Mark Waid and Ian Flynn To Take Over Jughead

Best-selling Archie writer Mark Waid will take the reins on Jughead in May as part of a move to increase his role at the company.

The increased role for Waid will also include a mentorship role with younger writers, starting with Sonic the Hedgehog scribe Ian Flynn, with whom Waid will be writing Jughead.

During his decades-long career in comics, Waid has served as an editor at DC Comics and BOOM!, where he was the editor-in-chief and/or chief creative officer from 2007 to 2010.

Waid, who launched the "New Riverdale" Archie series with artist Fiona Staples, will take on additional titles as well, although those titles (and Waid's co-writers on them) will be revealed later this year.

"This opportunity is exciting to me for a number of reasons," Waid said in a statement. "First, the chance to expand my role as a writer at Archie is terrific as we all share the same storytelling goals. Second, it allows me to exercise my editorial muscles, which--surprise--is why I got into comics in the first place. But most of all, the opportunity to help build a more diverse staff of writers, younger, eager to learn, and eager to teach me."

The move was announced as part of a larger shift for Archie, who also inked an exclusive TV development deal with Warner Bros.

Of the "New Riverdale" series launched since Waid and Staples relaunched Archie, Jughead is the only one to have had more than one writer. After launching with Chip Zdarsky and Erica Henderson, the series shifted to Ryan North and Derek Charm. Charm will seemingly stay on for at least the start of the Waid/Flynn run, as it's his name and art on the cover of May's Jughead #15.

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