Writer: Amy Reeder
Artist: Natacha Bustos
Publisher: Marvel
Thumbing through a recent issue of something, (I don't remember what), I saw an advertisement for the collected first volume of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. This series hadn't really been on my radar, but I was open to getting my hands on a copy if it ever turned up and my local library. What caught my eye on this particular day wasn't the artwork nor the concept but a blurb posted by another reviewer.
Citing a website called Black Nerd Problems, the blurb said that Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur was a 'fantastic read for all ages.' Since I do this weekly post where I examine family friendly comics, I was interested to know if this series really was appropriate for all ages or not. Thus, I hunted down a copy of volume one and gave it a read to see for myself what this series was all about
So let's examine all the evidence and decide if this was the correct assessment for this series.
How Does It Rate?
The cover of issue #1 rates the book for teens. According to Marvel's rating system a teen book is considered 'appropriate for most readers, but parents are advised that they might want to read before or with younger children.'
The days of a governing body determining the age appropriateness of comics is long gone.The ratings for comics are now done in house by each publisher. DC rates their own books as does Marvel. So already, Moon Girl's parent company does not consider this book to be suitable for all. While I felt that the overall of story was great for kids- a young girl befriends a dinosaur- some situations could be considered tense for younger children.
What's in the Book?
This series continues the story of Devil Dinosaur. The fiery red T-Rex like dinosaur was the creation of the great Jack Kirby and first debuted in Devil Dinosaur #1 from 1978. Devil was accompanied by a young ape-like child named Moon Boy. Together, the pair fought off extraterrestrials, other rampaging thunder lizards, and even modern day menaces like Godzilla. But the duo's prime enemies were a tribe of fierce cavemen called the Killer-Folk.
It's during a battle with the Killer-Folk, that Devil Dinosaur is sucked through a time vortex into the modern day along with a sacred rock with mystical powers called the Nightstone.
In 2016 New York City, 9-year old Lunella Lafayette is a brilliant child who is unappreciated by her teachers, peers, and parents. Lunella knows that she has the Inhuman gene and is frantically trying to cure herself before a terrigen mist cloud transforms her into something, er well, Inhuman.
When Lunella discovers the Nightstone, she sees it for what it really is, a Kree Omni-Wave Projector. However, Devil Dinosaur is fiercely protective of it and basically follows Lunella around like the world's largest red puppy. But the Killer-Folk also emerged from the time portal and they have their eyes on the Nightstone as well. As Lunella's neighborhood is terrorized by the Killer-Folk, it's up to the Devil Dinosaur and Moon Girl to restore peace to the Big Apple!
Scary Bad Guys & Bratty Children
I'm really glad that I had a collection of the first six issues of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Because in that first issue, Lunella is a brat with a capital B. She was quite off-putting. If I only had that issue to base my opinion off of, I wouldn't come around for seconds.
However, as Lunella learns to become the hero Moon Girl, her personality becomes more favorable. So there's a real lesson in humility and caring for others that underlines this first story arc. In fact, I recommend that you don't read the series as individual issues as there's real character development to be explored when read as a collection.
If being a brat was cause for a book to not be considered all-ages then there wouldn't be any all-age comics at all. But one thing that I felt does mark this book as not being appropriate for readers of all ages are the villains!
The Killer-Folk start off kinda comical. Natacha Bustos' art makes them look like tiny Saquatches. But as the Nightstone evolves the cave creatures, they become more intelligent and more deadly. There's several scenes where the Killer-Folk threat to kill innocent New Yorkers and a couple of intense scenes in which people are seriously injured. Also, at one point, Lunella's school is targeted and if not for Devil Dinosaur, her classmates would have perished at the hands of the Killer-Folk. Thought Bustos' art style is more age friendly in eye appeal, the dangers presented in this book are quite grown-up.
Finding Balance
It's series such as this book as to why I write my Family Comic Friday posts. If the average parent or guardian took the praise on the front cover at face value, they might have bought this book for a younger child who might not be ready for such intense scenes. I would be okay with telling a parent of a 10 year old to let them read this book. On the flip side, I would also have to provide a strong word of caution to the caretaker of a 5-7 year old reader.
Another thing that makes this book NOT all-ages is the techno-jargon. Lunella is one smart kid and she's a lot like Young Sheldon. She might know how to use enriched uranium but she shouldn't be allow to buy enriched uranium. (Maybe when she's 10...)
Having technical terms and advanced concepts isn't a bad thing in kids books. But if you want the young comic reader to fully enjoy the book, having an adult help with big words and complex thinking isn't a bad idea. Anytime you can get a parent and child reading together, it's a good thing and this is a series that really needs a reading partner if read by a child ages 9 or younger.
Where to Now?
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur are still going strong as a monthly series by Marvel Comics. Original series writer Amy Reeder has moved on, though Natacha Bustos currently remains as head artist. Having not read past issue #6, I can't rate those issues. But this first volume was a pleasant burst of old school characters with new dynamic roles. In an era where Marvel's comics have become almost an afterthought to the live action films that they were based upon, this series gives me hope that the House of Ideas has yet to run out of them.
Hopefully that means that this new dynamic duo is here to stay. So if Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is just a little too old for the young comic collector in your life- don't worry! They'll grow into it!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
Review was published concurrently on outrightgeekery.com.
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