In the second issue, things get a bit more hairy…and scaly. Is it good?
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #2 (Marvel Comics)
Picking up immediately where we left off in the last issue, Devil Dinosaur has Lunella trapped in his jaws and is rampaging through New York City, leaving a trail of destruction and really large footprints behind.
But he doesn’t want to eat Lunella — he just wants the Kree omni-wave projector that Lunella discovered and is hanging onto for dear life. And she has a good reason: Lunella has the Inhuman gene, and if she comes into contact with the Terrigen cloud, she’ll change and that idea is terrifying.
They both have another problem, however — the Killer Folk cavemen that followed Devil Dinosaur through the portal are also in New York. They are learning the ways of New Yorkers and are hot on the trail of the two (really large footprints being easy to follow).
Will the Killer Folk succeed in stealing the omni-wave projector back? Will Devil Dinosaur and Lunella ever be able to communicate?
Is It Good?
Picking up directly on the action from the last issue, the pace doesn’t drop for Lunella and Devil Dinosaur. The energy throughout the issue is fantastic; I love the chase through the city and getting to see more of Lunella’s inventions (I totally want a firefly drone). What cracks me up even more is Lunella’s attitude about the whole situation – she is more irritated about being drug around by her backpack than scared of the giant dinosaur.
We get more humor in this issue and some genuine laugh out loud images. I especially loved the cavemen attempting to suss out modern behavior by watching folks at the newsstand and the image of them emerging from the subway station decked out in clothes and headphones cracked me up.
But the most important thing we learned was Lunella and her motivations. She has the Inhuman gene, the same gene that turned Kamala Khan into Ms. Marvel. And Lunella is terrified of changing; of change. It’s probably where her intense problem-solving and knack for inventing comes from, that fear driving her towards doing whatever she can to have some sense of control. And we see the downside of that fear, that it’s pushing her away from making friends, and distancing her from her family.
That fear of change, especially when you are young, can be so huge and hard to deal with, and I love that Montclare and Reeder are using this book to address it. I think lots of kids will know exactly where Lunella is coming from, if not her exact circumstances (rampaging dinosaurs being pretty rare nowadays).
Natascha Bustos’ art and Tamra Bonvillain’s colors continue to bring the story oomph. I love Bustos’ use of perspective, especially in the chase sequences, and she perfectly balances that fine line between realism and cartoonish fun. Bonvillain’s colors complement the scenes and enhance the tone of each different setting. I love how she makes things pop in each panel.
This book is such a great addition to the Marvel universe, specifically to the new generation of lady heroes. I’m really hoping we get a Kamala cameo soon.
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