Links: Big news at Archie; Disney teases new Marvel comic

James Kochalka talks about his newest book, The Glorkian Warrior Delivers a Pizza, which is being published by First Second—at the same time his newest Johnny Boo book is coming out from Top Shelf.

Film and television writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is joining Archie Comics as chief creative officer; his job is to develop existing Archie characters for comics, film, and television. His first project: Bringing in Lena Dunham, the creator of HBO’s Girls and a longtime Archie fan, to write a comic.

Aguirre-Sacasa also talks to CBR about his work on Afterlife With Archie, a zombie series set in Riverdale that is decidedly not kids’ fare (there’s a big spoiler in this article that gives an indication of that) but would probably be taken in stride by teens who watch The Walking Dead.

Marvel is teasing a new Disney comic, and CBR has figured it out: It will be about Figment, the purple dragon at Epcot. Jim Zubkavich (Skullkickers, Samurai Jack) will be the writer.

Allison Baker, co-publisher of the digital comics line Monkeybrain, is concerned that her daughter takes no interest in Wonder Woman, but there’s a bigger issue as well:

You see, to my daughter, Wonder Woman has predominately been a part of an ensemble, not a stand-alone character. The token female in a larger group of men. “Justice League,” “Justice League Unlimited” and “Young Justice” all have a Wonder Woman, but she isn’t the main focus. And while there is a DC comic that does focus on her, it’s not really written for 10 year-old girls.

The lack of Wonder Woman in our current pop culture is fundamentally representative of inadequate gender, racial, and sexual orientation parity in all forms of media which itself perpetuates inequity and reinforces stereotypes and prejudices throughout society. Leaving us to deal with a society and culture dominated and run by the white male.

I’m dead serious.

This New Yorker article about Moomins creator Tove Jansson is really a review of two books about her, a bio and her memoir, but it also reads like a profile of the prolific author.

Ed Catto talks to the folks at Archie Comics about the enduring popularity of their brand.

Both CBR and the Mary Sue interview Kate Leth, the writer of Adventure Time: Seeing Red as well as the creator of the webcomic Kate or Die.

It’s a Cartoon Network crossover: IDW is planning Super Secret Crisis War, a six issue “event” that will bring together characters from Samurai Jack, Ben 10, Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Ed, Edd, & Eddy.

Previews

Adventures of Superman #46 (CBR)
Life With Archie #34 (CBR)
Sonic/Mega Man Worlds Collide #2 (Comicosity)

Reviews

Henry Chamberlain on Adventure Time #25 (Comics Grinder)
Matthew Santori-Griffith on Afterlife With Archie #4 (Comicosity)
Doug Zawisza on Afterlife With Archie #4 (CBR)
Sterg Botzakis on Binky the Space Cat (Graphic Novel Resources)
Michael Buntag on Darth Vader and Son and Vader’s Little Princess (NonSensical Words)
Alice Vernon on Friends With Boys (Girls Like Comics)
Johanna Draper Carlson on Jellaby (Comics Worth Reading)
Richard Bruton on Lucky Luke versus Pat Poker (Forbidden Planet)
Melissa Fox on book one of March (Book Nut)
Augie De Blieck, Jr., on Sybil the Backpack Fairy (Comic Book Resources)

Filed under: All Ages