Primer is a cute coming of age story about a girl who is being fostered and having to fins her way. I loved the way that it was written that I could connect with the characters. Some of it could have been developed a bit more. It seemed to jump around a bit but over all a great read and a fantastic lesson that there are still good people out there that care about others.

This superhero graphic novel is perfect for tween readers. Ashley has had trouble with foster homes. She is a street artist has to outrun the criminal past of her dad who is in prison. Once she finally finds a family who loves her, she stumbles across a secret project involving paints that give people superpowers. With her new abilities, she becomes Primer. I loved this origin and loved the color and fast paced story. I look forward to seeing more from this character.

This book was received as an ARC from DC Entertainment - DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was smiling from ear to ear from reading this book that I could not stop reading. The concept was genius and the plot was so intoxicatingly exciting that a lot of our young readers will be looking to read this book. Ashley is struggling to fit in with her new family and new life but remain upbeat during the process. One day she comes home from school knowing that her mother Yuka works for a top secret agency and her latest project is a set of body paints for the military that when applied, the person will be granted special powers. Yuka fears that these paints will be misused so she sneaks them home and replaces them with regular paint at the lab. Ashley finds these paints and chaos erupts. Now Ashley has become public enemy number one and her new parents and friends is in jeopardy. Now with these new powers and the military finding out there secret weapon has been compromised, Ashley must do whatever it takes to save her family and friends. This was such a creative spark to the DC Universe. I know our readers will love this book and will be talking about it.

We will consider adding this title to our JGraphic Novel collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

As an artist, I was on board with this comic right from the cover, also our heroine looks ready to kick some butt! Ashley is a teen in the system after her criminal father goes to prison, but not before a life was taken leaving Ashley dealing with the trauma. Thankfully, Ashley is placed with a loving set of foster parents who welcome her into their home. Although, Ashley is unsure about them, she eventually begins to love them. If all of that wasn't enough for any teen NOW she has accidentally given herself superpowers! With the help of her best friend and her foster parents, Ashley will learn more about her powers, try to stop an evil corporation, and still try to get her homework done. I loved it! I hope there will be more to come!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Primer is everything I wanted in a new superhero!

Almost 13, Ashley has been in foster care since her father was arrested and put in prison, and she has been labeled trouble ever since. Even from behind bars her father haunts and seems to control her happiness.
A talented artist and football fan, Ashley finds a suitcase full of strange body paints, she is certain that they are a gift for her upcoming birthday and tries one out. And that's where things start to get interesting because these paints aren't ordinary paints: they grant the wearer superpowers!

Ashley takes up the mantle of Primer, a superhero whose powers are ever changing based on what colors she wears on her skin. However, it's not all fun and games; turns out that the paints were smuggled, having initially been created as a weapon. And now the military will do anything to get them back--and take down this girl calling herself Primer.

The sub-characters in this book are equally as great as Ashley! The art is fantastic, and I can't wait to see where Ashley/Primer's journey takes her in future!

The cover and artwork are absolutely stunning, I thoroughly enjoyed the vivid colors. I love that our newest superhero is a 13 year old artist that is a member of the Foster community. I wish that the author had spent a little more time focusing on the relationship between Ashley and her new foster parents. They have such an interesting dynamic, but the ending felt a little forced. I also am confused how Ashley came up with the magic "3 paints" theory. She is shows trying a bunch of different paints until she is overwhelmed, and then suddenly she decides 3 is the magic number. This is a adorable new take on superheroes, and I'm very excited to see what Primer dies next!

Bad guys beware, the world's newest superhero is also the world's most colorful!

Nearly 13, Ashley has been in foster care since her father was arrested and put in prison, and she has been labeled trouble ever since. Still, even from behind bars he finds ways to control Ashley and her happiness, and her recurring nightmares of the night of his crime haunt her. A talented artist and football fan, Ashley is initally skeptical of the newest set of fosters who show an interest in her, artist Kitch and scientist Yuka, but she decides to take a chance on them. Add in a new best friend, Luke, and Ashley is finally starting to feel like she might have found her place. When Ashley and Luke find a suitcase full of strange body paints, Ashley is certain that they are a gift for her upcoming birthday and tries one out. And that's where things start to get interesting because these paints aren't ordinary paints: they grant the wearer superpowers!

Now, with the paints and wigs--courtesy of aspiring hairdresser Luke--Ashley takes up the mantle of Primer, a superhero whose powers are ever changing based on what colors she wears on her skin. However, it's not all fun and games; turns out that Yuka smuggled the paints home from her workplace, having initially created them as a weapon and now hiding them from the military, having deemed them too dangerous. Except now the military knows they've been duped, and will do anything to get their hands on the paints--and this girl calling herself Primer. Ashley finds herself on the verge of losing everything that has made her the happiest in a very long time. Can she save the day?

Ashley is a fantastically charming and witty protagonist (and, this may be the recent Disney+ binge watching talking, she gives off strong Gosalyn Mallard vibes), and the supporting characters of Kitch, Yuka and Luke are incredibly fleshed out and realistic. The art is fantastic, and I can't wait to see a completely colored version of this well-plotted story, as well as see where Ashley/Primer's journey takes her in future sequels!