Archie Names Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Chief Creative Officer, Announces Story By ‘Girls’ Creator Lena Dunham
Comics fans know Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa from his work writing a handful of Marvel properties, such as Marvel Knights 4 and The Sensational Spider-Man and from the recent breakout hit Afterlife With Archie. But he's also a TV writer (for shows including Glee and Big Love) and playwright (the only reason Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark ended up making any kind of sense), which is a big reason Archie Comics has named him its first-ever chief creative officer.
Aguirre-Sacasa's first move on behalf of the company is a big one, too: He's tapped Girls creator Lena Dunham to write a four-issue miniseries for the company, starting next year.
Archie's stated goal for putting Aguirre-Sacasa into the role of CCO is to expand into other media, including film, TV and animation. Publisher and CEO Jon Goldwater stated in an Archie press release that Aguirre-Sacasa "loves these characters and knows exactly the steps we need to take to bring them to a wider audience."
Here's what Aguirre-Sacasa himself said:
My top priority is to find new ways to showcase our great lineup of properties – from the Archie gang to Josie to Sabrina to the Red Circle heroes – to current fans, to new fans. We have the best characters in the world, and I want to make sure everyone knows it.
Aguirre-Sacasa will also help on the publishing side, with the main Archie line as well as the Red Circle superhero line. In addition to Afterlife with Archie, he'll be writing a brand new Sabrina the Teenage Witch series.
As for Dunham's new series, no details about the story have yet been released, but she did offer this statement:
I was an avid Archie collector as a child -- conventions, first editions that l kept in plastic sleeves, the whole shebang. It has so much cultural significance but also so much personal significance, and to get to play with these beloved characters is a wild creative opportunity.
Aguirre-Sacasa added, "Lena’s take on the Archie gang is funny and real and contemporary. It’s a stunning fit, and I know fans will be excited to read it. I am!"