The world of Riverdale is hitting the reset button this July as Mark Waid and Fiona Staples team up to breathe life into all-new ARCHIE #1. After seven decades, icons Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, and more are getting updated stories to pull them more in line with today”s teenagers. From new character relationships to social media, the cast of Riverdale High will be fully immersed Millennials.
We got a moment to speak with ARCHIE #1 writer Mark Waid via email about what fans can expect from this reboot!
HITFIX HARPY: What can fans expect from the all-new ARCHIE #1?
MARK WAID: Comedy and heart in a very contemporary world. Familiar faces in a new light. Romance, slapstick, and thanks to the award-winning Fiona Staples, some of the most amazing art you'll ever see!
When did you first find out you were writing this and what was your reaction?
Mark: I got the offer last fall and I was nervous only because I've been such a huge fan of Archie and his entourage all my life that I was a bit overwhelmed. But the High Sheriffs in Riverdale have been nothing but enthusiastic and encouraging and they've backed me all the way–even with some of the pretty surprising changes we're making, like [REDACTED] and [DON'T GIVE THIS AWAY YET, MARK]!?
What are some things about Archie Andrews that time can never change?
Mark: That Archie is a typical all-American teenager. That he has a good heart but, at times, a pretty clumsy body that houses it. To be a real Archie story, Arch has to dig his own grave mighty deep–but be able to pull himself out of it because he's a well-meaning kid with good and loyal friends.?
Is there a part of modern teen culture you”re excited to integrate? Dreading?
Mark: The answer to both is the same: the fact that social networking is such an isolating factor today. Every kid I know – and my girlfriend's 15-year-old daughter and her friends keep me honest in these observations! – has a thin layer of solitude over them that we didn't growing up. Even together in a room, they're still communicating by text or Instagram or Snapchat, so we've got to – and get to – find ways to make that a visual component of the series.
Does pulling these characters into 21st century mean a tweak to any character relationships?
Mark: More than might be obvious at first! The Betty/Archie/Veronica love triangle has been upended, for starters – it's a little weird in this day and age to have two girls battling over a guy so relentlessly and still be best friends. When ARCHIE #1 opens, there is no Veronica (yet) – and everyone at Riverdale High is working overtime to repair the damage done over the summer to its premier power couple, Archie and Betty. Why did they break up? Who's responsible? Where will they go from here? You'll have to read the series to find out!
ARCHIE #1 is on sale wherever comic books are sold, July 8, 2015!
Script: Mark Waid
Art: Fiona Staples
Archie #1 CVR A Reg: Fiona Staples
Variant Covers: J. Scott Campbell, Colleen Coover, Tania del Rio, Joe Eisma, Francesco Francavilla, Genevieve F.T., Michael Gaydos, Sanford Greene, Robert Hack & Steve Downer, Dean Haspiel, David Mack, Moritat, Mike Norton, Jerry Ordway & Jose Villarubia, Ramon K. Perez, Ron Salas, Greg Scott and Steve Downer, T. Rex & Andre Szymanowicz, Brittney Williams, Chip Zdarsky
Blank Sketch Cover Also Available
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.