Two versions of Archie Andrews will meet in May when the happy, fun comics version of Archie meets the dark,broody Archie from TV’s Riverdale.
The new one-shot by writer Daniel Kibblesmith and artists Pat and Tim Kennedy will arrive in stores in May.
“Some of the best fun we have here at Archie Comics is when we take two wildly different concepts and jam them together and watch the chaos unfold afterwards,” said Mike Pellerito, Archie Comics’ new editor-in-chief/president. “The cult classic Archie Meets Punisher’ crossover from the 90s is a great example of taking two things that couldn’t be further apart in terms of tone and delivering a story that stands the test of time while holding true to both franchises.”
That’s certainly true; Archie has turned into one of the most flexible characters when it comes to crossovers or simply re-imagining the concepts, whether you’re talking about The CW’s Riverdale, the Archie Horror line or the countless crossovers with everyone from the Punisher to Predator to KISS.
“When the idea of doing a crossover between the classic versions of the Archie Comics characters with the gritty and dramatic Riverdale versions first came up, we knew we had to get someone with a great appreciation for both takes that could deliver everything we were looking for,” Pellerito said. “We’re so thrilled to have Daniel Kibblesmith on board, and together with Archie veterans Pat and Tim Kennedy, they’ve put together a story that is an absolute must-have for all Archie Comics and Riverdale fans!”
Here’s a look at some of the inside art, which shows things kinda going crazy on the Archie Multiverse front:
“When MikePellerito asked me if I wanted to write the inevitable cross-over between the comics and the show, One: I couldn’t believe that it hadn’t been done already. Two: I couldn’t believe that I was going to get to be the person to write it,” Kibblesmith said. “My dream is that this will be some longtime Archie readers’ first comic in a long time, or some Riverdale fans’ first comic, period.”
Look for this titanic crossover to arrive in stores May 11.