Review: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #39
STORY
Now usually I like to see a little origin blurb and a previous issue recap when I’m reading a comic that I haven’t been following or have limited knowledge off but this time around I notice something is off right away. The origin blurb describes Lunella (the world’s smartest person) and Devil (a bright read T-rex) as being shunned and ignored by most. What? Even in a world of superheroes the smartest person ever and a giant red dinosaur are going to get LOTS of attention, even shunning seems unlikely as long as you aren’t a villain. It’s not a good start before I even get into the issue so already I’m a bit worried. The nearest possible example of this so-called shunning is a jaded New Yorker collecting a newspaper and going about his business. Lunella makes a point him not thanking her for her heroics as he walks off slump shouldered and apathetic. It really comes off as weird in a world were superbattles happen every day, especially in light of a very visible fight between a t-rex and a dream creature which results in at least some property damage. Admittedly this is the first issue of this book I’ve read so maybe its some sort of running gag I’m not aware of.
I know this book is targeting kids directly so I can’t help but compare it to similar efforts of the pastlike Power Pack. Power Pack was about a team of four prepubescent sibling superheroes. It was well written enough that kids could identify with the heroes and even adults like myself could enjoy it. The art was good, the kids had well-defined personalities and arcs and cool costumes and powers. With Lunella however I’m struggling to relate to the character. She comes off as a but arrogant in places and not in the way one would expect, ie based on her extraordinary intelligence. In fact her smarts don’t really come into play. I’ve read other comics with her in them and she comes across as smart but here Lunella is just brash. The main villains in this issue are Bad Dream and nightmare and they are affecting the waking world from the dream dimension. So when Nightmare shows up to bring up Lunella’s worst feats it’s merely being teased in school while she is in her underwear. This is a boring old trope given what Nightmare is capable of. In Power Pack the stakes were much higher even though it was also aimed at kids. Even kids can handle some legitimate stakes in their entertainment. You can find more drama in things like Ben Ten and My Little Pony that in Moon Girl.
There are several things going on in this book that don’t even make comic book logical sense. Lunella wake’s up from her naked nightmare in here underwear in school…how? It’s certainly not explained. Sleepwalker shows up to taxi her to see Dr Strange…why? Strange is known to astral project to contact heroes. It’s a cameo that serves no purpose except to remind long time readers that Sleepwalker is a thing but the target audience is given no information about who or what Sleepwalker is. A whole page is wasted on Lunella sitting across from Strange in a boringly undramatic fashion with equally inane dialogue. Seeing Strange in his home by non mystics should always be a big deal, this just comes across as a wasted opportunity.
ART
The art isn’t great but is serviceable. Natacha’s art works in most places telling the story in a mostly easy to follow way. The colors by Tamra are largely a kid friendly pastel palette and fit the art style well. However, the artist’s depiction of action scenes can be confusing and difficult to follow, lacking a logical flow of action or sequence. One nice thing Natacha did however that I thought was very clever is subtly establish that people in the background look like they are sleeping or on the verge of falling asleep.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Even for kids this is just ok. 2 out of 5!
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #39
Writer: Brandon Montclare
Art: Natacha Bustos
Colors: Tamra Bonvillain
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