Marvel’s newest character Moon Girl is a genius Black pre-teen with an inhuman gene resting within her. Though the gene is not yet triggered, with her high powered intellect, Moon Girl will soon enough control her fate once it’s activated. Reminiscent of a “female Inspector Gadget,” Moon Girl also goes by the name of Luenella Lafayette and she rocks a cute pompadour afro-ponytail sitting at the top of her head. Marvel’s new superhero is beautifully Black.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (historically called Devil Dinosaur with a caveman named Moon Boy as the leading character) is a comic series written by Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare. The Marvel creative team conceptualized Luenella out of what they saw as a need to create a character that multiple generations can relate to.
“We wanted to create something that adults and kids could really love, like a Pixar feel. That’s where the tone jumped off for us” said assistant editor Emily Shaw. “The character lives in this world where people don’t really get her…that her brain just works a little differently than all of the other kids her age really resonated with us, and that idea of feeling sort of isolated and on your own during that very early time of life we thought was really compelling, and could really resonate with a lot of readers. That’s what really gave the story its heart at the beginning.”
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur will premiere in November.