Writers: Brandon Montclare, Amy Reeder / Artist: Natacha Bustos / Marvel Comics
I love Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur a little more with each issue. Marvel is getting pretty good at crafting genuine, heartfelt young heroes for a new generation and this book is proof of that fact. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be friends with a little girl like Lunella Lafayette? Apparently, most of the Marvel Universe seems to want to.
“The Smartest There Is” continues in issue #17 as Lunella is paid a visit by the X-Men. First of all, this is the best I’ve seen the X-Men written in a year and some change since Brian Bendis left the franchise (notice we don’t talk much about X-books on this site). I haven’t decided if that reflects well on this book or sadly on the current state of the all things X, but I digress. This is one of those comics where the cover sort of sums up the feeling of the issue. Though it’s a team up, it very much feels like the X-Men are very much at our hero’s mercy. I don’t mean to downplay how formidable she is because she’s a kid, but this issue really does feel like the best play date ever. Moon Girl is a character worth her weight in vibranium.
Seriously, how hilariously cute is it to have a nine-year-old superhero staring down Doctor Doom, saying stuff like, “You’ve been ducking for weeks!” Natacha Bustos’ artwork has this magical quality to it takes these iconic characters and brings them into Lunella’s big, whimsical world while still preserving what we love about them. I’m always amazed at the new, funny creative situations she can put Devil Dinosaur in from sleeping in a subway tunnel like it’s a doggy door entrance to riding on top of a moving train.
Bottom Line: Hilarious, creatively plotted and infinitely endearing, this book is the poster child for Marvel doing right by their ever-growing pantheon of millennial superheroes.
Reading Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
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