Archie Comics has announced the next one-shot in the Archie Horror line, Chilling Adventures Presents… Strange Science, which will arrive in August by writer Magdalene Visaggio and artist Butch Mapa.
They’re joined by colorist Ellie Wright and letterer by Jack Morelli on the title, which will once again feature the character Danni Malloy, who will be revealed to be a trans woman in the story.
“I’ve been wanting to make this happen for a long time, and it’s really cool to see it finally come to fruition,” Visaggio said. “I never wanted Danni’s trans identity to be gimmicky, or for her to feel like she was only created to be trans. So, I’d like to apologize for sneaking her over the line like this! I wanted you to have a chance to fall in love with her for who she is, not what she is. I’m honored I got to make it happen, and I’m grateful to Archie for never, not even once, pushing back on my insistence on making their books a little bit more queer. I hope Danni finds a good home at Archie with supportive writers and artists helping to keep her alive for years to come.”
Danni Malloy was introduced in Dilton’s Strange Science back in the late 1980s, as a fellow science genius/potential rival for Dilton Doiley. The series ran for five issues and featured mole people, robots, pet dinosaurs and shrink rays, among other crazy science themes. It wasn’t until this year’s Free Comic Book Day, in the Archie title Cursed Library, that we saw Danni again, as she appeared as Archie Horror mainstay Jinx’s best friend. Danni also appeared in this month’s Jinx: A Cursed Life.
“Strange Science is one of, if not the, most important one-shots we’ve released to date. It also showcases how versatile horror can be, as it deftly blends sci-fi with horror and tells a beautiful, poignant tale about confronting the past,” said Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante. “That’s all thanks to writer Magdalene Visaggio, who had the idea to have Danni Malloy tell her own story about her transition. We just needed to figure out the best way to make it fit, and a callback to her character’s classic origins mixed with the new horror surroundings she’s been re-introduced in just made the most sense.”
Here’s the description from Archie Comics:
The new one-shot takes its title from the 1989 comic book series DILTON’S STRANGE SCIENCE, which introduced Danni, a science genius who rivalled tech expert Dilton Doiley’s prodigious talent. In Visaggio’s story, Danni has left that life behind to become an artist and musician, exposing her to criticism from Dilton as the teens try to save themselves from a bizarre time travel accident.
And here’s a look at the variant cover by Skylar Patridge:
“Magdalene wrote a story that is vital and poignant and brilliant at the same time, while also being a fantastic piece of horror/sci-fi,” Mapa said. “Expect lots of weirdness, emotion, action, and character.”
Strange Science will arrive in stores Aug. 16.