This, to be honest, seemed a bit contrived to me.

It's basically fine, but the whole book is brought down by Bea feeling somewhat show more off. She continuously has zany schemes... but when did she ever have zany schemes before? Bea's thing was a temper and the fact that she saw herself as more of a model than a superhero... but she wasn't fame-obsessed to the extent of say, inviting supervillains to participate in a reality show set in a Smallville hair salon. That's the kind of thing, well, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold would have done. I like the extended cast of characters here well enough, particularly some of the D-list supervillains who sign up for their reality show, and the use of L-RON and Ma Kent. Natacha Bustos is a strong artist, but Joanne Starer's comedy writing isn't strong enough to pull this off. It's more "occasional mild chuckle" than "laugh out loud" even if it is clearly going for the latter. show less

It's been a while since I read the first volume but it didn't take me long to back into the swing of things. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The graphics are wonderful and Ms. Marvel showed up in it as well! So the Terrigan gas got Moon Girl and now she is an inhuman. What are her powers? I'm not spoiling it. Also a Kree boy is on a mission to prove to his father that he can find and capture an inhuman. Hmmm.. wonder who he's going after? Full of action and adventure and I just love the Moon show more Girl character. show less

So it’s been since, oh, last July since I’ve picked up and reviewed a Marvel Comic collection, which means I’m probably about due to do so. As you all know, Marvel isn’t really my scene, though I don’t begrudge people who like it (sure wish that some people would extend me the same courtesy when I say I’m a DC Fan, but oh well, no matter…). But I do have to say that I applaud Marvel in it’s quest to be more inclusive in it’s stories, even if a number of those stories show more don’t quite gel with me. However, I couldn’t pass up “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” when I laid my eyes on it at work recently. I had heard of it in passing, but kind of forgot about it… Until “Vol 2” was on our new Teen display. I of course had to grab “Vol.1” in that moment. Because hey, a story about a genius, African American little girl who teams up with a friggin’ DINOSAUR has got to be something special!!

And for the most part it was! It’s a pretty genius idea to take an old title like “Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur” and reframe it in a way that can introduce a new character like Lunella, a character that adds a new and needed perspective and representation. Lunella is clever and precocious, and while sometimes it teeters towards a little on the twee side she is supremely charming and very three dimensional. It was refreshing to see a character who doesn’t strive to be special when it comes to supernatural super powers, and in fact shies away from them. Lunella knows that she has the potential to transform into something inhuman because of her genetics should the Terrigen Cloud (that has transformed others) come in contact with her. And unlike some of those others, she does not want that, so she is trying her best to stop it. So I liked that she is super great and smart and clever, and in this story that’s considered enough for the reader to look up to. Which isn’t to say she doesn’t have her troubles. She is isolated from her peers, isn’t stimulated enough at school, and has frustrations that no one takes her seriously because she’s a little girl, even though she is quite possibly the most intelligent character in the Marvel Universe. So seeing her try and prove herself was one of the main cruxes of this story, and definitely had a lot of emotion to it.

And then there’s Devil Dinosaur, a character from Marvel’s past that makes a ROARING COMEBACK. GET IT? In spite of the fact that this guy is an honest to God dinosaur, and has no spoken dialogue outside of noises, the illustrators did a really good job of portraying exactly what he’s feeling in any given moment through his facial expressions and body language. I LOVE me some dinosaurs, and Devil Dinosaur is absolutely delightful, and surprisingly nuanced as well. Well, sometimes. One of the appeals of this book was seeing a cute little girl interact with a giant theropod, and seeing them build a genuine affection for each other. While I think there’s still some room to grow for them in their friendship (boy is Lunetta impatient with him much of the time), you can tell it’s the start of something that is going to be very adorable and filled with a lot of heart.

Not totally certain about how I felt about The Hulk (I guess the Amadeus Cho version? I didn’t know, I had to do some research) showing up and beating up on Devil Dinosaur, even if it was to further the plot along. I know that Marvel really likes to keep their characters integrated and constantly making appearances in each others stories as of late, but that doesn’t sit well with me. I’m not here for the nods to other characters in the Marvel franchise, and hey, maybe I’ve figured out one of my problems with Marvel in this moment as I type this out. Bottom line, let Lunella and Devil Dinosaur shine on their own!

The art is also pretty cute, as the colors jump off the page and both Lunella and Devil Dinosaur are totally adorable. So I’m fairly certain that I will probably keep going in this series, because it’s pretty adorable and a fun read. And it ends on something of a cliffhanger for Lunella and Devil Dinosaur. Enough so that I want to know what happens next. Lunella and Devil Dinosaur have charmed me completely! I just hope that the next one doesn’t have any pesky cameos. show less