Archie (comic book)

Archie (also known as Archie Comics) is an ongoing comic book series featuring the Archie Comics character Archie Andrews. The character first appeared in Pep Comics #22 (cover dated December 1941). Archie proved to be popular enough to warrant his own self-titled ongoing comic book series which began publication in the winter of 1942 and ran until June 2015. A second series began publication in July 2015, featuring a reboot of the Archie universe with a new character design aesthetic and a more mature story format and scripting, aimed for older, contemporary teenage and young adult readers. The printed comic book format is different from the previous publications.

This article is about the publication. For the publisher, see Archie Comics. For the character, see Archie Andrews.
Archie
Cover of Archie #1 (July 2015)
Art by Fiona Staples.
Publication information
PublisherArchie Comics
ScheduleMonthly
FormatOngoing series
Publication date(vol. 1)
Winter 1942 – June 2015
(vol. 2)
July 2015 – September 2018
(vol. 1 cont.)
October 2018 – present (as of October 2018 cover date)
No. of issues(vol. 1): 666 (#1–666)
(vol. 2): 32 (#1 - 32)
(vol. 1 cont.): 1 (#1) (as of October 2018 cover date)
Main character(s)Archie Andrews
Betty Cooper
Veronica Lodge
Jughead Jones
Creative team
Written by(vol. 1)
Various
(vol. 2)
Mark Waid
(vol. 1 cont.)
Ian Flynn (#699)
Nick Spencer (#700 sneak peek - current)
Artist(s)(vol. 1)
Various
(vol. 2)
Fiona Staples (#1 - 3)
Annie Wu (#4)
Veronica Fish (#5 - 10)
Thomas Pitilli and Ryan Jampole (#11 - 12)
Joe Eisma (#13 - 17)
Pete Woods (#18 - 22)
Audrey Mok and Kelly Fitzpatrick (#23 - 32)
(vol. 1 cont.)
Fiona Staples, Annie Wu, Veronica Fish,Thomas Pitilli and Ryan Jampole, Joe Eisma, Pete Woods, Audrey Mok and Kelly Fitzpatrick (#699)
Marguerite Sauvage (#700 sneak peek - current)

Publication history

Archie first appeared in Pep Comics #22 in 1941 and soon became the most popular character for the comic. Due to his popularity, he was given his own series which debuted in winter 1942 titled Archie Comics. Starting with issue #114, the title was shortened to simply Archie. The series ended with issue #666 (June 2015) to make way for a new series set in Archie Comics' "New Riverdale".

A new volume of Archie debuted in July 2015 as part of the New Riverdale relaunch.[1][2] It is written by Mark Waid with art by Fiona Staples. Archie Comics Publisher/CEO Jon Goldwater has said that the new series will harken back to the comic's roots by showcasing more edgy and humorous stories as well as present the origins for the character and his friends as well as how the famous love triangle between Archie, Betty, and Veronica began.[3] Fiona Staples left the series after issue #3 while Annie Wu provided artwork for the fourth issue.[4][5] Veronica Fish was the guest artist for the fifth and sixth issues before being named the regular artist for the series in February 2016.[6] Fish left the series after issue 10 but continued to provide the regular cover art up to issue 12. Thomas Pitilli and Ryan Jampole provided guest artwork for issues 11 and 12 with Joe Eisma being named the new regular artist starting with issue 13.[7] Pete Woods will take over as series artist beginning with issue #18 in March 2017.[8] Woods provided as the artist until #22 in July 2017. Audrey Mok & Kelly Fitzpatrick provided artwork from #23 onward in August 2017.

Volume 1 (1942–2015)

Significant issues
Cover to Archie #1 (vol. 1) (Winter 1942)
  • #429 (Love Showdown, Part 1)
Main article: Love Showdown (Archie Comics)

Issue #429 started one of Archie Comics most famous story lines, the Love Showdown where Archie gets a love letter in the mail and Betty and Veronica both swear it wasn't from them. The story was continued in Betty #19, Betty and Veronica #82, and concluded with Veronica #39.

  • #600–606 (Archie Marries Veronica/Archie Marries Betty)

In May 2009, Archie Comics released plans for what they would call "The Archie Story Of The Century" and announced that Archie Andrews would ask Veronica Lodge to marry him in Archie Comics # 600,[9] the first issue of a six-part story arc detailing their engagement, marriage and life together. The publishers of Archie Comics did not expect the response they received from readers and longtime fans telling them they made a mistake in Archie's choice. The New York Times later revealed that the whole story would be simply a fantasy and that the first half of the story would show Archie's life with Veronica, and the second half would show his life with Betty.[10]

  • #608–609 (The Archies & Josie and the Pussycats)

This two-issue arc follows Archie Andrews and Valerie Smith falling in love when their two bands go on tour together. This is Archie Comics' first interracial relationship.[11]

  • #631–634 (Archie Marries Valerie)

The four issue arc follows a potential future where Archie married Valerie Smith and had a daughter with her named Star. It is similar to the Archie Marries Veronica/Archie Marries Betty arc. Issue #634 details a bunch of potential futures where Archie may have married Cheryl Blossom, Sabrina Spellman or Ethel Muggs.[12][13]

  • #641–644 (Archie Meets Glee)

Archie and his friends cross paths with the cast of Glee thanks to one of Dilton's science experiments gone wrong.[14]

  • #656 (Here Comes Harper!)

