Archie Comics is bringing together some of its most rockin’ characters in Josie and the Pussycats: Rock On!, a one-shot that promises plenty of music, mayhem and motorcycle action. And we’ve got your exclusive preview of it right here.
Written by Jamie L. Rotante with art by Holly G!, the 32-page special finds Riverdale hosting its first-ever GIRLZ ROCK festival, headlined by Josie and the Pussycats. Betty, Veronica and Jola Kitt’s band, Rock Candi, are also on the bill, but trouble arrives when some of Jola’s old friends show up and threaten to derail the festivities. With the Black Hood struggling to contain the chaos, Betty and Veronica call in the Vixens, their biker gang, to help restore order.
For Rotante, the story marks a welcome return to a group she knows well, having worked on the Vixens in 2017.
“When the opportunity arose for me to don my leather gear, grab my helmet, and hop back on the bikes with my favorite gals, there was no chance I wasn’t taking it,” she said. “Writing Vixens back in 2017 has always been a highlight of my career, and any chance I get to pen Betty, Veronica, Ethel, Midge, Cheryl, Toni and the wildcard Evelyn Evernever again as femme fatales is a delight. This story was especially fun because it’s a little less edgy and a lot more comedic–which comprises many of my favorite Archie stories both as a writer and a fan. It was such a blast to weave the Vixens lore seamlessly in with the new girl band ROCK CANDI, the brainchild of my amazing co-collaborator and penciller Holly G!, as well as having them get into the mix with Josie and the Pussycats, the Black Hood and some fearsome new (and not-so-new, for eagle-eyed classic Red Circle fans) baddies. This is a fun, fast, tale of punk rock!”
For Holly G!, the project offered an opportunity to bring her own creation, Jola Kitt, into the mix while revisiting familiar Archie characters in a very different setting.
“When I received the email asking me to pencil Jamie’s new 10-page Vixens story, I was absolutely overjoyed,” she said. “And having my own creation Jola Kitt with Betty and Veronica in their band Rock Candi join the action made it even sweeter! I threw myself into every challenge, from drawing motorcycles (definitely not my natural talent!) to tackling those beefy biker guys. I became so immersed in the world that I designed individual outfits for every Vixen, drawing inspiration from Russ Meyer’s films and the rebellious women motorcycle riders of the 1950s. Every detail was a labor of love. I hope readers feel that excitement in every panel and get a real thrill out of seeing these familiar Archie ladies transformed into unapologetically strong, independent, badass women!”
Josie and the Pussycats: Rock On! arrives Nov. 11, with a main cover by Dan Parent and variant covers by Matt Talbot and Veronica Fish. Check out the preview below.
Continue reading “Archie’s Vixens, Josie and the Pussycats team up in a new one-shot”