This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
One of the things I love about Marvel is they’ve always taken this approach of the world outside your window. “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” provides a very authentic feel to New York, so I was wondering, with things like the blackout in the first episode, what other real-world issues are you looking forward to exploring in your show?
Clouden: Well, there’s a lot of issues that we can’t really get to tell you, but it deals with a lot of issues of self-care, things they’re dealing with in the community, and gentrification. Those are few of the topics that we do [cover].
Loter: It’s important to kind of remember that it’s the mind of a 13-year-old, and it should be something that everyone in the audience can feel and understand. That’s the springboard for us. But because it’s set in the Lower East Side of New York City, there are, of course, story aspects that you get with the environment. Rodney mentioned gentrification. I think all [that] keys in together to tell the narrative story.
Representation is so important no matter what age you are. And I remember growing up watching shows like “Static Shock,” which paved the way for diversity in superhero media. What show or shows inspired your team while you were creating the vibe for “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur?”
Clouden: For me, when I came on to work on the show and I was introduced to the vision and vibe that Steve wanted to create, which [came from] the design of New York: Basquiat street art, Andy Warhol, and the music. I immediately thought of “Fat Albert,” which would have these [sequences] with the music. It was rock, jazz, R&B, and music like that. That’s the first thing that came into my mind when doing the show.