Sharing the latest news and first looks regarding two new middle grade graphic novels from DC!

In Lois Lane and the Friendship Challenge, bestselling Lumberjanes co-writer Grace Ellis and artist Brittney Williams reimagine the fiercest reporter in the DC Universe – Lois Lane – for a younger audience, modernizing the character’s “tweenage” dreams to one day become a social media guru.

In Primer, acclaimed animation writers Jennifer Muro and Thomas Krajewski, and artist Gretel Lewsky debut their first graphic novel and first work with DC, creating an original superhero who learns to master her newfound, colorful superpowers.

Lois Lane and the Friendship Challenge

 Written by Grace Ellis

Illustrated by Brittney L. Williams

Colored by Caitlin Quirk 

Lettered by Ariana Maher

On sale 7/21/2020

MSRP: $9.99

 From New York Times bestselling author Grace Ellis (Lumberjanes) and artist Brittney Williams (Goldie Vance) comes a new story about 13-year-old Lois Lane as she navigates the confusing worlds of social media and friendship.

It’s the first day of summer break in the sleepy town of Liberty View, and young Lois Lane bursts onto the scene with what she knows is a sure-to-go-viral video channel. Okay, maybe her platform only receives two views a week (thanks, Mom), and maybe her best friend, Kristen, isn’t quite as enthusiastic about social media, but when Lois sets her mind on something, there’s no turning back.

At the end of the week, the big neighborhood barbecue and bike race will be the perfect backdrop to Lois and Kristen’s #friendshipchallenge video. But when the girls find out the annual fireworks are missing, Lois doubles down on her efforts for fame, testing her friendship in ways she couldn’t imagine. 

With Kristen leaving for sleepaway camp after the barbeque and a new girl on the block taking all of Kristen’s attention, will Lois be able to find the missing fireworks, celebrate the summer, and post the best #friendshipchallenge the internet has ever seen? Or will she have to face her challenges IRL?

 

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Author Bio:

Grace Ellis is a writer best known for co-creating and co-writing Lumberjanes, a New York Times bestselling, Eisner and GLAAD award-winning comic, though you won’t hear her brag about it unless you ask her directly. She has written several episodes of the animated series Bravest Warriors. Grace lives in Columbus, Ohio, where she co-parents a preternaturally smart cat, even though she’s more of a dog person.

 

Illustrator Bio: 

Brittney Williams is a storyboard and comic book artist who draws A LOT. In 2012 she interned at Walt Disney Animation Studios as a storyboard artist. Since then, she’s worked for a variety of animation studios and publishers including DC Comics, Cartoon Network, Dreamworks TV, BOOM! Studios and Marvel Comics. As a two-time GLAAD Award nominee, she exists to create things for kids and the queer community.

 

Primer

Written by Jennifer Muro and Thomas Krajewski

Illustrated and colored by Gretel Lusky 

Lettered by Wes Abbott

On sale 6/23/2020

MSRP: $9.99

 

Primer introduces a brand-new superhero with a colorful array of superpowers to explore.

Ashley Rayburn is an upbeat girl with a decidedly downbeat past. Her father is a known criminal who once used Ashley to help him elude justice, and in his attempt to escape, a life was taken. He now sits in federal prison, but still casts a shadow over Ashley’s life. In the meantime, Ashley has bounced from foster home to foster home and represents a real challenge to the social workers who try to help her–not because she’s inherently bad, but because trouble always seems to find her. 

Ashley’s latest set of presumably short-term foster parents are Kitch and Yuka Nolan. Like Ashley, Kitch happens to be an artist. Yuka, on the other hand, is a geneticist working for a very high-level tech company, one that’s contracted out to work for the government and the military. And it’s Yuka’s latest top secret project that has her very concerned. Developed for the military, it’s a set of body paints that, when applied to the wearer, grant them a wide range of special powers. Fearful that this invention will be misused, Yuka sneaks the set of paints home, substituting a dummy suitcase with an ordinary set of paints in their place.

From here, signals get crossed. Ashley comes home from school one day with her new friend Luke and, thinking that the Nolans have purchased a surprise gift for her upcoming birthday, finds the set of paints. Being an artist, Ashley naturally assumes these are for her. It isn’t long before she realizes that she’s stumbled upon something much bigger and a lot more dangerous. Although she uses her newly discovered powers for good, it’s not long before the military becomes wise to what happened to their secret weapon. And this spells big trouble not only for Ashley, but for her newfound family and friends as well.

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Author Bios:

Jennifer Muro is an acclaimed animation writer whose credits include the Lucasfilm series Star Wars: Forces of Destiny. She’s also written for Justice League ActionDC Super Hero Girls, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and is currently working on Critical Role’s The Legend of Vox Machina series. Since 2004,Tom Krajewski has been writing animation for Nickelodeon, Disney, Warner Bros., the BBC, and Cartoon Network. Titles he has worked on include Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesIron ManLooney TunesScooby-Doo, and The Fairly OddParents. He is also the head writer on the Netflix series Buddy Thunderstruck.

 

About the Artist:

Gretel Lusky is a character designer and visual development artist for animation. Primer is her debut graphic novel.