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Marvel's Newest Superhero Is a Dinosaur-Befriending Preteen Genius Named Moon Girl

The character is part of an updated version of the short-lived 1978 comic centered on Moon Boy.

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Though you likely don't remember it, Marvel Comics introduced and swiftly abandoned a comic series entitled Devil Dinosaur back in the pre-tweet era of 1978. The series, featuring the parallel universe misadventures of Devil Dinosaur and his tiny pal Moon Boy, only lasted nine months. 37 dinosaur-heavy years later, Marvel is giving the cult series the full-on reboot treatment.

Likening the just-announced Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur to a "female Inspector Gadget" who actually "knows what she's doing," series writer Amy Reeder tells Entertainment Weekly that now is the right moment to introduce the world to Lunella Lafayette. "Moon Girl is definitely a type of personality that I had in my mind for a long time, that hopefully people can identify with in different aspects,” reveals Reeder. “We all feel isolated or left out at times. So it’s been a joy to try to create something like this.”

Lafayette, a.k.a. Moon Girl, is described as a preteen genius with patently "unpredictable alien DNA" residing in the dinosaur-unfriendly city of New York. Though specific details weren't unveiled, the 1978 Devil Dinosaur will intersect with this decidedly modern reinvention. In fact, Moon Boy is expected to make a small cameo in future issues. Lafayette also represents Marvel's continued efforts at increasing diversity among its roster, an effort of which the entire team behind Moon Girl is definitely aware. "It’s really important that the mainstream throws up new references like these," saysMoon Girl artist Natacha Bustos. "It’s an honor to be a part of that change that Marvel is bringing to the comic book creative landscape."

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur arrives this fall.

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