Links: President Pens Peanuts Prologue

President Barack Obama, a Peanuts fan of long standing, has written the foreword for volume 25 of Fantagraphics’ archival collection The Complete Peanuts; volume 25 wraps up the published newspaper strips and throws in a Peanuts predecessor, Li’l Folks, and there’s a final volume coming that collects some odds and ends that weren’t part of the Peanuts strip.

Papercutz will publish Trish Trash: Rollergirl on Mars, a sci-fi trilogy by Jessica Abel, the creator of Out on the Wire and Perdida and the co-author, with her husband, Matt Madden, of Drawing Words & Writing Pictures.

Brian Hibbs does his yearly analysis of the BookScan chart, which tracks graphic novel sales in bookstores, and once again, children’s properties dominate, with two volumes of Rachel Renee Russell’s Dork Diaries in the top two spots. But the U.S. publisher that sold the most graphic novels last year was Scholastic, thanks in part to Raina Telgemeier:

Raina has six books that chart altogether (though there are 27 entries in the full list, due to various editions and formats), and she sold 990k copies this year, for more than $11 million in sales — almost 6.5% of all the sales of the comics report for BookScan were by Raina Telgemeier (and almost 4.25% of the dollars!) That’s purely incredible (and just a little bit insane).

ICv2 lists the top 10 kids’ graphic novel franchises of Fall 2015, and three of the ten categories are Raina Telgemeier books—”Telgemeier Memoirs,” “Baby-Sitters Club,” and “Drama.” As a result, Peanuts tops the chart, and Telgemeier takes up the second, third, and sixth spots

Jon Chad talks about the Free Comic Book Day comic he is writing, Science Comics, for First Second.

David Betancourt discusses the biracial identity of Miles Morales in the new Spider-Man series.

Our own J. Caleb Mozzocco really liked the funny little details in Odd Duck but notes a missed opportunity.

A second DC Super Hero Girls graphic novel is in the works. Here’s the blurb:

While learning about “The Odyssey” in Mister Etrigan’s poetry class, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl and their friends go on their own “Odyssey”-inspired journey where they face off with a Cyclops, seek help from a Witch, and evade the Siren before journeying to the underworld. Can they help their teacher escape from Trigon’s prison and return home? Find out in DC Super Hero Girls: Hits & Myths.

Previews

Another Castle #1 (Comicosity)
The Baker Street Peculiars #1 (Comicosity)
First Second graphic novels (Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast)
Jughead #5 (Comic Book Resources)
Lucky Penny (Comicosity)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #1 (Comic Attack)

Reviews

Josh Begley on Archie #6 (The Fandom Post)
Stergios Botzakis on Comics Squad: Recess (Graphic Novel Resources)
Stergios Botzakis on Crogan’s Vengeance (Graphic Novel Resources)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Fuku Fuku: Kitten Tales (Comics Worth Reading)
Johanna Draper Carlson on Hippopotamister (Comics Worth Reading)
Emma Houxbois on Jem and the Holograms #12 (Comicosity)
Todd Klein on vol. 1 of Lumberjanes (Todd’s Blog)
N. Emmett on Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #4 (Girls Like Comics)
Allen Thomas on Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #4 (Comicosity)
Aaron Long on Sweaterweather and Other Short Stories (Comicosity)

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