Primer

by Jennifer Muro, Thomas Krajewski, Gretel Lusky (Illustrator)

Overview

Artistry and super-heroics collide ain this new superhero story!

Thirteen-year-old Ashley Rayburn is an upbeat girl with a decidedly downbeat past. With a father in prison, Ashley has bounced from foster home to foster home and represents a real challenge to the social workers who try to help her—not because she's inherently bad, but because trouble always seems to find her.

Things start looking up for Ashley when she finds new, loving parents, a best friend, and an outlet for her creative skills. But her life quickly gets more complicated when she also finds a suitcase full of specially enhanced body paints, changing her from artist to the world's newest superhero. It's the greatest thing to happen in her life so far, until Ashley finds herself pursued by a government agency that wants those paints back! Now she has to make hard choices to protect her new parents and learn what it truly means to be a family.

From writers Jennifer Muro (Star Wars: Forces of Destiny) and Thomas Krajewski (Netflix's Buddy Thunderstruck) and artist Gretel Lusky comes a brand-new superhero for the DC Universe in a story that is alternately fun, dramatic, emotional, and uplifting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401296575
Publisher:	DC Comics
Publication date:	06/23/2020
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	66,515
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Since 2004, Tom Krajewski has been writing animation for Nickelodeon, Disney, Warner Bros., the BBC, and Cartoon Network. Titles he has worked on include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Iron Man, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, and The Fairly OddParents. He is also the head writer on the Netflix series Buddy Thunderstruck.

Jennifer Muro is the writer of the Lucasfilm series Star Wars: Forces of Destiny. She's also written for Justice League Action, DC Super Hero Girls, Marvel's Spider-Man, and is currently working on Critical Role's The Legend of Vox Machina series.

Gretel Lusky is a character designer and visual development artist for animation. Primer is her debut graphic novel.

She loves animals, mermaids, tattoos, poetry, nature, fantasy, traveling, and superheroes.

Editorial Reviews

05/22/2020

Gr 4–8—Thirteen-year-old Ashley hasn't had an easy time in the foster system, taking her feelings out on the world through pranks and graffiti. But it seems like she might be fitting right in with her new foster family, the quirky Nolans: Kitch, an artist and professor, and Yuka, a scientist at Zecromax Labs. Just as things settle down at home and school, Yuka brings home a mysterious briefcase, which Ashley filches, full of body paints that give her superpowers. As Ashley hits the streets to fight crime and save lives, she catches the attention of supersoldier Cal Strack, who wants her abilities for his own ambitious purposes. Can Ashley fight crime and protect her new family, too? A fast-paced plot, memorable characters, and a healthy dash of classic comic book convolution make this a satisfying read for hero connoisseurs. Lusky's vibrant, expressive artwork perfectly conveys the dynamic action. While this adventure wraps up by the end of the volume, lingering opportunities and threats indicate more to come. VERDICT For fans of Wonder Woman and She-Ra looking for a colorful fix.—Darla Salva Cruz, Suffolk Cooperative Lib. Syst., Bellport, NY

School Library Journal

2020-03-29
A feisty young teen explores the literal power of art.

Ever since her abusive father was imprisoned, spunky graffiti artist Ashley has bounced from foster home to foster home. When she finally finds a new family she jibes with, she’s cautiously optimistic. Kitch Nolan is a visual artist while his wife, Yuka, is a geneticist for Zecromax Labs. They’re overjoyed to welcome Ashley into their life, but Yuka grows increasingly distant. Soon Ashley discovers that Yuka is keeping a secret: She’s stolen some prototype Project Warpaint. A new secret weapon coveted by the military, this is body paint imbued with superhero powers, one per color. When Ashley accidentally activates the paints and begins experimenting with them, she decides to assume a superhero identity, becoming the titular Primer with the help of her new friend Luke. Soon she realizes she’s up against a bigger threat than your average bad guy. A supersoldier is hunting down this new secret weapon and is more than happy to take out Ashley in the process. The character design has slightly exaggerated features (white-presenting Ashley has oversized eyes and a petite waist), and the illustration style is realistic, dynamic, and, of course, colorful. Readers willing to overlook slight inconsistencies in characterization and questions about worldbuilding will find this read delightful and look forward to future chapters. The Nolans are an interracial couple, and Luke presents black.

An energetic introduction to a new superhero. (Graphic adventure. 8-14)

Kirkus Reviews