Links: Girl Detectives Rule!

BOOM! Studios has announced a new teen detective series, Goldie Vance, and CBR has the story, with interviews with writer Hope Larson (Mercury, A Wrinkle in Time) and artist Britney Williams (Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat). The detective is a 16-year-old girl, but the series is pitched at readers of all ages, and it’s part of their Boom Box imprint (also the home of Lumberjanes and Giant Days). It’s slated for four issues, but Boom Box miniseries tend to be extended if they do well…

Big news from First Second, which announced yesterday that it will publish the YA graphic novel You Bad Son by Dan Santat, who won the Caldecott Medal last year for The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend. Santat, who is also the author of the graphic novel Sidekicks, is basing the story on his own experiences growing up in a Thai American family and choosing art school over medical school:

Writing You Bad Son has been an experience of personal healing by looking back at my life and reexamining the struggles I went through as a teenager going through the awkward years of high school. Throughout the writing process I’ve gained a better understanding of how certain people and events, be it positive or negative, has shaped me into the person I am today. This is not a story about being an Asian-American teen, but rather, it is a story about the moment as a child when you realize that your parents are not perfect people and the awkward transition of trusting yourself in making your own decisions and learning by making your own mistakes, which is a theme I feel many teens can relate to.

First Second is also publishing the print edition of Drew Weing’s all-ages webcomic The Creepy Casefiles of Margo Maloo, and he shows off the cover and talks about the comic in an interview with Hero Complex.

Here’s another great interview with Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Gene Luen Yang, who always has something interesting to say.

Elizabeth Bird talks to Nathan Hale about the new Comics Squad anthology.

The finalists have been announced for the Cybils awards; here’s the list for the graphic novels category.

The venerable children’s comic Tintin made its first appearance in the children’s pages of a conservative Catholic newspaper on January 10, 1929, and Benito Cereno celebrates the round-headed reporter’s birthday with a look back at the way the comic changed as the creator, Herge, broadened his world view.

Craig Yoe talks about the hard work (and comics reading) that went into compiling The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories.

Previews

Angry Birds #1 (Comic Book Resources)

Strawberry Shortcake Free Comic Book Day comic (Comic Book Resources)

Reviews: A.K. Summers reviews This One Summer in comics format.

Kelly Fineman on Apollo: The Brilliant One (Guys Lit Wire)
Antony Esmond on Fantasy Sports, Book Two (Down the Tubes)
Renee Vaillancourt McGrath on I’m Grumpy and I’m Sunny (Montana Public Radio)
Greg McElhatton on Jem and the Holograms #10 (Comic Book Resources)
BookNutGirls on Nimona (The Book Nut)
BookNutGirls on Unicorn on a Roll (The Book Nut)

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