Archie Comics veers into horror

By MATT MOORE

Associated Press

The vibrant, cheerful and safe town of Riverdale is getting a ghoulish makeover.

In “Afterlife With Archie,” a series debuting Wednesday, publisher Archie Comics is launching not just its first horror title, but also its first book carrying a rating for teens and older sold only in comic shops.

The series written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and illustrated by Francesco Francavilla sees Archie, Betty, Jughead, Veronica and others, including Sabrina the Teenage Witch, enveloped in a panoply of incantations, elder gods, zombies and the undead.

Publisher and co-CEO Jon Goldwater says the title is not your “traditional Archie Comic” given the subject matter.

Instead, Goldwater called the series a fresh opportunity to place Archie’s characters in a setting where there is no easy, happy ending with everyone feeling just fine.

“I really view this as Archie’s ‘Walking Dead,”’ he said, referring to the Robert Kirkman-created series that has blossomed into a television show with a massive fan base.

The monthly series is drawn by Francavilla with dark, ominous illustrations boasting artistic nooks and crannies.

“We are taking a series of characters known to be light-hearted and young adult-oriented and doing a horror comic with them, so the mood, atmosphere, and setting are very important to make this a believable horror and not a comedy horror,” the Eisner awarding-winning artist said in an email.

“Fortunately, I am really good at making things dark and ominous.”