This holiday season, we’ve got quite a bit to be thankful for. In theaters: a Thor movie that is fantastic, and a Justice League movie that isn’t completely terrible (I might have hated it more than most, but the general consensus in our little collective is that, apart from The Flash, Zach Snyder’s latest DCEU flick is at least somewhat enjoyable). On the couch: a wonderfully satisfying Stranger Things follow-up segues into a surprisingly good Punisher series. And on the stands: DC’s Doomsday Clock is garnering rave reviews, and Marvel, godbless’em, still doesn’t mind publishing comics that feature superheroes without a film or television deal, and who have been seemingly forgotten entirely.

Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur #25, by Brandon Montclare and Natacha Bustos, continues to be one of the most charmingly entertaining books on the stands. It’s the kind of book I want to give to my little cousins to show them that superheroes and superstories can exist outside of movies and video games. In fact, this little gem of an issue, part of Marvel’s Legacy initiative, may just open up their young impressionable world to the fact that comics not only gave birth to the characters and wonderment that are so pervasive in pop culture today, but its pool is exponentially more deep and engaging. Case in point: who the hell are the Fantastic Four?

Or in the case of this storyline, the Fantastic Three. We got the teasers in Jason Aaron’s Legacy one-shot, but it’s nice to be reminded that Marvel’s first family is merely gone but not forgotten. Lunella, smartest human on the planet now that Reed Richards is out of the picture, may be sans one giant red dinosaur at the moment, but she will have no shortage of team-ups and sidekicks if this FF-inspired new story arc is any indication. I was one of the kids who thought H.E.R.B.I.E. was simultaneously stupid and awesome back in the day, and it made me smile to see that same kind of reaction elicited in this comic. Welcome back, guys. And pay attention kids — you might learn something.

November 15 | New Release Highlights | November 29