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Lena Dunham’s plans for Archie comics: Feminism and reality TV

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Lena Dunham may get most attention for writing and starring in the HBO series “Girls,” but she’s looking to take her sensibilities out of Manhattan and into a little town called Riverdale when she writes a four-part story for Archie comics.

Dunham was on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Monday night to discuss her coming book, “Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s ‘Learned,’ ” but Kimmel also brought up her comic-book writing gig.

“I’m going to try to figure out a way to be true to the world of Riverdale while also inserting some of my politics and beliefs and trying not to show breasts,” she said.

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As anyone who’s ever seen an episode of “Girls” is well aware, Dunham usually doesn’t shy away from nudity, even her own.

But now she’s diving into the timeless world of Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica, which has remained weirdly mid-20th century in its look and values for decades. That’s something Dunham intends to change.

“Two really hot, intelligent women fighting over a redhead,” Dunham said.

One of her planned fixes is to bring reality TV to Riverdale. But she won’t make Betty and Veronica lesbians, despite the obsession of a whole sector of the Internet.

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“It’s complicated,” she said. “It’s a childhood symbol being perverted in this very specific way.”

Follow me on Twitter: @patrickkevinday

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