Adventure Time: Playing with Fire

ICv2 has the BookScan graphic novel numbers for May, which tell us, among other things, that manga is not yet dead, since Naruto topped the chart and Sailor Moon was in fourth place. BookScan measures book sales in retail bookstores and also includes online retailers such as Amazon.

Meanwhile, Playing with Fire, the first Adventure Time original graphic novel, was the top seller in comics shops last month, and Marceline and the Scream Queens made it to number 5.

Gilbert Hernandez talks about Marble Season, his latest graphic novel, which is an all-ages tale that draws from his own childhood: “I thought: what kind of book can I do that’s authentic to what I do, but that my daughter can read?” he says.

Writer J. Torres is one of several guests on the latest Word Balloon podcast; he talks about writing the Jinx comics for Archie and all-ages comics in general.

Zak Simmonds-Hurn discusses his series Simon Swift, which appears in the weekly comic The Phoenix (available digitally in the U.S.). Niell Cameron, who just wound up his third Pirates of Pangaea story, presents a handy checklist for readers.

Calvin Reid takes a look at the graphic novel scene at Book Expo America.

Author Malorie Blackman has been named the eighth Children’s Laurate of the UK; she is the first person of color to hold that position, but more importantly to us, she’s a comics fan!

I rounded up some promising spring graphic novels for teens, and Joy Fleishhacker did the same with graphic novels about Superman for SLJTeen newsletter.

Plans are being made for a live-action Archie movie, the first in the 70-year history of the venerable franchise; Glee writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is scripting the movie and the director will be Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect).

The local paper profiles Semaj Wright, a third-grader in Oakland, California, who is one of the finalists in Capstone’s “Be a Super Hero: Read!” contest. In case you’re following it, the winner has been announced.

And just a quick reminder: You have until June 23 to vote in the Kids Comic Revolution awards—provided you are a kid, that is. If you’re not, maybe point the kids in your life to that link.

Previews

Mike Kunkel’s Herobear and the Kid #1 (CBR)
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #8 (Comics Alliance)
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #34 (DC Comics blog)

Reviews: Erica Friedman reviews Raina Telgemeier’s Drama alongside the not-particularly-for-kids Big Feminist But at Okazu.

Nicola Love on Adventure Time Annual #1 (Forbidden Planet)
Michael Buntag on Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Search, Part 1 (NonSensical Words)
Drew McCabe on Bazooka Joe and his Gang and Uglydolls: Going Places (Comic Attack)
Sterg Botzakis on Calamity Jack (Graphic Novel Resources)
J.L. Bell on G-Man: Coming Home (Oz and Ends)
Augie De Blieck, Jr., on Herobear and the Kid (Comic Book Resources)
Sterg Botzakis on vols. 3-8 of Lunch Lady (Graphic Novel Resources)
Richard Bruton on this week’s issue of The Phoenix (Forbidden Planet)
Brian Gardes on Primates (Stumptown Trade Review)
Sterg Botzakis on Rapunzel’s Revenge (Graphic Novel Resources)
Dew McCabe on The Smurflings, Regular Show #1, and Scooby Doo, Where Are You? #33 (Comic Attack)