‘Classic’ Archie returns by Dan Parent and Ty Templeton

‘Your Pal Archie’ launches in July.

With reboot Archie, zombie Archie and CW Archie all going strong, longtime fans of the character might have been wondering if they’d ever see the classic Dan DeCarlo/Bob Montana version of the character in comic books again. Fear not; Archie Comics announced today a new series, My Pal Archie, by Dan Parent and Ty Templeton, that brings back the Archie you remember … mostly.

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Mark Waid takes expanded role at Archie Comics

The writer of their flagship title will mentor young talent and begin co-writing ‘Jughead’ in May.

In a press release about a new TV deal with Warner Bros., Archie Comics announced that Mark Waid will take a new role within the company, “working on an expanded number of titles in addition to serving as a writing mentor for young and upcoming talent.” He’ll begin co-writing Jughead in May with Ian Flynn, who has worked on Archie titles like Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man.

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Archie’s ‘Riverdale’ TV show gets a comic

The TV adaptation of the Archie comics is, naturally, getting its own comic — Riverdale, by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Alitha Martinez, arrives as a one-shot next year, followed by an ongoing series.

Per the press release, Aguirre-Sacasa will be joined by “the members of the show’s writers’ room” in creating the comic. Archie and his pals, of course, are no strangers to comic books, and star in about 1,500 different continuities already — one where he got married, one where he (spoiler alert) died, one where he’s written by Mark Waid, one where he fights zombies, one where he’s a punk rocker and hangs with the Ramones, and one where he fights sharks, just to name a few. The X-Men got nothing on Archie and the gang.

Press release and promo artwork below …

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Reggie gets the ‘New Riverdale’ treatment in December

Tom DeFalco and Sandy Jarrell bring Archie’s favorite nemesis back to his own comic in “Reggie & Me.”

Following the relaunches of Archie, Jughead, and Betty & Veronica by the likes of Mark Waid, Fiona Staples, Chip Zdarsky, Adam Hughes and others, Archie Comics has announced that everyone’s favorite scamp, Reggie, will get the “new Riverdale” treatment in December.

Tom DeFalco, who wrote the final issue of the traditional Archie title, will write the new series, titled Reggie & Me. He’s joined by artist Sandy Jarrell, whose previous work includes DC Bombshells, Batman ’66 and Meteor Men. Kelly Fitzpatrick and Jack Morelli round out the creative team.

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Baltimore Comic-Con honors 75 years of ‘Archie’

A huge list of artists contribute their renditions of Archie and Friends for this year’s Baltimore Comic-Con Yearbook.

In past years the Baltimore Comic-Con has spotlighted an independent comic creation in their annual yearbook, available at the show and featuring a collection of pin-ups by other artists. Usagi Yojimbo, for instance, was featured in 2013 for the character’s 30th anniversary. This year the convention has chosen a whole line of characters to feature, as they honor Archie Comics’ 75th anniversary.

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Smash Pages Q&A: Dan Parent on ‘Kevin Keller’

KevinKeller_01-1nDan Parent is currently in the midst of stage of his long career where his hard work is reaping substantial reward. In addition to his great gains in the Archie Universe, Dan has a Kickstarter (Die Kitty Die) along with Fernando Ruiz that asks: “What happens when a longtime comic book character has come to the end of her run? You kill her! But how? That’s where the fun begins…”

Tim O’Shea: After a couple of years is it good to no longer be pigeonholed as the resident expert writing GLBT characters?

Dan Parent: Well, I don’t really mind. I mean, I do a lot of other work, but my work with Kevin Keller is probably my most important, so I’m happy to be pigeonholed there!

What are you most proud of in terms of your storytelling dynamics for the Archie Universe?

In addition to Kevin, my Archie/Valerie storyline was something I was proud of. And I’m happy that I’ve been allowed to take the Archie characters into more progressive territory than was allowed in the past.

Who do you regard as rising stars among the current roster of Archie creative talent?

Arch_K_A015nWell, Gisele Lagace is great, but she’s a rising star with her own webcomics.  And Fernando Ruiz is doing the best work of his career!

In what ways have you honed your storytelling skills in recent years?

More realistic dialogue, less slapsticky.

Am I right in thinking you take a great amount of effort in fostering a rapport with fans at cons. How critical has that been for your long-term success?

I have a great relationship with the fans at cons.  They give me a lot of insight about what they like and what they don’t like.  And they’re the people you want to listen to, because they’re the real fans and they know what they’re talking about.

Anything we should discuss that I neglected to ask you about?

Hmm.. you didn’t ask me…Betty or Veronica….and of course, it’s Veronica!

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Waid, Wu reveal ‘The Lipstick Incident’ in ‘Archie’ #4

Find out why Archie and Betty broke up Nov. 25.

Fans of the relaunched Archie series have two things to look forward to in issue #4. First, of course, is the addition of artist Annie Wu, who joins writer Mark Waid on the series, and second, the revelation of what exactly “The Lipstick Incident” was.

“Finally, the details of the #Lipstic​kIncident are revealed as we see what exactly broke up the power couple of Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper–and you’ll never guess!” Waid said in a press release. Waid and Fiona Staples, who drew the first three issues, have had fun teasing what exactly “The Lipstick Incident” is in the pages of the previous issues, and it’s nice they won’t keep us guessing much longer. Wu’s been doing some killer work on Hawkeye and Black Canary, so it’ll be interesting to see what she does in rebooted Riverdale. To get a taste, check out some preview pages below, along with all the various variant covers for the book

Archie #4, by Waid, Wu, colorists Andre Szymanowicz and Jen Vaughn, and letterer Jack Morelli, arrives Nov. 25.

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