More than 80 years after he first found himself caught between the warring affections of Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews will finally do the one thing he's been avoiding so hard it's become a running gag, and choose between the two greatest gals in Riverdale.
Who could be so audacious as to finally push the eternally wishy-washy Archie into making such a fateful choice?
None other than award-winning writer Tom King, who has made a name for himself with stories that push the boundaries of the characters he takes on, and longtime premiere Archie artist Dan Parent, whose name has become synonymous with Archie Comics since he came to the publisher in the '80s.
They're joined by inker Bob Smith, colorist Rosario 'Tito' Peña, and letterer Jack Morelli for the Archie: The Decision one-shot, which features a main cover penciled by Parent (seen below).
Archie was created in 1941 along with Betty Cooper. Veronica Lodge first debuted in Riverdale in 1942, and soon after the most iconic love triangle in comics (and one of the most well-known in all pop culture) was born.
Since then, Archie has been so averse to making a choice that when Archie Comics published Life With Archie, a story that flashed forward to Archie's adult life, it was published with two concurrent timelines - one in which Archie married Betty, and one in which he wound up with Veronica.
Life With Archie ended 10 years ago in 2014, and rather than leaving readers with any closure on which timeline might represent Archie's "true" feelings, Archie was killed simultaneously in both by taking a bullet meant for his pal Senator Kevin Keller.
Yes, Archie Andrews literally died rather than having to pick between Betty and Veronica - a stark parable for all those of us who can't even pick a restaurant without going back and forth.
So now, it's come to this - a one-shot tale in which all of Riverdale comes together, including favorites such as Jughead, Josie and the Pussycats, and even Sabrina the Teenage Witch, to help Archie make his big choice.
Archie is also asking readers to pick Team Betty or Team Veronica on social media (capturing some of that now extra-vintage Twilight momentum). But judging by the art that's been shown, including artist Stephen Byrne's variant cover, seen below, it all may come down to, of all things, a coin flip - pure and total emotional anarchy.
"As a massive Archie fan, this is just a pure joy project for me," King says in a statement. "I wanted to do something zany and cool and screwball and hysterical and gorgeous and harebrained and maybe a little tiny itty-bitty bit profound as a tribute to my Golden and Silver Age Archie heroes—people like Dan DeCarlo, Harry Lucey, Bob Bolling, Bob Montana, and Samm Schwartz. And who better to do that with than the modern Archie maestro, Dan Parent, who inherited and brilliantly carried on the legacy of those giants."
Archie Comics hasn't been shy about reinventing Archie time and time again over the years, including a popular expansion into more teen and adult oriented horror comics. Artist Dan Parent has been along for the ride the whole time, always willing to lend his iconic Archie art to an iconoclastic idea (as long as it's in good taste).
That makes him just about the perfect artist to tackle a story that simultaneously celebrates Archie's 83 year history while also breaking one of its longest running unspoken rules.
"I had a chance to meet Tom King a few years ago at Comic Con," Parent adds. "I was already a super fan; he's a writer whose work I love and had been raving about for years! The fact that he's an Archie fan and was so complimentary to my work was such a pleasant surprise. We struck up a friendship and began to talk about a collaboration. And here we are, a fantastic story that encompasses everyone in the Archieverse!"
Of course, knowing Archie (and the nature of comics) who knows if Archie's big choice will last outside of Archie: The Decision #1. Still, it's nice someone's finally got the gall to force America's oldest teenager to pick a sweetheart.
Archie: The Decision #1 goes on sale August 28.
Archie has a totally different kind of adventure coming this year in Archie: Judgement Day, in which Archie Andrews fights tooth and nail to save Riverdale.
