Does any publisher enjoy dragging its characters through hell more than Archie Comics? The company is expanding its popular horror line, which started back in 2013, in May, with a three-issue limited series that is described as the first Archie Premium Event.
Archie Comics: Judgment Day is written by Aubrey Sitterson, drawn by Megan Hutchison, colored by Matt Herms, and lettered by Jack Morelli. It sees beloved boy next door Archie Andrews embark on a quest to cleanse a version of Riverdale that has been overrun by monstrous demons. Unfortunately for Archie, that means being forced to destroy corrupted versions of the people he knows and loves before finally confronting his own violent nature.
Here's a set of covers for the first issue by, from left to right, Megan Hutchison, Francesco Francavilla, Jae Lee, and Reiko Murakami.
"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?" pondered Archie Comics' Jesse Goldwater in a statement. "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."
Judgment Day is also the first comic to feature the new Archie Premium Event badge, a new strand for stories that the publisher describes as "cinematic miniseries." Premium Event issues are also designed with comic collectors in mind and will include additional features such as cardstock covers, improved paper stock, and special print finishes.
You can check out a selection of unlettered pages from the first issue below.
"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, said Archie Comics senior vice president Jonathan Betancourt. "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."
Archie Comics: Judgement Day #1 is published on May 22.
Archie has been involved with two of the most unlikely comic book crossovers ever.
