Press Release

ARCHIE COMICS RELAUNCHES FLAGSHIP SERIES WITH NEW 'ARCHIE #1,' ANNOUNCES EXPANSIVE 75th ANNIVERSARY PLANS

Blockbuster team of Mark Waid and Fiona Staples to reimagine iconic characters

NOT FINAL Archie promotional artwork by series artist Fiona Staples.

New York, NY (December 15) – Archie Comics, the acclaimed and bestselling comic book publisher that is home to some of the best-known pop culture creations in the world, including Archie, Jughead, Betty & Veronica, Josie & The Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and the hit AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE and CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA horror series, announced today that the company will relaunch one of the longest-running comic series in history with a new direction spearheaded by two of the most acclaimed and best-selling creators in comics today.

ARCHIE #1, hitting next year from writer Mark Waid and artist Fiona Staples, will reenergize the story of Archie and his friends, presenting for the first time ever the origins of everyone’s favorite redheaded teen and his friends while showcasing the beginnings of the historic love triangle between Archie, Betty and Veronica.

The new series will focus on the strengths of the popular characters, their world and harken back to the comic’s humorous and edgier roots, said Archie Comics Publisher/CEO Jon Goldwater.

“The Archie characters aren’t in need of a tune-up, ‘shocking change,’ or revision. These characters have stood the test of time and resonate to this day – we’ve proven that over the last six years,” Goldwater said. “What ARCHIE #1 will do, though, is bring together two of the most talented creators in comics in Mark Waid and Fiona Staples and create a surprising and definitive take on Archie’s origin – a story that has never been. The book will bring back some of the bite of Archie’s original tales in a modern, forward-looking manner, while still retaining the character’s all-ages appeal. What better way to celebrate 75 years of Archie Andrews?”

Waid, no stranger to major comic book storylines – having penned DC’s Kingdom Come, often cited as one of the best comic series in history among many sterling credits – will bring his knack for reinvigorating long-running properties to create a comic that not only presents Archie and his friends squarely in the present, but also turns up the humor. The story will get its visual personality from the unique direction and presentation of Fiona Staples, the artist on the perennial bestseller and critical darling comic series Saga.

ARCHIE is poised to combine two of the industry’s biggest and most innovative talents as they define some of pop culture’s most memorable characters for fans of all ages.

The groundbreaking relaunch kicks off a bold and multi-platform celebration of 75 years of Archie starting in the latter half of 2015 and rolling through the anniversary year of 2016. The “Archie 75” celebration will include:

“Riverdale,” a one-hour drama written by Archie Comics Chief Creative Officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa based on the iconic Archie comic book characters will debut on Fox, produced in tandem with Warner Brothers Studios and studio-based Berlanti Productions. Set in the present, the series offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, and their friends, exploring the surreality of small-town life and the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade.

Marc Eckō, the hugely successful tastemaker and fashion designer, has signed on to design an exclusive line of Archie themed apparel for men, from teens to adults, under the Unlable.ME brand. First becoming a nationwide name in the early 1990s, Marc Eckō’s clothing lines have generated billions of dollars at retail since that time, and Fall 2014 marks the return of Marc Eckō as the Operator and Lead Designer of his eponymous label, Marc Eckō Cut & Sew.

A robust and diverse publishing initiative that will feature 75th anniversary-themed periodical, graphic novel, digital and specialty product geared toward new and longtime fans. Editorially, fans can expect to see a targeted digest program retaining the “classic” Archie look and style and the expansion of the world being built in the new ARCHIE series via additional ongoing titles.

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  • ARCHIE COMICS PUBLISHER/CEO JON GOLDWATER TO FANS: "ASK ME ANYTHING!"

    Exec visits popular Reddit Comic Book community to interact with readers after major ARCHIE #1 news

     

    Following the unexpected, massive announcement of the 2015 ARCHIE relaunch by Mark Waid and Fiona Staples, Archie Comics Publisher/CEO Jon Goldwater participated in a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” on the Comic Books subreddit of the popular community site.

     

    Fans joined the hour-long discussion with the publisher asking questions about the upcoming ARCHIE relaunch, plans for new titles, the DARK CIRCLE launch, AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE and more. Take a look at some of the breaking news and insight that Jon Goldwater had to offer in the first ever Archie Comics AMA.

     

    ON ARCHIE #1’S INTERPRETATION OF THE ARCHIE GANG

    69e40e32-59f6-4530-b935-9bf1cfd22429.jpg?utm_source=Press&utm_campaign=843f7c2418-Archie_1_2015_AMA_PR&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5dacc73e87-843f7c2418-89673025&ct=t%28Archie_1_2015_AMA_PR%29&mc_cid=843f7c2418&mc_eid=1a788611cf&width=250"The integrity of the core characters will never change."

