A vibrant new graphic novel from DC, Primer is intended for a younger audience, ages 8-12.
Thirteen-year-old Ashley Rayburn, an upbeat but irrepressible foster child, has bounced from home to home. Her father’s in prison, and trouble always seems to find Ashley too.
Until she discovers a suitcase of specially enhanced body paints, each of which give her a different superpower. Of course, with great power comes great big soldier people hunting for the suitcase, and that’s where the story leads us, colouring within and without the lines.
Writer Jennifer Muro (Netflix’s The Last Kids on Earth) and Thomas Krajewski (Netflix’s Buddy Thunderstruck) brings us up close and personal with Ashley, as she performs tricks of daring. She’s super-spattered with paint, but does it matter? Her hair is streaked, her ‘costume’ is a laugh, but Ashey’s got heart, and we are along for the ride. The story leads us in touching directions, interspersing dramatic Super Soldier battle moments with dramatically emotional ones. The pacing is good, and the going is immersive; this story works for kids and adults too.
Argentinian artist Gretel Lusky’s animation background comes to the forefront in Primer. Her strong sense of colour richness, her lines of action in the fight scenes, her understanding of visual dynamics are all solid. The colouring is of course brilliant, with a full kaleidoscope of chroma at Lusky’s beck and call. All in all, a great read, with a strong moral core.
DC, Primer Graphic Novel, $9.99 for 146 pages of story. Ages 8 and up
tags @Gretlusky, @jennifermuro @tomkrajewski
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