Superagent Kim Possible is back by popular demand

Here's the sitch:

Kim Possible, cheerleader and superagent, is getting a makeover now that she's a senior at Middleton High.

She has a new boyfriend. (Actually, that's childhood pal and crime-stopping sidekick Ron Stoppable, upgraded from comic relief to romantic interest.)

She has new threads, a nice T-shirt and pants, no more bare midriff. Those cargo pants got ripped in a tussle with villain Shego and were so last-year anyway that KP couldn't even find a knockoff.

On the yecch side, her super-smart twin brothers, Tim and Jim, "the tweebs," have skipped a few grades and now go to Middleton High.

And her Emmy-winning animated series, Kim Possible, is back on the Disney Channel by popular demand after more than a year off. The series, which debuted in June 2002, was supposed to end in 2005, but Disney extended it for a fourth season after a rescue mission by dedicated fans. The next episode featuring Kim's new look, "Clothes Minded," can be seen Saturday night at 8 on the Disney Channel.

Kim discussed the new season in an e-mail interview.

(Well, actually, series creators Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley, both 45-year-old Bucks County natives and Temple alums, were working the keyboard, since Kim is only a drawing. But who better to speak as Kim Possible than the guys who write her every word? And using e-mail meant they could channel what Schooley calls their "inner teenage girl" without having to pitch their voices a few octaves higher on the phone.)

Here is the question-and-answer session with Kim Possible.

Inquirer: You're a senior now. Got a new boyfriend. New duds. What's the biggest thing in your life?

KP: I was totally psyched about Senior Year, but I had no idea so many things would change in my life. Like with me and Ron. It's kind of weird after being friends for so long. . . . But we're actually dating. And it's great! And yes, I'm going to get a whole new mission look. It's badical! The biggest thing in my life right now is senior year.

Inquirer: Let's talk about Ron a little bit. Isn't he kind of a loser for a cool chick like yourself?

KP: He's not a loser! He's just winner-challenged. He's loyal and sweet. And he's been my best friend since pre-K. Trust me, Ron rocks.

Inquirer: Well, I guess there's no accounting for taste. Speaking of which, why did you decide to ditch the cargo pants?

KP: You wouldn't believe how hard it is. Club Banana is the place where I shop. Actually, I just started working there part-time this year. Anyway, that's where I always got my cargo pants, but they discontinued them. Even the cheap knockoffs at Smarty Mart blew out at a $1.99. I had no choice but to make a change. And the way this year has been all about change, well, I'm OK with it. It's no big.

Inquirer: I guess your dad's happy that you're not baring your midriff while saving the world.

KP: Did he tell you that? I'm so embarrassed. He can be a little old-fashioned . . . OK, a lot old-fashioned. But, hey, he gave me his old car, so I can cut him major slack.

Inquirer: Any new plans for saving the world? That kind of thing looks great on a college application.

KP: My new car is a huge help on missions. It was my dad's old car and kind of a heap. My little super-genius brothers totally tricked it out. Of course, now I'm stuck giving them rides. I guess it's a fair trade. I mean, it can fly!

I wasn't sure about putting the world-saving on my college apps. It seems kind of cheaty. But you're right, it might give me an edge.

Inquirer: How do you plan to keep the tweebs from ruining Senior Year?

KP: I've decided the best thing is to keep them busy. Since Ron's on the football team this year, the cheer squad needed somebody new to be the mascot. Now, instead of the Middleton Mad Dog, we have Jim and Tim as the Pep Puppies. Between the mascot thing and adding custom mods to my car, they should be out of my hair.

Inquirer: Tell me about these two guys you work with, McCorkle and Schooley. Are they good guys, weird or what?

KP: They are good, weird and what. They both could have gone anywhere, but they both chose Temple. And they miss cheesesteaks, soft pretzels and hoagies a lot.