Archie Comics’ turn toward horror has been a refreshing and surprising hit over the years, and in May, the publisher will release its latest installment – Archie Comics: Judgment Day.
Aubry Sitterson will take on the writing duties for this premium event story, with art by Megan Hutchison. “What the heck is a premium event story?” you ask. Archie Premium Event stories are ones that are so big in scale, they simply can’t be contained in a single one-shot – not quite an ongoing, and not quite a mini-series, I guess…
With their extended length and scale, these cinematic miniseries will take Archie Comics in epic new narrative directions, paired with upgraded collector-quality issues featuring cardstock covers, improved interior paper stock, and specialized print finishes.
“Judgment Day is the first in a compelling slate of events. As we look to the future of Archie, we wanted to translate our success in TV and film to focus that sense of grandeur back to our core publishing efforts. With our Archie Premium Event series, we’ve imbued each project with an epic sense of storytelling that is evocative of the exciting new direction for the company,” said Jonathan Betancourt, Archie Comics Senior Vice President. “In addition to our concentrated focus on elevated storytelling, these new series are also investments for the larger comic book community, transforming what would be a normal print issue into a must-have collector’s item.”
Anyway… back to Judgment Day:
JUDGMENT DAY sets Archie Andrews on a daring quest to cleanse an alternate version of Riverdale overrun by demons. After claiming some destructive powers of his own, Archie is forced to destroy corrupted versions of the people closest to him, ostensibly in the name of the greater good. As questions about his own morality and the sacrifices he’s made start to pile up, Archie must confront if his efforts are truly good, or in fact the work or pure evil?
“Judgment Day places Archie Andrews squarely at the center, acting as our hero—but with the power to choose who lives and who dies, can he truly remain a hero through and through?” said Archie Comics’ Jesse Goldwater in a press release. “This miniseries raises the stakes more than any title we’ve ever done before. The fate of the entire world is in Archie’s hands.”
Archie Comics: Judgment Day #1 (of 3) is scheduled to arrive on May 22, 2024.
