Written by: Sam Santiago
Let's be honest. If you had told horror fans ten years ago that Archie Comics would become one of the most consistently interesting places to find horror storytelling, most of us would have laughed you out of the room before going back to arguing about which Friday the 13th sequel was the best. (Part 6, Jason Lives. We said what we said.)
And yet, here we are.
Thanks largely to the success of Afterlife with Archie and the increasingly dark directions the Riverdale gang has found themselves wandering into over the last decade, Archie Comics has managed to do something few legacy properties pull off successfully: evolve without completely losing its identity.
Now Oni Press and Archie Comics have officially unveiled their ambitious new publishing initiative, kicking off this September with a brand-new ARCHIE #1 from writer Ben H. Winters and artist Fábio Moon.
For longtime Archie readers, that's certainly exciting. But for horror fans, the real story might be what follows.
While the flagship Archie title promises a return to the classic charm of Riverdale with mysteries, adventures, bonus stories, and a celebration of Archie’s 85-year legacy, Oni is making it abundantly clear that they haven't forgotten the audience that embraced the darker side of Riverdale.
In October, SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH #1 arrives from writer Corinna Bechko and artist Kano. The new series follows Sabrina Spellman as she continues navigating her magical birthright while balancing the chaos of high school life. The setup sounds considerably lighter than some previous incarnations of the character, but Sabrina has always existed comfortably between wholesome coming-of-age storytelling and supernatural horror.
For many horror readers, Sabrina's strongest stories have often emerged when those two worlds collide.
Then comes the title that immediately caught our attention.
ARCHIE IN HELL #1 launches in November from Patrick Horvath and Tyler Crook, and it sounds every bit as metal as the title suggests.
According to Oni Press, the series will follow Archie Andrews after a terrible curse sends his life spiraling into darkness. Spanning centuries from 1690 to the present day, the series promises bloodshed, damnation, and a brand-new chapter in Archie horror.
If that premise sounds familiar, it's because Archie fans have already proven they have quite the appetite for watching their beloved red-haired everyman suffer unimaginable horrors.
Afterlife with Archie transformed Riverdale into a zombie apocalypse and remains one of the most beloved horror comic series of the last decade. Now Archie in Hell appears poised to take that same willingness to push familiar characters into terrifying territory and crank the dial several circles further toward damnation.
What's especially encouraging is that Oni Press doesn't appear to be treating these horror titles as side projects or gimmicks. In announcing the initiative, Oni Press President and Publisher Hunter Gorinson specifically highlighted Sabrina and Archie in Hell alongside the flagship Archie series as key pillars of the publisher's future plans.
"From ARCHIE to SABRINA and ARCHIE IN HELL, our new comics are brimming with pop and power," Gorinson said.
That should be music to the ears of horror readers who have spent years watching Archie Comics quietly become one of the genre's most surprising success stories.
Sure, we'll check out the new ARCHIE #1. Riverdale's wholesome adventures have endured for 85 years for a reason.
But if we're being completely honest?
We're already circling Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Archie in Hell on our calendars.