Explore the Archie Multiverse in Archie Meets Riverdale crossover

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Archie has met the Punisher, Batman '66, Predators, KISS, and now ... himself in Archie Meets Riverdale

Archie Meets Riverdale #1 cover art by Derek Charm
Archie Meets Riverdale #1 cover art by Derek Charm (Image credit: Archie Comics)

Archie meets Archie in the latest twist on the character's storied history of unexpected crossovers.

Archie Meets Riverdale #1 variant cover by Ben Caldwell (Image credit: Archie Comics)

This time the iconic humor comics Archie Andrews will meet his live-action counterpart from the CW's Riverdale in the appropriately titled Archie Meets Riverdale #1, written by Emmy-nominated writer Daniel Kibblesmith and illustrated by familiar Archie artists Pat and Tim Kennedy.

The May one-shot "slips" between the worlds of the comic book and TV Archies. 

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So yeah... Archie has a multiverse.

"Some of the best fun we have here at Archie Comics is when we take two wildly different concepts and jam them together and watch the chaos unfold afterwards," said Archie Comics brand new editor-in-chief/president and long-time editor Mike Pellerito.

"The cult classic Archie Meets the Punisher crossover from the '90s is a great example of taking two things that couldn't be further apart in terms of tone and delivering a story that stands the test of time while holding true to both franchises," says Pellerito in the announcement. 

"When the idea of doing a crossover between the classic versions of the Archie Comics characters with the gritty and dramatic Riverdale versions first came up, we knew we had to get someone with a great appreciation for both takes that could deliver everything we were looking for. "

Archie Meets Riverdale #1 cover by Derek Charm (Image credit: Archie Comics)

The Archie-Frank Castle meet-up isn't the only unusual Archie crossover. The red-headed forever-high schooler also met up with Batman '66, human-hunting Predators, and rock 'n roll icons KISS.

"I love Archie Comics and I love Riverdale," says Kibblesmith, "and I love that Archie Comics are so malleable that they can become something like Riverdale. I also love that something as seemingly quaint as classic Archie and as unapologetically bonkers as Riverdale can resonate with people so deeply that they can both become giant hits and/or enduring classics without ever sacrificing their core to 'hip' momentary trends."

Archie Meets Riverdale #1 is on-sale May 11 featuring a cover by Derek Charm and a variant cover by Ben Caldwell.

Here's a preview of unlettered and uncolored pages from the special:

Image 1 of 4
Archie Meets Riverdale #1
(Image credit: Archie Comics)

Two of those aforementioned Archie crossovers qualify for the Newsarama's list of the most unlikely comic book crossovers of all time.

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Michael Doran

I'm not just the Newsarama founder and editor-in-chief, I'm also a reader. And that reference is just a little bit older than the beginning of my Newsarama journey. I founded what would become the comic book news site in 1996, and except for a brief sojourn at Marvel Comics as its marketing and communications manager in 2003, I've been writing about new comic book titles, creative changes, and occasionally offering my perspective on important industry events and developments for the 25 years since. Despite many changes to Newsarama, my passion for the medium of comic books and the characters makes the last quarter-century (it's crazy to see that in writing) time spent doing what I love most.