Alex Segura Talks The Archies One-Shot and Shares An Exclusive Look Inside

Monday is the final order cutoff date for The Archies, a one-shot coming from Archie Comics that will explore the rock band that helps make Archie Andrews so irresisitible to all the girls.

Called the greatest band ever to come out of Riverdale High in the 1990 TV movie To Riverdale and Back Again, The Archies has a fairly fluid lineup since Archie is always torn between Betty and Veronica -- but it's been a key component of his story for years. You can see that particularly in The CW's Riverdale, the noir-tinged and sexy TV adaptation of the Archie Comics universe, in which Archie's music is his central preoccupation (besides girls).

"The show was coming together in the background, sure, but I didn't know particulars about the story," Segura told ComicBook.com about the serendipity of writing an Archies comic book while Riverdale was treading that ground. "Though, Archie and music have gone together for decades, so it wasn't a surprise to see that element played up on the show in such a smart, great way. it's done perfectly."

So far in the rebooted Archie, writer Mark Waid has used The Archies as a way to bring characters together and a good setting for some scenes in Archie's garage and the like, but they haven't really taken center stage. The one-shot is bringing them into their full glory for the first time.

"We basically pick up the batton from Mark - he teases the band a bit, but they don't formally become a group until this one-shot, so it's nice to be able to write a bit of Archie history with [Matthew Rosenberg] and see Joe [Eisma] and colorist Matt Herms bring it to life," Segura said.

What brings the band together? Well, the solicitation invites fans to follow Archie's quest to make his songwriting dreams a reality, and see what happens when the rock 'n' roll dream starts affecting his relationships with his closest friends.

A little more specifically?

"It's the origin story! Matt and I really wanted to write a definitive "making of the band" comic -and it's part of The Archies story you've never seen, set in the New Archie line," Segura said. "In the classic stories, the band was in so many different kinds of stories, from playing school talent competitions to touring the world. This take is a bit more grounded and dramatic and is really us riffing on the great work Mark Waid has done on the main series. Having Joe Eisma on art, coming off his great run with Mark, really helps because it almost feels like another issue of that series. We're building off some of the foundation Mark set up while also trying to integrate new stuff into the mythos - and reintroduce some classic characters, too. There's a lot of Easter Eggs and hat tips, but at its core, it's a story about friendship and Archie having to figure out what's most important to him - his music or his friends."

You can pre-order your copy at your local comic shop. The Archies is due in stores on May 24. You can check out some preview covers and pages, including an exclusive look at a double-page spread from inside the book, in the attached image gallery.