Written By: Sam Santiago
Fresh off the news that Afterlife with Archie is finally headed to television, Archie is taking another terrifying detour, this time straight into the underworld.
Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels, has teamed up once again with Archie Comics to unveil the first look at Archie in Hell #1, a brand-new ongoing horror series launching this November. The new title is part of Oni's ambitious new line of Archie Comics and arrives just in time to celebrate the 85th anniversary of America's favorite teenager.
Leading the creative team is Patrick Horvath, the Eisner Award-nominated creator behind Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, alongside Russ Manning Award-winning artist Tyler Crook (Harrow County, Out of Alcatraz). Together, the duo promises to take readers on what Oni is calling "the most malevolent and merciless Archie Comics tale ever told."
FROM THE PRESS RELEASE:
This time around, Riverdale isn't the wholesome town fans remember.
Hidden beneath its sunny streets is a dark secret stretching back to the colonial era. An ancient cult has quietly infiltrated the town, spending generations preparing a ritual to summon a powerful demon lord into the mortal world. Their final sacrifice? None other than Riverdale's golden boy, Archie Andrews.
Unfortunately for the cult, they're not the only supernatural force lurking around town.
When witches collide with cultists during the ritual, everything spirals out of control, leaving Archie cursed, trapped between worlds, and facing a fate that may be even worse than Hell itself.
According to the official synopsis, Archie becomes unstuck from time and space, bound to a terrifying curse while somehow still trying to make it to school. It's a premise that sounds every bit as bizarre as it does horrifying, and honestly, we're completely on board.
Horvath said the opportunity to write the series came together at exactly the right time and finally allowed him to collaborate with one of his longtime artistic inspirations.
"Getting the opportunity to work on this book has been a series of pleasant surprises," Horvath said. "Tyler has been an art hero of mine for a while now, and getting to work with him on this has been supremely inspiring."
Crook shared that combining Archie with horror immediately sold him on the project.
"I have always wanted to work on an Archie comic," Crook said. "Patrick and Sierra presented me with a story that combined Archie with horror and history... it provides us a wonderful, interesting and terrifying way to explore these classic characters."
The debut issue will also feature an impressive lineup of variant covers from Tyler Crook, Patrick Horvath, Paul Azaceta, Jesse Lonergan, Kano, Dan Parent, Mirka Andolfo, and Mahmud Asrar.
And that's not the only thing Archie fans have to look forward to.
Before Archie in Hell arrives, Oni Press will relaunch the flagship Archie comic this September. Written by Ben H. Winters with artwork by Fábio Moon, the new series promises to reintroduce Archie Andrews and the residents of Riverdale while planting the seeds for a larger mystery involving Jughead Jones, Riverdale's history, and its future.
Between the upcoming Afterlife with Archie television series, the relaunch of the main comic line, and now Archie in Hell, it's safe to say the world of Archie is entering one of its most exciting eras in years.
Archie in Hell #1 arrives in comic shops this November.