Did you hear the SUPER news? The iconic series Super Why! is back with brand new adventures, in an eye-catching format, and ready to inspire the next generation of Super Readers, in Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures!

Premiering on PBS KIDS this October 18, this new series of 2D-animated musical shorts will carry on the legacy of the original Super Why! show, with storyline adventures that help grow the literacy skills of young readers. Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures is produced by our parent organization 9 Story Media Group and animated by our award-winning Toronto studio. 

Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures is aimed at helping to expand the literacy skills of preschool- and kindergarten-age children. The shorts are inspired by the well-loved, Emmy® Award-nominated Super Why! series, which premiered in 2007. In the new shorts, the literacy-powered superheroes leap into a stylized comic book world for a new storytelling twist, complete with catchy original songs that break down key skills for early readers. The shorts also introduce audiences to new quirky Literacy Villains who mix up reading rules that the Super Readers must correct. These characters include: More Man, who adds an “s” to the end of words to make them plural, adding more words and sentences; The Shuffler, who likes to mix things up; The Eraser, who erases letters and words; and Outta Space, an extraterrestrial who zaps spaces from between words.

Our Toronto crew had a fantastic time reimagining and bringing this hit series to life for a new generation of Super Readers, ‘tooning’ in and exploring a fresh new comic book style look and feel for the Super Why the characters and world. We spoke to a couple of our Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures creative leads who shared their thoughts on what audiences can look forward to when the shorts launch in October: 

“The adventures of the Super Readers continue but not how you think!  What fun it was to update the classic series into this new series where our heroes now delve into comic books and work with the newest Super Reader, Power Paige, to thwart the misguided villains of Reader Valley!  We worked very hard to combine all the best comic book styles and visual elements into the learning style and storylines of the original series to create a new Super Why that’s both fun and entertaining and still educational.  We didn’t want a reboot, but a fun and exciting continuation that old and new audiences will love.” 

~Geri Bertolo, Director, Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures

Super Why's Comic Book Adventures was a rewarding whirlwind. Our team of talented writers, creators, artists, production crew, and our expert comic book Director helped shape this show into the nostalgic, yet fresh property PBS is so excited about!! We can't wait to share this with the world and inspire a whole new generation of Super Readers! Woo-hoo, Hurray!! Super job team! 

~Sonia Santarelli, Producer, Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures

Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures is created and developed by Alex Breen (Charlie’s Colorforms City, Super Why!) and Sarah Wallendjack (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Charlie’s Colorforms City), who also serves as Executive Producer with Angela C. Santomero (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Blue’s Clues). Geri Bertolo is the director and Stefan L. Smith is the series composer. 9 Story holds worldwide distribution and consumer product rights.

The multi-award-winning Super Why! series created by Angela C. Santomero (based on a concept co-created with Traci Page Johnson and Jennifer Twomey) for PBS KIDS, from which the new shorts are inspired, was the first preschool show designed to help children learn to read through interactive storybook adventures. The series follows the magical adventures of four fairytale friends who jump into books and become reading-powered superheroes to save the day.

Read the full Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures announcement via the PBS KIDS press release here and check out the LA Times exclusive here. And for our Super Readers in the US, watch the first episode of Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures now streaming on the PBS KIDS YouTube channel.