Photo courtesy The CW
New Zealand actor KJ Apa plays Archie Andrews in The CW’s Riverdale.
By Andrew A. Smith
Tribune Content Agency
Archie Comics is reaching into your TV screen – and how they’re doing it will surprise you.
Archie Comics was once the most conservative publisher extant, regurgitating for many decades the same anodyne, formulaic high school antics with its eternally adolescent cast. When the publisher occasionally revived other genres – it has a superhero line left over from the 1940s, for example – it followed traditional paths to predictable failure.
Not any more.
In 2015, Archie Comics went back to the drawing board (and the word processor). Flagship title Archie re-launched with one of the most respected and experienced writers in the industry at its helm, the near-legendary Mark Waid. Among his many accomplishments, Waid has been BOOM’s editor-in-chief, written nearly every major character and recently revitalized Marvel’s Daredevil. On Archie he smoothly walks a tightrope, dragging the character into the 21st century, while maintaining the elements that have made the teen redhead and his friends popular since 1940.
Shortly after Archie, Jughead re-launched with writer Chip Zdarsky (Sex Criminals, Howard the Duck). Riffing off Waid’s re-invention of the Riverdale gang, Zdarsky keeps the character’s beloved eccentricity, but updates those qualities for the new century. He also nods toward some of Jughead’s stranger adventures of the past, by incorporating odd variants like Jughead’s Time Police and Captain Hero into our constitutionally lazy hero’s daydreams.
Next month, Riverdale’s best frenemies get a makeover. Betty & Veronica #1 ($3.99) arrives July 20, written and drawn by Adam Hughes, a slick artist with a beautiful style, and one known especially for gorgeous women, as he has demonstrated on Catwoman and Wonder Woman. Hughes will also draw the cover – well, one of ‘em, anyway, as there will 25 of them, drawn by some of the industry’s finest and/or funniest.
Finally, Josie and the Pussycats #1 ($3.99) arrives Sept. 28, from the creative team of co-writers Marguerite Bennett (DC Comics Bombshells) and Cameron DeOrdio, and artist Audrey Mok (Heroine Chic). Josie, Valerie and Melody will chase their dreams of musical stardom, while dealing with the nefarious subterfuge of rival Alexandra Cabot.
But "New Riverdale," as it’s sometimes called, isn’t the only place you’ll see new versions of the Riverdale gang. Archie Comics has also launched a breathtakingly daring – and genuinely creepy – horror line. In Afterlife with Archie, the remnants of the Archie gang are on the run from an undead Jughead in the zombie apocalypse. In Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Greendale’s teenage witch battles her own coven over the murder of her boyfriend, sometimes calling on the help of another pair of teenage witches who live in Riverdale (guess who).
Archie’s superhero line is also getting an aggressive update. Gone are the days of cheerful, square-jawed heroes with Marvel Lite adventures. Today’s Black Hood is a gritty crime drama, with the original Hood having died in the first issue and the replacement dealing with a substance-abuse problem. The Shield – now starring a woman – takes place in the murky world of espionage. Hangman is a supernatural thriller starring a man who was cruel and greedy in life, but now must do good in death to lift the Hangman curse.
One thing all of these books have in common is a fearlessness in taking chances. The horror and superhero books don’t shy from death, even of main characters, and feature stories and situations that would give aneurysms to the Archie editors of the past.
A great deal of credit for this transformation must go to Publisher/CEO Jon Goldwater, who had both the vision and the courage to take the company in new directions. Another important name is Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, a playwright, screenwriter and comic book writer who is now Archie’s Chief Creative Officer.
Which finally brings us to the aforementioned TV show. Aguirre-Sacasa has been laboring on Riverdale for quite a while, where he is both writer and an executive producer. The one-hour, live-action show has been picked up by The CW, where it will be a mid-season replacement (which probably means a January, 2017, premiere).
Of particular interest to regular CW viewers is that the series will be co-produced by Warner Brothers Studios and Berlanti Productions. The latter production company is the one responsible for a clutch of successful comics-to-TV shows, including Arrow, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and, as of its second season, Supergirl. Greg Berlanti is another executive producer, along with Aguirre-Sacasa, Goldwater and Berlanti regular Sarah Schecter.
None of which would be particularly interesting if this Archie show took the same approach as other Archie TV efforts, like the many cartoons or the 1990 TV movie Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again. Instead, Riverdale will reflect the new risk-taking attitude at Archie Comics, being described on archiecomics.com as “a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica and their friends, exploring small-town life and the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade.”
“Subversive”? “Darkness”? “Weirdness”? Those aren’t the usual words people associate with Archie, but this is a new world – let’s call it Earth-CW. Check out the show’s description from The CW. It’s long, but if you read the whole thing you find out about Archie’s illicit affair with one of his teachers:
“As a new school year begins, the town of Riverdale is reeling from the recent, tragic death of high school golden boy Jason Blossom -- and nothing feels the same. … Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) is still the all-American teen, but the summer’s events made him realize that he wants to pursue a career in music -- not follow in his dad’s footsteps -- despite the sudden end of his forbidden relationship with Riverdale’s young music teacher, Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel). Which means Archie doesn’t have anyone who will mentor him -- certainly not singer Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), who is only focused on her band, the soon-to-be-world-famous Pussycats. It’s all weighing heavily on Archie’s mind -- as is his fractured friendship with budding writer and fellow classmate Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse). Meanwhile, girl-next-door Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) is anxious to see her crush Archie after being away all summer, but she’s not quite ready to reveal her true feelings to him. And Betty’s nerves -- which are hardly soothed by her overbearing mother Alice (Mädchen Amick) aren’t the only thing holding her back. When a new student, Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), arrives in town from New York with her mother Hermione (Marisol Nichols), there’s an undeniable spark between her and Archie, even though Veronica doesn’t want to risk her new friendship with Betty by making a play for Archie. And then there’s Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) ... Riverdale’s Queen Bee is happy to stir up trouble amongst Archie, Betty and Veronica, but Cheryl is keeping secrets of her own. What, exactly, is she hiding about the mysterious death of her twin brother, Jason? Riverdale may look like a quiet, sleepy town, but there are dangers in the shadows.”
Luke Perry (Beverly Hills 90210) plays Archie’s father Fred, owner of a construction company. Kevin Keller (Casey Cott) is described as having a “pivotal role.” Other cast announcements include Archie’s rival Reggie Mantle (Ross Butler), genius Dilton Doiley (DanielYang) and uber-jock Moose Mason (Cody Kearsley).
It’s definitely a surprising new version of Archie for TV, joining the other surprising, new Archies in the comics.
Reach Captain Comics by email (capncomics@aol.com), the Internet (captaincomics.ning.com), Facebook (Captain Comics Round Table) or Twitter (@CaptainComics).
Replies
Veronica with her mother? What, no Mr. Lodge, one of the most important comics characters? And Veronica doesn't want to date Archie because of her friendship with Betty? Definitely not a Veronica Lodge we've ever seen before. Sounds like they gave her part of Betty's personality. Then again there's never been a Betty that didn't make her "true feelings" for Archie so obvious people didn't tell her to tone it down.
There have been two or three attempts to make Archie live action shows in the past (three if From Riverdale and Back Again was supposed to lead to a series). None of them got past the pilot. I really hope they don't make any more rap versions of their songs.