What's new over at Archie Comics?

So, you may or may not have heard that there is a major buzz regarding Archie Comics as of late. You heard me right: Archie Comics. You know, those fine folks who are known for bringing you Archie, Betty, Veronica, Reggie, Jughead and all the rest of those fine teenagers from Riverdale. Well, that company has been making waves and you may not even know it. Long thought to be at the bottom of the comic fans’ interests, LIFE WITH ARCHIE changed things up in 2010 by running two alternate and parallel story lines. In one, Archie marries Betty and he marries Veronica in the other. That alone caught fan interest. The introduction of Riverdale’s first openly gay character, Kevin Keller, was another major moment in Archie history. But in issue #36, Archie dies after being shot saving Senator Keller.The final issue, #37, is the memorial issue, with flashbacks to his Little Archie days.

But that was only the beginning.

Before that series ended, AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE appeared and the world of THE WALKING DEAD met RIVERDALE in a way no Archie fan had ever expected. Created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla, the first issue has Reggie accidentally kill Hot Dog by hitting him with his car. Jughead has Sabrina bring him back to life, but this makes the pup a zombie who kills Jughead and starts a zombie plague that spreads throughout Riverdale, forcing a group of survivors to flee the deserted highways across America to escape the zombies following them out of Riverdale. At the back of each issue, there is a From the Vault reprint that presents stories from the CHILLING ADVENTURES IN SORCERY title.

What is so great about this book is you have no idea who will be left when it’s done. We have already seen a majority of the supporting cast go down including Principal Weatherbee, Jughead’s dad, Pop Tate, Ms. Grundy, Betty’s parents, Coach Cleats, Big Ethel, Big Moose, Midge, Vegas, and Archie’s dad, just to name a few. We also have moemnts of tremendous mystery and even a creepy real life moment or two. For example, Reggie was racing away from a violent dust up with Moose regading something he did or tried to do with Midge. EWWWW! Really!? And then there are the Blossoms, Jason and Cheryl. Were they involved in an incestuous relationship? That seems to be the inference. But we may never know as Jason dies, allegedly at the hands of a zombie horde although the bet is on that it was Cheryl who did him in with a machete. Especially when she decides to rename herself Blaze. And let’s not forget the open lesbian relationship between Ginger Lopez and Nancy Woods.

And where is Sabrina in all of this? Well, she ends up being the bride of Cthulhu. Plus we get a great back story about her origins in issue #6. By the end of issue #8, Archie has had a heart to heart with his dead Jughead and decided to pop the question to one of his longtime girls. I won’t say who, go read the book. The first issues are long out of print, but you can get the TPB, which contains the first five issues that make up the ESCAPE FROM RIVERDALE arc. Do yourself the favor, BUY THIS BOOK.

But wait…there’s more!

If you’re reading this, then you need to read the CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA too! Written by Sacasa and illustrated by Robert Hack, this one out creeps itself as the first two beautifully drawn issues focuses on the origin of Madam Satan and her journey from death back to Riverdale. This is pure, grisly and sometimes gross gothic horror at its’ best! There is even a nod to Truman Capote here.

But don’t just think it’s all about horror at Archie Comics. They have turned loose Dark Circle Comics, which is their superhero imprint. Current titles are THE BLACK HOOD by Duane Swierczynski and Michael Gaydos and THE FOX from Dean Haspiel(who also illustrates it) and comic legend Mark Waid. Sopon, they will be joined by THE SHIELD by Adam Christopher, Chuck Wendig and David Williams and THE HANGMAN from Frank Tieri and Felix Ruiz.

THE BLACK HOOD follows Philadelphia police officer Greg Hettinger who gets wounded and
disfigured while stopping a potential shooting outside of an elementary school. In the process, he accidentally kills the masked vigilante known as The Black Hood. Besides the guilt, Hettinger has to deal with his disfigured face, learning how to speak again, thanks to a speech therapist named Jessie, and compensate for his pain with an unending supply of painkillers. Once somewhat healed, Hettinger is back on the street, busting perps and taking their drugs for himself. At night, he dons the Black Hood to fight street crime. By the second issue, the criminal scene has noticed him and they set him up to be busted by his own people. This one dark, psychological drama which takes the concept of The Punisher and twists it around.

THE FOX is a lot more fun. We get back story in the first issue, a handful of crazy villains and an ex-girlfriend who also has issues with him. And did I mention he has a son who wants to follow him I the superhero business? And by issue #2, he’s slapped himself into a costume and behaving like a misguided Robin. Not to mention more villains like Brontosaurus, the Insidious Elasto and the Mad Gadgeteer. Plus there’s a guy named Mr. Smile who really has it out for our hero.

Oh, and did I mention that ARCHIE gets rebooted this summer courtesy of Mark Waid and Fiona Staples? This more serious take on the classic characters should act as a lead in to the forthcoming RIVERDALE TV series.

So, if you think the Archie imprint is all fun an games, you’re wrong. While there are still crazy crossovers with other companies, including the ARCHIE VS. PREDATOR and ARCHIE VS. SHARKNADO, the crus of the focus has suddenly shifted to a more adult market. Have no fear: you can still get your share of “fun” Archie titles too