Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur has its season finale (OMG Issues 1 & 2) and continues to deliver the best Marvel series of the new MCU, and in my humble opinion, is the best Marvel cartoon, ever. Sorry Spider-Man, you were my all-time favorite with your catchy theme music, but Moon Girl has magic and new music in every episode.
Ironically, I know I am not the target audience but there is so much to love, even my old and crusty heart can feel the angst and joy featured in every frame of this series.
For those of you who are just discovering this national treasure, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is a Disney+ Marvel intellectual property, adapted from the comic book of the same name. It features Lunella Lafayette, a young super-genius who discovers the blueprint of a portal technology and brings a bright-red intelligent, foodie, in the shape of a T-Rex into the present day.
The two (along with their media consultant and publicist, Casey) have adventures on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, growing up, fighting crime, defeating strange villains and challenging the perceptions of viewers with a diverse and inclusive cast, a fabulous musical score and damn fine writing.
This show will earn a place among the luminaries of American storytelling and imagination, taking what was a C-listed hero and turning her into a fully-fledged wonder of emotional intelligence and creative intellect. Filled with humorous anecdotes, hidden Easter eggs, shouts out to the Marvel Cinematic Universe while being able to NOT take itself seriously, makes it half the fun.
And then there is the best use of the annoying character, the Beyonder, that Marvel has ever sanctioned. (I hated that guy until his appearance here.) Laurence Fishburne, who plays the Beyonder and produces this show, has hired a team supreme. Writing, animation, storytelling, dialog and humor come together to create a compelling narrative of a young Black woman coming into her superheroic legacy.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is a rich and layered work featuring a cast of characters, heroic and villainous, who have exceeded all my expectations by an order of magnitude. I can’t wait to see what they do next. The season finale episodes were simply outstanding.
OMG. Yes, I could tell you more. But, spoilers… Just enjoy the ride. 15 episodes of pure awesome fun. Moon Girl Magic, indeed.
-30-
Thaddeus Howze is an award-winning writer, editor, podcaster and activist creating speculative fiction, scientific, political and cultural commentary from his office in Hayward, California.
Thaddeus’ speculative fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and literary journals. He has published two books, ‘Hayward’s Reach’ (2011), a collection of short stories and ‘Broken Glass’ (2013) an urban fantasy novella starring his favorite paranormal investigator, Clifford Engram.
