Tag: Jamie L. Rotante

Final girl next door: Archie announces new horror one-shot featuring Betty

Micol Ostow, Laura Braga and more visit the ‘final girl’ horror trope in a new one-shot.

Archie Horror continues to find new, fun ways to mash up the Riverdale gang with the horror genre and tropes. Their latest project will cast everyone’s favorite “girl next door” as a “final girl” in Betty: The Final Girl.

Archie’s press release defines a “final girl” as “the clever survivor who carries a relentless plot across the finish line, taking it to the bad guy in the last scene.” For reference, see Halloween, Friday the 13th, Scream and any number of slasher movies out there.

Betty won’t be the only Archie character spotlighted in this issue, as the one-shot will include multiple stories, with a framing sequence written by Micol Ostow.

“I’m a diehard horror fan, and I’ve been obsessed with how seamlessly Archie’s been able to integrate different styles, levels, and aesthetics of spookiness into their Archie Horror library,” Ostow said. “And while I don’t have one favorite scary movie or book, I’ve always been a sucker for the ‘final girl’ trope. It hit me that Betty would make a fantastic final girl: blonde, kick-ass, capable!”

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Archie Horror returns in a big way this Fall

Frank Tieri, Cullen Bunn, Federico Sabbatini, Elliot Rahal, Sina Grace, Casey Gilly and more plan to scare you this Fall.

Archie will reanimate their Archie Horror line in a big way later this year, first in August with Jinx’s Grim Fairy Tales, then in the Fall with four new titles that arrive just in time for Halloween.

Creators bringing the chills in October include several who have played in the Archie Horror playground before, like Frank Tieri and Cullen Bunn, as well as Federico Sabbatini, Elliot Rahal, Sina Grace, Casey Gilly and more.

“Who ever thought Archie Comics and horror would go so well together? We did—but it definitely took a lot of other folks by surprise,” said Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante in a press release. “Since Afterlife with Archie‘s debut way back in 2013, we’ve been consistently delivering on unique horror stories featuring our cast, and we have no plans on stopping that any time soon! We’re so excited to bring everyone ‘Archie’s Month of Mayhem’ for the Halloween season. We’ve got something for everyone—three brand new horror one-shots and a middle grade horror anthology!” 

Here’s a look at what’s to come:

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Halloween comes early for Archie Comics in August

Lil’ Jinx hosts an Archie Horror one-shot, while a classic Archie story revisits the world of “Mirrordale.”

Archie Comics is starting the Halloween festivities early this year — well, early for most people. My wife actually starts decorating for Halloween at the beginning of September, and she’d probably go even earlier if I let her.

But I digress — Archie’s solicitations bring news of three Halloween-themed projects for the publisher. First up is Jinx’s Grim Fairy Tales, an anthology of spooky stories hosted by Lil’ Jinx, a character created in 1946 by Joe Edwards.

“Jinx is a character we’ve been wanting to explore more and we’re so excited we finally get the chance to . . . and what better way than having her as the cool babysitter who scares kids with creepy stories?” said Jamie L. Rotante, Archie’s senior director of editorial . “I mean, her name is JINX, how perfect is that? We were so happy we were able to blend the framework of spooky fairy tales and Jinx as our eager narrator and protagonist.”

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Archie celebrates the holidays with ‘Archie’s Holiday Magic Special’

The anthology will feature stories by Micol Ostow, Michael Northrop, J. Torres, Gretel Lusky and more.

Archie and the gang will be simply having a wonderful Christmastime this December in the Archie’s Holiday Magic Special.

The anthology will feature three new stories by Micol Ostow, Michael Northrop, J. Torres, Gretel Lusky, Arielle Jovellanos, Dan Schoening and more. It’ll feature stories set in the worlds of “Little Archie” and “Life With Archie.”

“We were definitely inspired by the Archie reboot series from Mark Waid and Fiona Staples, and feel-good Hallmark movies for this fun and heartwarming anthology,” Archie’s Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante said. “We think it’s a perfect way to celebrate 80 years of Archie by taking a trip through different eras of Archie’s life as he ultimately rediscovers the importance of friendship and community during the holiday season.

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Archie announces ‘Chilling Adventures in Sorcery’ for November

The anthology will feature the return of Madam Satan and other horror stories by a variety of creators.

Archie Comics has announced a new anthology, Chilling Adventures in Sorcery, that will make its debut in November.

Jamie L. Rotante, who became senior director of editorial for Archie earlier this year, is overseeing the anthology, which is described as an expansion of last year’s Madam Satan one-shot.

“This horror anthology is the perfect love letter to both classic Archie tales and the more modern stories,” said Rotante. “The genre lends itself to have a timeless appeal to audiences and I believe that plays a factor into the excitement for Archie horror comics.”

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Archie will include new stories with their classic releases starting in September

In addition, expect news on their horror line and other projects next month.

Archie fans will soon get new content in the classic reprints the company regularly release, “in an effort to add extra value and collectibility to Archie’s all-ages offerings in the comic shop market,” according to the publisher.

The publisher will add five-page stories to these release starting in September with Betty & Veronica Friends Forever: Halloween Spooktacular #1.

“That includes both bi-monthly sister series Archie & Friends and Betty & Veronica Friends Forever, as well as our annual Archie Halloween Spectacular and Archie Christmas Spectacular specials,” said Archie Comics Director of Publicity & Social Media Ron Cacace. “We’re keeping these comics priced at $2.99 but adding extra value to them in the form of these all-new stories, which we hope fans will appreciate. We’ll continue to feature recently published stories from our digest line and classic material from our back catalog in these titles, making each issue a perfect assortment of fun Archie Comics reading for people of all ages to enjoy.”

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Comics Lowdown | Alex Segura leaves Archie for Oni-Lion Forge

Plus: the comics industry loses two inspirational creators.

Alex Segura has left Archie Comics to become senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group. Segura has been with Archie for a total of about 10 years now, most recently as co-president, and worked for DC Comics before that. He’s also a mystery author and comics writer, on projects like The Dusk, The Black Ghost and Archie Meets the B-52s.

“While it’s been an amazing honor and privilege to call Riverdale my professional and creative home for over a decade, when Oni-Lion Forge approached me with this opportunity, I couldn’t say no,” Segura said in a statement to Publisher’s Weekly. “Getting the chance to help amplify the ever-expanding, talented, and diverse voices at Oni is a great fit.”

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