Marvel brings an obscure Jack Kirby character back into the fold. But will such an oddball creation play well in the new Marvel U?
Written by Amy Reeder & Brandon Montclare
Illustrated by Natacha BustosLUNELLA LAFAYETTE is a preteen super genius who wants to change the world-but learned the hard way that it takes MORE than just big brains. Fearful of the monstrous INHUMAN genes inside her, life is turned upside down when a savage, red-scaled tyrant is teleported from prehistoric past to a far-flung future we call TODAY. The pair are many things, and together the most amazing Marvel Team-Up. MARVEL PRESENTS… MOON GIRL & DEVIL DINOSAUR!
Let’s get one thing out of the way, dinosaurs are awesome. Regardless of if you are a grown adult, dinosaurs always bring out childhood wonder. I am also a huge fan of nerds getting their due. In a lot of ways, dinosaurs are the power inside of a nerd…or a physical manifestation of that power. Now we live in an age where it is chic to be smart, something that could have come years earlier for me.
Lunella Lafayette is that nerd getting her due. After being rejected by many schools, she is determined to get herself in at any cost. During the day, she is bored by school not teaching her anything she doesn’t already know. She would rather tinker with her own ideas to show everyone that she is the smartest person in the room. During a test of one her new projects, Lunella finds a mysterious orb that could be the power she is looking for. Naturally, when she tries to figure it out, things go awry, leading to the appearance of Devil Dinosaur. Why is he here, wouldn’t you like to know?
Amy Reeder & Brandon Montclare have an excellent understanding of their main character. What is interesting is Lunella (perfect pun!) a new character that they can mold and shape as they please. There is no grand mythology or fan service, Lunella is given a bold personality from the onset. Reeder & Montclare make her so incredibly likeable, because Lunella is a strange in a strange land. She feels left out and bored, something I can fully understand. Lunella wants to show the world that she is as smart as she says, perhaps adding the respect she wants. Even when her parents ask her about having friends, she doesn’t want anyone to hold her back. This fish out of water aspect plays perfect to a world full of true superheroes, which Lunella wants to be a part of. Reeder & Montclare being both female (the former) and geek (the latter) do not turn the awkwardness up to 11. A smart play because if it was anymore, Lunella might come off as a smart-ass know-it-all.
Adding to that geek mystique is Natacha Bustos, who is the perfect choice for this book. Her style is a little outlandish, in the vein of Skottie Young, but not to the point of going overboard. Bustos gives Lunella big hair, big glasses and a lanky body to make her stand out in a crowd. It plays well with the characterization, she doesn’t care about fashion; she cares about her brains. There is an excellent sequence in the beginning where Lunella is on her rocket skates, Bustos gives her an awkward pose that sums up the character with that one image. The same can be said for the scattershot mind Lunella has, Bustos uses the panels to show how messy a genius can really be. It all comes off an unreasonably fun, putting a smile on my face the entire time.
Where I have the biggest complaint, it is pertaining to Devil Dinosaur. While he is the second main character, he doesn’t really get a lot of screen time. For a Jack Kirby creation, minor though it may be, this does strike me as odd. The mythology is executed perfectly, so you really do not need to know anything going in. But beyond that the element seems like a shoehorn into the story proper. Granted, Moon Boy is the one that sends Devil Dinosaur to Lunella, but there is not a lot of explanation of why this is so important. In all fairness, Lunella needed more of an intro in this story because she is a new character. Making Devil Dinosaur an after thought is a serious misfire on the creative team’s part. This is also considering that there are fans of the original Kirby version, it feels off putting. In a way, I had sense the Reeder & Montclare really wanted to down play that for fear of reprisals. Making Lunella their creation, some of that heat it taken off of them. I will stress however, this is a first issue and a brand new character is here, I will let it slide a little. But if Devil Dinosaur continues to be a background character, Reeder & Montclare have some explaining to do.
Continued belowAnother aspect that is a missed opportunity is the Inhuman aspect of Lunella’s life. The solicit text drives that point home, but there is no mention of it in the book at all. That seems a tad odd considering how much emphasis is there on the advertising side of things. I do not see a reason to do that if the writers (and artist) are going to ignore it completely. Maybe it gets explored down the line, which is acceptable, but I question why it is so prominent in the first place. For readers expecting any kind of Inhuman clues or interplay, you will be disappointed to say the least.
While Devil Dinosaur is a Jack Kirby creation, his shadow does not loom large in this book. The creative team went for something unique while paying respects to the original. I was unfamiliar with the original prior to this review, so now I am curious to go back and see the difference. But that was the point, why retread on something already done? The Marvel Universe now is “different” and “Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur” fits the bill without going off the rails. Above all else though, this is a fun Marvel book without being childish. Too many times there is doom and gloom in all of comics, this is a refreshing reminder it isn’t always like that.
Final Verdict: 8.1 – A great start to the series and fantastic introduction to Lunella Lafayette. There are a few kinks to be ironed out, but nothing insurmountable. Strongly recommended.
