Marvel has built up a diverse lineup of female superheroes over the decades, and they’re about to gain a new recruit. Back in the ‘70s, the House of Ideas published a short-lived series called Devil Dinosaur (created by comic book legend Jack Kirby), which followed the adventures of a T-rex and his caveman companion Moon Boy. Now the series is getting a makeover for the modern era, only it won’t be a boy teaming up with a dinosaur. Instead, pre-teen intellectual Luna Lafayette, a.k.a. Moon Girl, will be one of the co-leads in the new book Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, and unlike their predecessor, it will take place in the present day Marvel universe.
The new book is being helmed by writers Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare, artist Natacha Bustos, editor Mark Paniccia and assistant editor Emily Shaw. The book will be targeted towards fans of all ages, with the creative team citing the importance of having a book that kids and adults can enjoy together. Shaw described Moon Girl to EW as a girl who people don’t get her because her brain works differently, and also compared her to a female Inspector Gadget that actually knows what she’s doing.
While they didn’t get into story specifics, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur will of course feature monster battles, as well flashbacks to the original dinosaur world. There will even be an appearance from the star of the ‘70s book. According to Montclare:
There won’t be a hidden easter egg, but Moon-Boy is going to be in it at least for a little bit. And one of the things that comes back in time along with Devil Dinosaur will be these bad boys, these killer folk, these Kirby-created cavemen. We keep the kind of cartoonish-ness of it, but it should be very cool because they’re going to be a legitimate menace living up to their name, but they’re going to have an experience in modern times that changes them.
While Shaw admitted that Moon Girl’s adventures would be “front and center,” she pointed out that the relationship between her and Devil Dinosaur be the core of their adventures. While it may sound strange, Devil Dinosaur, who has above average intelligence for a prehistoric creature, will teach Moon Girl how to relate to others. It was also revealed that in addition to being super smart, the young girl also has an Inhuman gene which will “take her life in a wildly different direction” once it’s triggered, prompting her to try to control this change.
No release date has been announced yet for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, but it will be part of the “All-New, All-Different” Marvel rebrand that will emerge post-Secret Wars.