Features the first appearance of Veronica's cousin, Harper, who is physically disabled and needs to use a wheelchair to get around.[15]

Collected editions

Early issues of Archie have been collected into hardcover 'Archive Editions' by Dark Horse Comics,[16] including original games pages and ads. IDW published archival hardback editions titled Archie's Americana which collect key issues from each decade since the 1940s. Similar hardbacks were produced showcasing work by favourite Archie creators.

Some key Archie storylines have also been collected as trade paperbacks.

Dark Horse Archive Editions
TitleISBNRelease DateCollected Material
Archie Archives Volume One 978-1595827166 May 10, 2011 Pep Comics #22–38, Jackpot Comics #4–8, Archie Comics #1–2
Archie Archives Volume Two 978-1595827913 September 27, 2011 Jackpot Comics #9, Pep Comics #39–45, Archie Comics #3–6
Archie Archives Volume Three 978-1595828330 November 22, 2011 Pep Comics #46–50, Archie Comics #7–10
Archie Archives Volume Four 978-1595828569 February 14, 2012 Pep Comics #51–53, Archie Comics #11–14
Archie Archives Volume Five 978-1595828576 May 1, 2012 Pep Comics #54–56, Archie Comics #15–18
Archie Archives Volume Six 978-1595829153 August 14, 2012 Pep Comics #57–58, Archie Comics #19–22
Archie Archives Volume Seven 978-1595829771 November 13, 2012 Pep Comics #59–61, Archie Comics #23–25, Laugh Comics #20–21
Archie Archives Volume Eight 978-1595829955 March 19. 2013 Pep Comics #62–64, Archie Comics #26–28, Laugh Comics #23–24
Archie Archives Volume Nine 978-1-61655-2855 March 19, 2014 Pep Comics #65–67, Archie Comics #29–31, Laugh Comics #25–26
Archie Archives Volume Ten 978-1-61655-3975 August 27, 2014 Pep Comics #67–69, Archie Comics #32–34, Laugh Comics #27–28
Archie Archives Volume Eleven 978-1-61655-7027 July 1, 2015 Pep Comics #70–72, Archie Comics #35–36, Laugh Comics #29–31
Archie Archives Volume Twelve 978-1-61655-7058 February 10, 2016 Pep Comics #73–75, Archie Comics #37–39, Laugh Comics #32–34
Archie Archives Volume Thirteen 978-1-50670-020-5 October 19, 2016 Pep Comics #76–78, Archie Comics #40—41 Laugh Comics #35–37

IDW Collections
TitleISBNRelease DateCollected Material
Archie's Americana Volume 1: Best of the 1940s 978-1600109317 September 6, 2011 Pep Comics #22, 25–26, 31, Jackpot Comics #6, Archie Comics #1, 7, 30, Jughead #1, Laugh Comics #23, 25, 27, 28. 36
Archie's Americana Volume 2: Best of the 1950s 978-1600109454 October 18, 2011
Archie's Americana Volume 3: Best of the 1960s 978-1613770795 March 27, 2012
Archie's Americana Volume 4: Best of the 1970s 978-1613771945 July 10, 2012
Archie: The Best of Dan DeCarlo, Volume 1 978-1600106545 July 6, 2010
Archie: The Best of Dan DeCarlo. Volume 2 978-1600108730 April 19, 2011
Archie" The Best of Dan DeCarlo, Volume 3 978-1613771013 January 24, 2012
Archie: The Best of Dan DeCarlo, Volume 4 978-1613774816 March 19, 2013
Archie: The Best of Harry Lucey, Volume 1 978-1600109935 October 18, 2011
Archie: The Best of Harry Lucey, Volume 2 978-1613772140 October 19, 2012
Archie: The Best of Samm Schwartz, Volume 1 978-1613770412 November 29, 2011
Archie: The Best of Samm Schwartz, Volume 2 978-1613773949 December 25, 2012

Trade paperbacks
TitleISBNRelease DateCollected Material
Archie Marries... 978-0-8109-9620-5 October 1, 2010 Archie Comics #600–606
Archie: A Rock N' Roll Romance 978-1-936975-33-4 February 25, 2015 Archie Comics #631–634
Archie Meets Glee 978-1-936975-45-7 August 6, 2013 Archie Comics #641−644
Archie: Rockin' the World 978-1-61988-907-1 January 13, 2015 Archie Comics #650–653

'Best Of' Collections
TitleISBNRelease DateCollected Material
The Best of Archie Comics: 75 Years, 75 Stories 978-1-62738-992-1 October 27, 2015
The Best of Archie Comics Volume One 978-1-61988-955-2 October 25, 2015

