(CBR) Archie Comics will end its “Life With Archie” series in July with issues #36 and #37, with that story — featuring adult versions of the Riverdale gang — set to conclude with the company's title character, Archie Andrews, giving his life to save a friend.
Though Archie will live on in the publisher's other titles, Archie Comics has commemorated the occasion with 12 different covers between #36, #37 and the graphic novel collecting the final “Life With Archie” story. The artists welcoming Archie to the great beyond are: Pat and Tim Kennedy, Mike Allred, Ramón Pérez, Adam Hughes, Alex Ross, Cliff Chiang, Fiona Staples, Francesco Francavilla, Jill Thompson, Tommy Lee Edwards, Walt Simonson and Jeff Schultz.
“I have to give [Archie Comics President] Mike Pellerito all the credit on that,” Archie Comics Publisher and Co-CEO Jon Goldwater told CBR News. “He just took the ball and ran with it. It's a unique moment — not just in the history of Archie, but it's really a unique moment in the history of the comic book world. When we are actually doing something that's never been done before in this company, and something that is as big as Archie dying, that really intrigued a lot of these guys who had never done work with Archie before. The results are thrilling and spectacular. We're so proud to have all these wonderful folks join in and be part of this very important issue for Archie Comics.”