     

     ON HOW ARCHIE #1 WILL STAND ON ITS OWN

    "ARCHIE #1 is going to be a completely fresh take on the Archie universe. We will harken back to the early days when Archie was born, in 1941 [with the] same sort of humor and visual sight gags, but completely new, current and modern. We're breaking ground while of course respecting the storied history of Archie."

     

    ON THE TONE OF ARCHIE #1

    "The new ARCHIE #1 is going to first and foremost be funny. There is no dark underbelly, or gritty side of Riverdale in this series. It's going to be a fun, lighthearted look at life in Riverdale for Archie and the entire gang. Our goal is for people to read this book and enjoy it. We have no desire to tell dark, gritty tales. I can assure that will not happen."

     

    ON ARCHIE’S LONGEVITY

    0eff90b4-a52f-42e3-a4ba-899379b7a9b4.jpg?width=264"I think that Archie and the gang reflect what's best in all of us - I think when people read the books they enjoy the camaraderie and friendship amongst the entire gang, and they see it as reflective of their own lives. And hopefully can relate to some of the situations that the gang goes through - whether it's at home, school, with friends...it's a slice of real life done in an Archie way. And that's eternal."

     

    ON ARCHIE’S CREATIVE REBIRTH

    "To be honest, when I first arrived at Archie in 2009, it seemed like the company had been reprinting the same story for the past 20 years. If we were to remain competitive and interesting, we needed to do something to change the dynamic.

    "I believe that Archie and the gang are very flexible and can exist in many different worlds as long as we remain true to who they are. If you read AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE, even though they are in a zombie apocalypse, Archie is still Archie. The whole gang remains the same.

    "I was concerned when I came into Archie that at a certain point in one's comic book reading life you stopped reading Archie. I knew that if we gave people something interesting to read, we could expand Archie's audience. So that's what we've done with LIFE WITH ARCHIE with AFTERLIFE and SABRINA. All we've done truly is expand our reach, but the core has not changed. We still print our digest books like we always have and the new ARCHIE #1 is also an effort to expand our reach again while staying true to the foundation on which this company was built."

     

    ON AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE’S ORIGINS

    2737387c-e9c2-4442-a881-1fb690e00d87.jpg?width=264"AFTERLIFE started over a breakfast meeting between myself, my son Jesse and [Archie Comics Chief Creative Officer] Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa]. Roberto mentioned how much he loved a LIFE WITH ARCHIE variant cover Francesco [Francavilla] drew, and that he was bummed that he opened the book and it wasn't a horror story. Jesse chimed in that he felt the same way. After discussing it for a while and Roberto expressing a real passion to write an Archie horror book, AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE was born."

     

    ON A POTENTIAL AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE MOVIE OR TV SHOW

    "The answer is YES! Absolutely! This is something that will be happening at some point in the near future - nothing to announce just yet, but rest assured it will happen."

     

    ON THE KEVIN KELLER RELAUNCH

    "We are really excited for the Kevin reboot. I can tell you it'll be Kevin in his early 20s, living in New York. We'll see Kevin as his career starts to get off the ground as well as his social life developing as a young man. We're so thrilled Dan Parent is helming the series, as he's done from the beginning. I know Dan has a lot of surprises in store - from story to art - so it should be a lot of fun."

     

    ON DARK CIRCLE COMICS

    "The bottom line is we need to tell great stories, and with these incredible creators, we've been able to do that. I can't wait for people to read these books. Even though they're in the superhero genre, they are able to stand alone as great comic books. The stories are exceptional and the art is A+. It's such an exciting initiative for 2015 that when the first book comes out, BLACK HOOD #1 in February, it's going to be a phenomenon. THE SHIELD is going to be a game-changer and from what I've read and seen so far, Chuck and Adam are doing a terrific job."

     

  • So they are basically updating? Who isn't these days?

  • At first I thought "Oh, no!" But then I realized that the Archie gang has had basically the same look -- the Dan DeCarlo look -- for more than 50 years. I really love DeCarlo's work, but there's plenty of it to look at, both by him and second-hand. I realized I was OK with Archie trying a new look to keep the characters fresh.

    Helping me arrive at this opinion was a glance at Archie's sales, where their best-selling books -- Mega Man, Sonic -- have nothing to do with Archie.

    Finally, and probably most importantly, I don't really have a vote, because I don't read Archies. .I can't stop buying in protest what I wasn't buying anyway.

    And most of us don't buy Archies. As Goldwater said in his Reddit AMA, he realized when he took over the company that most comics readers aged out of Archies in middle school or high school, which was exactly my experience. If he can tweak the concept to keep it fresh and interesting for young adults, he'll expand his sales potential exponentially.

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