The Riverdale gang will get a tour of their past, present, and future in a Hallmark Channel-esque anthology titled Archie's Christmas Magic. Debuting December 8 (just in time for the holidays), Archie's Christmas Magic will be taking the classic formula of Charles Dickens' The Christmas Carol and fitting it into Riverdale lore - with Archie filling the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.
"We were definitely inspired by the Archie reboot series from Mark Waid and Fiona Staples, and feel-good Hallmark movies for this fun and heartwarming anthology,” Archie Comics' senior director of editorial Jamie L. Rotante says in the announcement. "We think it's a perfect way to celebrate 80 years of Archie by taking a trip through different eras of Archie's life as he ultimately rediscovers the importance of friendship and community during the holiday season.”
Friendship? Sure. Community? Yeah. But it all begins with Archie's love life, and him trying to decide who to ask to be his date to Riverdale's annual Snow Ball - Betty or Veronica? That decision is what beckons an as-yet-unnamed spiritual guide to reconsider his choices and the entire idea of the holidays.
Archie's Holiday Magic will feature three individual stories for the various sections. The creative teams are:
- Writer Micol Ostow and Gretel Lusky
- Writer Michael Northrop and Arielle Jovellanos
- Writer J. Torres and Dan Schoening
Colorist Matt Herms and letterer Jack Morelli will be working on all three stories.
Here are some concept sketches from the artists:
"I'm so thrilled to be working with the creative team on this book!" says Rotante. "Micol has such a knack for the characters' modern-day voices, while J. Torres is a master of sentimental storytelling, especially involving the younger versions of the characters. It has also been a bucket list of mine to work with Michael Northrop, and his comedic voice works so well in this future scenario.
"We've also got three amazing artists contributing to this project. Gretel, Arielle, and Dan all have beautiful, animated styles that fit perfectly to each era in Archie's life and I'm so excited for Archie fans to see their art for the first time here."
Archie's Holiday Magic goes on sale on December 8.
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