Warning! Spoilers for The Best Archie Comic Ever!

Archie Comics is making Archie Andrews a scientist, a superhero, a spy, and more in the just-announced The Best Archie Comic Ever! #0 The story will imagine the different possible futures for Archie as a prelude to what’s coming next in the world of Archie Comics. The free comic will be part of the upcoming Free Comic Book Day on May 7.

The original adventure will reimagine Archie Andrews in different times, settings, and realities, which include the iconic Riverdale student going back to the prehistoric age, becoming a James Bond-like figure, and getting his own suit and cape as a superhero. The Best Archie Comic Ever! features a creative team of Fred Van Lente and Tim Seeley. The 32-page, full-color comic will be one of the many free offerings on Free Comic Book Day. Check out the cover for the comic by Jamal Igle below.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

We spoke to Senior Director of Editorial of Archie Comics, Jamie L. Rotante, about the different versions of Archie that will show up in the series, what she’s most excited for readers to see, and plans for Archie Comics going into 2022.

These new versions of Archie sound wild, how did this project come to be?

The funny thing is that these “new” versions are actually just modernized versions of classic Archie concepts and characters! Archie’s superhero alter-ego Pureheart the Powerful was established in the 1960s, but we’ve yet to really see him in a sort of big summer blockbuster-style action. The first story in this Free Comic Book Day collection showcases just that—but it’s also part of a larger story yet to come in this summer’s THE BEST ARCHIE COMICS EVER one-shot. So readers will get a fun sneak peek at all the action and adventure forthcoming from Archie, as well as a retrospective at some of the more jaw-dropping, hilarious, and out-of-this-world antics featured in the more recently released comics starring Archie and the gang… and maybe even a few more surprises, too!

Which version of Archie are you most excited for readers to see in action?

Of course, Archie as a superhero is going to be tons of fun… and that’s also due in large part to the amazing team working on that story. We had a blast working with Fred Van Lente on last year’s Everything’s Archie. He’s got such a knack for writing the Archie characters, deftly blending their trademark humor with a modern sensibility that manages to be over-the-top while also feeling firmly grounded in reality. And it’s been a dream of mine to work on a project with Tim Seeley, and getting to see his art on the core Archie characters. Having these two work together is like capturing magic in a bottle.

What plans does Archie Comics have for upcoming anthologies?

What can readers expect going forward? Archie works well in different genres so we’re continuing to explore putting these characters in fun new settings and situations. We’re most excited to be reaching out to writers and artists from around the world and the comics industry to give their unique take on the characters. You can expect more horror, more superheroes, and more romance stories throughout 2022. We’re also aiming to do the unexpected and spotlight some lesser-known characters, to really showcase our expanded universe and what’s possible here at Archie Comics. There’s still so much more yet to come, we’re just getting started!

Archie Comics’ Free Comic Book Day Special Edition –The Best Archie Comic Ever! arrives in comic book stores on May 7, and will be part of Free Comic Book Day.

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Liam McGuire
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Lead writer for Screen Rant’s comic team. [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @LiamRMcGuire for comic news and reporting.

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