Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #37 (Family Comic Friday)

We're finally into the month of December and our preview of holiday themed issues continues with a review of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #37. Set on Christmas Eve, 10-year old Lunella and her crimson dinosaur companion must play Santa when the real deal crash lands in the Big Apple!

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #37

Writer: Brandon Montclare
Artist: Gustavo Duarte
Cover: Natacha Bustos
Publisher: Marvel Comics

SRP: $3.99

Rating: Teen

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is an award-winning comic book about a child genius who discovers a time-displaced dinosaur. The terrible lizard is Devil Dinosaur, a Jack Kirby creation from the 1970s. At that time, Devil was so named because of his red skin, which made him a mutant of sorts. His many adventures were set in prehistoric times with a simian lad named Moon Boy.

In the present day, Lunella Lafayette has been diagnosed with the Inhuman gene. When she emerges from terragenesis the process that give Inhumans their powers, Lunella now has the ability to swap minds with Devil Dinosaur when the moon is full. It's an interesting twist on the Wolfman mythos, only sometimes a little girl becomes a 30 foot reptile!

This series is rated T for Teen and I think that's a big mistake on Marvel's part. I've read several issues of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and while some action may be a little intense for really young readers, it shouldn't be rated Teen. True, it should not be rated all-ages either but it's not correct to rate this series for only for readers 13 and up.

Both Marvel and DC need to create a new rating. Call it something like P for Pre-Teen and have the book be appropriate for readers 10 and up. In an industry claiming difficulties in reach the next generation of young readers, putting the wrong parental advisory on a book geared for kids in 3rd or 4th grade is not a viable way to reach your new target demographic. 

I think the main reason this title is rated for older readers is due to the artwork. I like Gustavo Duarte's style, personally. But a parent told me recently that some artwork just seems too advanced for his 8-year old son. He then showed me an example of a book which was crowded with very fine-lined stuff. The parent pointed out that there was just too much going on action-wise in the story, that his son just lost track of what was going on. 

Gustavo Duarte has a sketchy style similar to Skottie Young, which appeals to young readers. But both artists love to fill every inch of the paper with tiny little details. It's something I love in a comic. But maybe that dad is on to something too.

This issue of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is one of those books where you may find yourself wanting to buy two copies. There are some Valentine's Day-style holiday cards at the end of this issue for kids to cut out and give to friends. If you have a young reader who is interested in investing in comics, this issue is one that will be valuable sometime in the near future. With many issues getting clipped with scissors, this book will be difficult to find when the next gen of readers mature. And with difficulty comes a higher price. Just something to think about but not a requirement. 

If the young reader in your life wants to have fun with this book- let them! If you only want to buy one issue. Be fine with that as well. Kids are supposed to enjoy being a kid. And a Christmas themed comic book from Marvel is one of those fun time rights of passage. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #37 is a great holiday read that fits that bill! Just don't be scared off by that Teen rating on the cover if your child isn't 13 yet.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #37 debuted in digital and print platforms on Wednesday, November 28th, 2018.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.