Archie Comics has always had a unique place in the landscape of comic books, using its slice-of-life characters and concept to tell some universal stories. The publisher is set to celebrate the title's 80th anniversary later this year -- and it looks like they will be doing so with the help of an all-new one-shot comic. On Monday, Archie Comics announced Everything's Archie #1, a new one-shot celebration of Archie and his friends, which is set to appeal to both longtime fans and new readers alike. Written by Fred Van Lente with art by Dan Parent, the issue will feature an all-new story told in the publisher's traditional style."
"You can always tell a great franchise because it quickly and easily updates to any era, and bringing Archie, Betty, Veronica, Reggie and Jughead into our world of social media insanity and real life anxiety was…pretty effortless," Van Lente said in a statement. "Turns out the Riverdale gang is your perfect guide to modern living, even if half the time they can't figure it out for themselves!"
Van Lente, making his Archie Comics debut, and veteran Archie artist Dan Parent, who is celebrating his 35th year with the company, will be joined by longtime collaborators inker Bob Smith, colorist Glenn Whitmore, and letterer Jack Morelli on the first of a series of classic-styled one-shots comics.
"I've been an Archie fan since I discovered a box full of their iconic titles in my grandfather's attic many, many summers ago." Van Lente added. "Doing anything Archie is one off the bucket list for me, and to do a special series for his 80th is a great honor and has been a ton of fun... Equally exciting is to work with Dan Parent, of whom I've been a huge fan of for years. He is the Archie artist currently working today in my humble opinion, and his pencils mix perfectly with our story, which takes all the characters you know and love and brings them very much into 2021 while still retaining their classic flavor."
"I've been reading Archie Comics for over 50 years and this will be my 35th year working for Archie," Parent added. "So I'm a fan first and creator second, and it's so great to be a part of Archie Comics history! It's a pleasure to work with my friends, Bob Smith and Glenn Whitmore, and to work with Fred, who I haven't had the pleasure of working with before but am really happy to work with on such a fun, classic style story. I'm really pleased to bring this new classic book to our fans in celebration of Archie Comics' 80th Anniversary!"
Everything's Archie #1 is set to arrive in comic shops of June 9th, with a main cover from Parent and variant covers from Ben Caldwell, Rian Gonzales, and Aaron Lopresti. You can keep scrolling to check out a first look at the issue and its covers below, and share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
