The main characters are, as the title suggests, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Moon Girl is a 9-year-old girl who is bored with her life in school, as she is “the smartest there is.” Devil Dinosaur is her companion who occasionally swaps minds with her. Various Marvel characters appear in the book, such as the Hulk, who is in the book since the first page. The book takes place during the present and takes place primarily in her school and Yancy Street. It has disconnected stories in each chapter, but the main conflict is that a villain, which is revealed later on in the book is, trying to defeat Moon Girl. Going into much more detail would give away the main reveals of the book.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur isn’t the best Marvel comic out there, but it would be a very good book for someone trying to get into comics, but is intimidated by the vast universe of Marvel. It features numerous Marvel characters, but it takes the time to introduce them all. As someone that is familiar with all the characters depicted, I found that it wasn’t very intrusive and isn’t hard to enjoy if you’re already acquainted with the characters. The book also has fairly decent humor, but it didn’t make me actually laugh. The biggest flaw of the book is its tonal variations. One page will be heavily joke driven, but then the very next page will be much more mature and tries to pose a philosophical question or deliver a message. Little to no transition is given, so it feels quite jarring. Besides that, it’s fantastic for people new to Marvel, but its still enjoyable if you’re already a Marvel fan.
The most memorable thing about the book is the wide cast of characters. As previously mentioned, it features a plethora of Marvel characters and introduces them all incredibly well. Introducing new characters each chapter helps drive the fast pace of the book without becoming excessive.
Reviewed by Payton, Grade 10, Glen Allen Library
HCPL TeenScene's Read + Review 