Afterlife with Archie

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Afterlife with Archie
AfterlifewithArchieIssue1cover.jpg
Cover of Afterlife with Archie No. 1. Art by Francesco Francavilla
Publication information
Publisher Archie Comics
Archie Horror
ScheduleIrregular
Format Ongoing series
Genre
Publication dateOctober 2013
No. of issues10
Creative team
Created byRoberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Francesco Francavilla
Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Artist(s) Francesco Francavilla
Inker(s) Francesco Francavilla
Letterer(s) Jack Morelli
Colorist(s) Francesco Francavilla

Afterlife with Archie is a comic book published by Archie Comics beginning in 2013, depicting a zombie apocalypse that begins in the town of Riverdale in an alternative reality. It is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, [1] with art by Francesco Francavilla, [2] and is inspired by a zombie-themed variant cover which Francavilla did for an issue of Life with Archie . [3]

Contents

The comic is Archie Comics' first title to be sold only on the direct market (that is, in comic shops), as opposed to on newsstands; [4] it is also the company's first title not to be aimed at children and is rated "TEEN+", [5] as it includes content and subject matter never explored in any previous Archie title, including extensive realistic violence, some gore, necrotic themes, disturbing scenes, and moderate language. The comic was conceived not long after Archie Comics officially dropped the Comics Code Authority standard from their entire line-up in 2011.

Issue #8 was the first to feature the company's Archie Horror logo. The Archie Horror imprint also publishes four other series: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina , Jughead: The Hunger , Vampironica , and Blossoms 666 . The titles share several characters, but they are not directly related to each other.

Story arcs

Volume 1: Escape from Riverdale (Issues #1–5)

After a car driven by Reggie kills Hot Dog, Jughead asks Sabrina to bring his beloved pet back to life. She does, but with terrible consequences: Hot Dog becomes a zombie, and bites Jughead, who subsequently becomes a zombie and spreads the contagion.

Volume 2: Betty: R.I.P. (Issues #6–10)

Weeks after Archie and his friends left Riverdale, they are now following along the deserted highways of America trying to stay one step ahead of the growing horde of zombies that were once their friends and family.

This volume was expected to consist of 7 issues (issues #6-#12). The comic has not had any issues release since issue #10 on August 31, 2016. While cover art does exist for issues #11 and #12, they have never been published in single issues or collected editions.

List of characters

Some of the characters who are either deceased or part of the zombie horde include Hot Dog, Jughead Jones (classified as Patient Zero), Principal Weatherbee, Ms. Grundy, Ethel Muggs, Terry “Pop” Tate, Coach Kleates, Fred Andrews, Archie's dog Vegas, Mayor Martinez, Forsythe and Gladys Jones, Moose Mason, Midge Klump and Jason Blossom. In issue #8 it was revealed that the souls of the dead citizens of Riverdale still roam the Earth as ghosts while their bodies are zombified, implying some greater force - who turns out to be Cthulhu - is controlling their corpses.

Some other characters who have died before the events of the series include Hermione Lodge, Jellybean Jones, Cheryl's dog Sugar, and General Keller.

Reception

The first eight issues sold out. [6] In reviewing the first issue, Lonnie Nadler of Bloody Disgusting wrote, "With its balance of real dread and sugary teen drama, Afterlife with Archie captures the spirit of the best horror flicks of the late 70s." [7] The Plain Dealer's Michael Sangiacomo described the series as "brilliant" as well as "fascinating and wonderful." [8] Jody Arlington at NPR called it "terrific" and a "masterpiece" that is "actually scary." [5] Writing for Salon , Mark Peters said that "If this were a list of the best comics of [2013] rather than the best superhero comics, I’d probably put Afterlife with Archie at the top." [9]

Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater has said that his father, the late John L. Goldwater, would have been "shocked by Afterlife (...) but shocked in a great way" regarding the modern incarnations of characters and stories. [10]

Jack Morelli won the 2015 Harvey Award for Best Letterer for his work on the series. [11]

Collected editions

Trade paperbacks

VolumeTitleISBNRelease DateCollected MaterialIssues Published
1Afterlife with Archie: Escape From Riverdale 9781619889088 June 10, 2014Afterlife with Archie #1–5October 2013 – May 2014

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References

  1. ‘Afterlife With Archie’: The Walking Jughead? The art of bringing zombies to Riverdale High, by David Betancourt, at The Washington Post''; published January 7, 2014; retrieved April 5, 2014
  2. AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #3 (Comic Review), by Chris Anderson, at Fangoria ; published January 13, 2014; retrieved April 5, 2014
  3. 'Afterlife With Archie': Francesco Francavilla cover, movie details, by Gina McIntyre, at the Los Angeles Times; published June 10, 2013; retrieved April 5, 2014
  4. Why Comic-Book Kid Archie Needs To Get Bloody, by Brian Steinberg, at Variety ; published November 19, 2013; retrieved April 5, 2014
  5. 1 2 World War R: New Comic Pits Archie And Friends Against The Undead, by Jody Arlington, at NPR ; published October 18, 2013; retrieved April 5, 2014
  6. How Archie Became the Most Enlightened Publisher in Comics, by Graeme McMillan, at WIRED ; published March 6, 2014; retrieved April 5, 2014
  7. "Review: 'Afterlife with Archie' #1". 9 October 2013.
  8. Afterlife With Archie is scary good: Journey Into Comics, by Michael Sangiacomo, at the Plain Dealer ; published March 4, 2014; retrieved April 5, 2014
  9. The 10 best superhero comics of 2013, by Mark Peters, at Salon ; published December 28, 2013; retrieved April 5, 2014
  10. How the Archie Comics CEO rescued ol' Riverdale High from being 'old school', by David Betancourt, at the Washington Post ; published April 2, 2014; retrieved April 5, 2014
  11. "2015 Harvey Award Winners Announced".