Marvel Girl Magic
How Black Girl Magic has dazzled Marvel comics with it’s brilliant charm and immeasurable intelligence...
Lunella Lafayette is a 9 year old black girl in elementary school that feels like she does not fit in at school and her parents don’t understand her. So much so that the 9 year old often has to find solace in her self-built lab under her elementary school.
“But just like all black girls there are a lot of things that Lunella has going for her that make her magical.”
For starters, she’s the smartest person in the Marvel universe meaning her knowledge knows no limits. She is often ridiculed and teased by her classmates because of how intelligent she is so she feels even more alienated.
On top of the alienation that she faces in school she possesses inhuman DNA, which makes her even more magical, literally. If her DNA were to react with a mysterious ‘Terrigen Cloud’ that floats around town, then her life might really take a turn.
How could we even try to ignore her insane sidekick a BIG RED T-Rex that follows her around like a lost little puppy… except with razor sharp teeth. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur make a dope duo if I do say so myself. Only a little black girl could control something as monstrous as a dinosaur without even blinking twice.
If you still haven’t been convinced to check this comic out, then I guess the alien bounty hunter or the time traveling cavemen that are dead set on stopping her from flourishing won’t convince you either. Oh and did I forget to mention Dr. Doom?
Bonus: Marvel Hip-Hop Cover Variant - Vince Staples-Summertime ‘06
Review
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is a must read, especially for young black girls because it shows them that they can conquer any challenge that comes their way. I LOVE the representation displayed in her story! Readers are able to see a pretty black girl that is in love with science.
MAJOR KEY ALERT!
This is crucial, especially for our young black girls, and boys, to see more people that look like them that are interested in STEM fields. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is an inspiring game changer because we haven’t seen a young black girl become a hero and on top of that she’s smarter than all the middle aged white superheroes that precede her.
Another dope thing I stumbled upon while reading this was the cultural fusion that Marvel is doing that will make black nerds/hip hop fans equally excited. Marvel has been releasing hip hop variant covers for many of their comics with Hip-Hop/Rap album covers. Not only is this dope but like I said we see this fusion of two things that otherwise would never be brought up in the same sentence, comic books and hip hop music. These recreations will catch your eye, with the album cover. You might even catch yourself reading the comic series if you’re not careful. This is definitely a great way for Marvel to attract a different audience. This new marketing plan will transform into more of their comics leading up to their big release that is sure to attract black viewers who would never otherwise look at a comic book rack.
One thing that is certain is that this provokes your thinking and makes you want to recreate your own version of your favorite album/mixtape covers with your favorite superhero. Comment your favorite album cover or recreation that you would like to see (NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.)
RiRi Williams was first introduced in the Marvel universe in the Invincible Iron Man (2015) in issue #9. In this reboot, we meet 15 year old super genius (because anything less than that would be an insult) RiRi in her dorm at M.I.T., where she has created her own Iron Man suit from spare parts, that she may or may not have stolen from her fellow students.
Again we see a black girl who is extremely intelligent and not afraid to use her talents. One of the themes that I truly love seeing while reading these comics.
In the 2016 version, RiRi’s story takes place in a city that is plagued with gun violence, Chicago. After narrowly escaping a shootout a few years back with her life she is motivated to pursue her super hero endeavors. We later find out this is also what inspires her name, Ironheart.
An experience that some of us may be too familiar with even if we never realized how close we may have been to serious injury or death.
A few years after the shooting, RiRi is still hard at work in her garage trying to perfect her Ironheart suit that she’s been building and the last piece to her puzzle, artificial intelligence, that will help her save the streets. She receives a mysterious package from none other than a late Tony Stark who has somehow transformed his “essence” into an A.I. for RiRi.
This new A.I. from Tony Stark is all that she needed because it will not only provide the resources that she didn’t have access to before but she also now has a mentor to guide her.
What challenges can we expect for this magical super genius to face and now that she has the Iron Man himself on her side, Who’s Gon’ Stop Her?
Review
Although the 2016 Invincible Ironheart only has 3 issues so far it still has my attention. The author snatched my attention right at the beginning of the first issue and tied me in closer to RiRi. I felt very empathetic for her even after only reading a few pages of her life.
One thing that I hope to see is RiRi’s brilliance continuing to shine and that the addition of Stark’s essence is only there as a guide. From what I have seen this relationship is necessary for RiRi’s super hero dreams as well as repairing her life that she views as broken. I hope that Marvel crafts their relationship in the best light instead of having Stark’s “essence” steal the show. Regardless of his influence, RiRi’s already more than proved her excellence in my eyes and she has already proven that she is out here in these streets saving the world.
It’s super dope to see these two young black girls out here dominating and becoming the future of a field where middle aged white men have been the standard. I’d love for this to become a hostile takeover in the real world where we see a transformation of what we consider the standard in these science fields.
Also we see in these stories these young ladies grow and become confident in who they are as super heroes while they still balance their daily lives. We see them discover how powerful they can be and they learn how to use that to help us all.
Not only are these young ladies dope on their own but they also come together and make dope collaboration. Wouldn’t you agree?
Let me know what you think. Like, share, comment.
