Primer is back with a splash—of color!

Teenager Ashley Rayburn is Primer, a high-spirited superhero who has a pick of 33 powers at her fingertips. But when Ashley gets in over her head, it’s not her superpowers that she relies on! She has two devoted adoptive parents and a dependable best friend who stick by her side through thick and thin. With their support, Primer can overcome just about any problem. Primer: Clashing Colors is a lively story of the super team we’re all on—the one made up of our friends and family—and how they can save the day.

Primer: Clashing Colors, a new middle grade graphic novel by Jennifer Muro, Thomas Krajewski, Gretel Lusky and Nicoletta Baldari, picks up the action not long after Ashley’s first big adventure. In that book, after she played around with some experimental chemicals her adoptive mom brought home from work, Ashley discovered that each “paint” granted her a specific superpower. She can wear up to three different colors for three different powers at a time, and learns to mix and match for the trouble at hand. Maybe super smarts, heightened senses and shapeshifting? Or what about shrinking, flight and invulnerability?

Befitting a story about a hero whose powers are represented by colors, the art in this follow-up graphic novel is just as fun-loving and exuberant as Ashley herself. The action (and paint!) practically flies off the page. Not only does Primer’s power set change constantly, the vibrant colors of her costume and her hair change to match. Primer’s never the same superhero twice, which is a delightful detail for a coming-of-age tale about a young teenager who’s still figuring out who she is.

When readers catch up with Ashley in Clashing Colors, she’s settled into her new life with her adoptive family. Now that she thinks she’s got the hang of this hero stuff, Primer’s set her sights on joining the superhero team: the Teen Titans! She believes she can pass any test with flying colors to make it on the Titans’ team. So why does she just end up getting in the way when they’re around?

And if that wasn’t enough for one girl to handle, Ashley’s also dealing with her stinky biological dad calling her from jail, getting to know the new girl at school and a best friend who’s been acting really weird. Can she get herself out of this mess?

Well, yes and no.

First of all, Ashley excels at messes: making them, specifically. But, more importantly, she doesn’t have to do everything all by herself. She might not realize it yet, but Ashley’s already on a super team made up of her family and friends. They each support her in their own way, including designing parts of her costume, synthesizing new powers and just being there to lend a sympathetic ear. In the end—spoilers!—it’s not Primer’s superpowers that save the day, but that same kindness and understanding that Ashley’s friends and family show her extended to someone who really needs it.

No matter how old we are, we could all use a reminder sometimes that we’re not alone in our fights against whatever life throws at us. Maybe it’s the math homework you don’t quite understand, or maybe it’s taking on Deathstroke one-on-one. No problem is too big or too small for asking the people on our own teams to help. And, best of all, there’s always room for someone new to join the squad.

Not only will every reader appreciate that message, Primer: Clashing Colors will also brighten up your kids’ day with Ashley’s energetic personality and her imaginative powers to match. Pick up the graphic novel for a joyous pop of color now.
 

Primer: Clashing Colors by Jennifer Muro, Thomas Krajewski, Gretel Lusky and Nicoletta Baldari is now available as a softcover graphic novel in bookstores, comic shops, libraries and digital retailers.

Kelly Knox writes about all-ages comics and animation for DC.com, and is the author of several nonfiction books about some of your favorite film franchises. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox and Bluesky at @kelly-knox.com to talk superheroes, comics and pop culture.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Kelly Knox and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.