Review of 'Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
Looking back at Volume 1, I felt like volume 2 did improve somewhat in the "no one gets me department" and actually starts engaging Lunella with other characters. But any kudos this book originally got from me ended up dimming in comparison to the problems that I see developing.
Which is to say, while the art and page layouts remain pretty interesting, in my humble opinion, and I do think (on a surface level at least) the plotline is an improvement over the volume one, rereading this volume and thinking about the subtext of female representation started reconstruction my opinion of this volume. Namely, I felt like the female representation is a bit regressive.
Obviously, a coming of age character arc overall, this particular volume (where Lunella starts manifesting her rather random power) seems to have decided to really focus on puberty analogies. Certainly an important topic to take on …
Looking back at Volume 1, I felt like volume 2 did improve somewhat in the "no one gets me department" and actually starts engaging Lunella with other characters. But any kudos this book originally got from me ended up dimming in comparison to the problems that I see developing.
Which is to say, while the art and page layouts remain pretty interesting, in my humble opinion, and I do think (on a surface level at least) the plotline is an improvement over the volume one, rereading this volume and thinking about the subtext of female representation started reconstruction my opinion of this volume. Namely, I felt like the female representation is a bit regressive.
Obviously, a coming of age character arc overall, this particular volume (where Lunella starts manifesting her rather random power) seems to have decided to really focus on puberty analogies. Certainly an important topic to take on in coming of age stories for younger kids, the ways in which Lunella is forced to give up control of everything in her body (which she is already not super in tune with) bordered on low key torture. This, compounded by the ways that she was constantly being forced into contact with Marvin Ellis, initially her first arch nemesis before he randomly decides he is desperately in love with her I do feel as if the character of Moon Girl as a person is being taken very seriously.
I know I mentioned how annoying it was for me, as a child, to lack all but the smallest sense of personal autonomy, but I did feel like this took it to an unnecessary level considering everything is made up and the deliberate choice of our illustrious creative team.