An All-New Colorful Superhero Debuts In Primer First Look
by James Ferguson
DC is introducing us to a brand-new superhero with a colorful array of powers in Primer, an original graphic novel for middle grade readers. Check out a preview of the comic, written by Jennifer Muro and Thomas Krajewski, illustrated and colored by Gretel Lusky, and lettered by Wes Abbott below.
Primer follows Ashley Rayburn, an upbeat girl with a downbeat past. Her father is a criminal who once used her to elude justice. Someone died in his attempt to escape and now he’s in prison. This left Ashley to bounce from foster home to foster home as social workers struggle to help her. She’s not inherently bad but trouble seems to always find her.
Ashley’s latest foster parents, Kitch and Yuka Nolan are an interesting couple. Kitch is an artist and Yuka is a geneticist working for a high-level tech company contracted to work for the government and the military. Yuka’s latest top secret project is a set of body paints that grant the wearer a wide range of special powers. She fears this invention will be misused so she sneaks them home. You can probably see where this is going.
Ashley sees the mysterious suitcase holding the paints and thinks they’re a surprise gift for her birthday. She’s an artist in her own right and uses the paints on herself only to discover the powers are permanent. Now the military is looking for its new secret weapon, putting Ashley and her new family in the crosshairs.
Most of the DC Kids comics released so far have dealt with existing characters, such as Batman, Black Canary, and the Super Sons. This is a new creation and Primer seems like a perfect fit for the audience and this format.
Primer is set for release on June 23rd, 2020 and will retail for $9.99. It’s currently available for pre-order at your local comic shop, book store, and Amazon.