Volume 2 (2015–2018)

Story

The first issue focuses on Archie's recent split with Betty Cooper due to the "lipstick incident" that everyone is gossiping about trying to find out what it is. It also sets up the eventual formation of The Archies and the arrival of Veronica Lodge.[17][18]

Reception

IGN gave the first issue a 9.5 out of 10 calling it "a joy in every sense of the word. It's a book that warms you, each turn of the page providing a welcome blast of character and heart." as well as calling it "one of the best new debuts to hit shelves this year."[19] Comic Book Resources said that "the publisher [Archie Comics] has created their best book in years." and that it "is must-read comics for anyone looking for fun, engaging characters and beautifully drawn, on-trend style."[20] Meanwhile, Den of Geek gave it five stars calling Fiona Staples' art "glorious" while saying that Mark Waid "does an impressive job of creating a Riverdale that feels modern and real."[18]

Collected editions

The series has so far been assembled into the following collections:

Title FormatISBNRelease DateCollected MaterialIssues Published
Archie, Volume One Paperback 978-1-62738-867-2 March 29, 2016 Archie #1–6 September 2015 – March 2016
Archie, Volume Two 978-1-62738-798-9 November 30, 2016 Archie #7–12 April 2016 – September 2016
Archie, Volume Three 978-1-68255-993-2 May 9, 2017 Archie #13–17 October 2016 – April 2017
Archie, Volume Four: Over the Edge 978-1-68255-970-3 September 19, 2017 Archie #18–22 May 2017 – July 2017
Archie, Volume Five: The Heart of Riverdale 978-1-68255-970-3 May 14, 2018 Archie #23–27 August 2017 – May 2018
Archie, Volume Six 978-1-68255-869-0 October 30, 2018 Archie #28–32 May 2018 – September 2018
Archie: Varsity Edition, Volume One Hardcover 978-1-68255-839-3 March 12, 2019 Archie #1–12 September 2015 – September 2016
Archie: Varsity Edition, Volume Two 978-1-68255-799-0 November 12, 2019 Archie #13–22 October 2016 – July 2017
Archie: Varsity Edition, Volume Three 978-1-64576-997-2 TBD Archie #23–32 August 2017 – September 2018

Volume 1 cont. (2018–present)

Collected editions
Title FormatISBNRelease DateCollected MaterialIssues Published
Archie by Nick Spencer, Volume 1 Paperback 978-1-68255-783-9 September 10, 2019 Archie #700–704 November 2018 – May 2019
Archie by Nick Spencer, Volume 2: Archie and Sabrina 978-1-64576-979-8 April 14, 2020 Archie #705–709 June 2019 – December 2019
Archie & Katy Keene 978-1645769484 September 10, 2020 Archie #710-713 July 2019 - July 2020

References
  1. McNally, Victoria (11 Mar 2015). "Revel in Archie's Newfound Hotness With These Exclusive Comic Covers". MTV News. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  2. C., Ron (18 March 2015). "Check Out the Full Line-up of Archie Comics Solicitations for June 2015!". Archie Comics. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  3. C., Ron (15 December 2014). "Archie Comics Relaunches Flagship Series With New 'Archie #1,' Announces Expansive 75th Anniversary Plans". Archie Comics. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  4. Burlingame, Russ (August 18, 2012). "Everything's Archie: Mike Pellerito Reveals Who Will Follow Fiona Staples, Talks Afterlife Delays and Much More". ComicBook.com. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  5. Elfring, Mat (15 December 2015). "Archie Comics March 2016 Covers and Solicitations". Comic Vine. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  6. White, Brett (8 February 2016). ""Archie" Names Veronica Fish New Regular Series Artist". CBR.com. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  7. Burlingame, Russ (23 August 2016). "Everything's Archie: Joe Eisma Joins "Archie," Tons of Exclusive Art, And More!". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  8. Couto, Anthony (15 December 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: Pete Woods Joins Archie As New Series Artist". cbr.com. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  9. "Comic suspense: Archie Andrews pops question". CNN.com. 2009-05-28. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  10. "This time, Archie plans to marry Betty". .canada.com. 2009-10-07. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  11. "Archie ##608". Comic Vine. 7 September 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  12. "Archie #631". Comic Vine. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  13. "Archie #634". Comic Vine. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  14. "Archie #642". Comic Vine. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  15. "Archie #656". Comic Vine. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  16. "Archie Archives Volume 1 :: Profile :: Dark Horse Comics".
  17. Diaz, Eric (7 July 2015). "Review: Archie #1 Brings Riverdale to the 21st Century". Nerdist. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  18. Cummins, Chris (8 July 2015). "Archie #1 (Archie Comics) Review". Den of Geek!. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  19. Lake, Jeff (8 July 2015). "Archie #1 Review". IGN. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  20. Little, Matt (7 July 2015). "Archie #1". CBR.com. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
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