Archie Comics sent a release that the chairman and co-publisher of the company, Michael Silberkleit, died at age 76. The Comics Reporter has a full rundown of Silberkleit’s life and career.
– Matt Price
Archie Comics
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Katy Keene is returning this August in a new graphic novel from Archie Comics. Created by cartoonist Bill Woggon in 1945, Katy Keene was a model and pinup. Perhaps her greatest claim to fame was wearing outfits designed by the readers of her comics. More info on Katy’s history is available at Scoop.
Archie brought back the character in its 2005 “Free Comic Book Day” comic, and she has since appeared in “Archie and Friends.”
Writer-artist Andrew Pepoy has handled Katy’s modern adventures, in which she’s a model, movie actress, and pop singer. The graphic novel will collect the Katy Keene stories from “Archie & Friends” Nos. 101-110, along with a new story.
Also starring (sort of) in “Katy Keene” is former “Mighty Hero,” the Web, from Archie’s superhero line. Katy is starring in “The Web Returns,” and even attends a comic convention to promote the film.
The 112-page, full color graphic novel retails for $10.95 and ships to comic-book shops on August 20.
– Matt Price
From Archie Comics:
In the tradition of such famous comic book series and mini-series as John Byrne’s “Superman: the Man of Steel,” Frank Miller’s “Batman: Year One” and Marvel’s “Ultimate” line comes the latest comic book icon to get the “prequel” treatment: Archie! That’s right, now you, the reader can travel back in time with Archie and his friends to their very first year in high school in this five-part epic storyline we’re calling THE FRESHMAN YEAR SAGA!
It all began last issue (ARCHIE & FRIENDS #587) with a poignant prologue called “The Summer Before,” exploring how the famous friends who just graduated junior high would deal with their pending positions as high school seniors. Now, in issue #588’s “Freshman Year: Fall Semester,” Archie and his friends are starting the fall semester of their first high school year. Having survived a summer that saw the departure of Jughead and bickering parents, the gang arrives at high school… to find elementary school Principal Mr. Weatherbee has now become the high school Principal! But it’s not just about reunions at Riverdale High. Archie also makes a new friend in Pencilneck G., although he prefers his more laid-back buddy Jughead. He also makes some new enemies in Jared McGerk and his band of bullies! Along the way the other classic faculty members are introduced, as well as Pop Tate and his Chok’lit Shop! It’s the funniest first year of high school ever!
This special storyline is brought to you by none other than fan-favorite writer Batton Lash. No stranger to Archie Comics, the famed writer of the “Wolff & Byrd” series turned the comic industry upside down in 1994 when he penned the unlikely Archie/Marvel cross-over comic, “Archie Meets the Punisher.” Many thought it would never work, but Batton’s ingenious script won over even the toughest skeptics, and the comic wound up being not only one of Archie’s biggest-selling issues ever, but also one of the most highly-acclaimed. Batton returned the following year with another well-received story arc appearing across several Archie titles. The “House of Riverdale” was a loving tribute to the type of serio-comic, spooky mysteries so prevalent in the vintage “Life with Archie” series. Handling the art chores is “Scrapyard Detectives” creator and popular Archie artist/writer Bill Galvan. This is one “year” you can’t afford to miss!
“Archie” #588 ships August 20.
After the success of last year’s new look for Betty and Veronica, Archie Comics has decided to give a makeover to the beanie-wearing, hamburger-loving Jughead.
Release follows:
Last year, one of the most talked about stories in the comic book industry was the Dynamic New Look for Betty & Veronica; as seen in the story “Bad Boy Trouble”. Thousands of Archie fans responded by e-mail, snail mail and phone expressing their disapproval of the new look before the story was even printed. Those same fans, after reading “Bad Boy Trouble” let us know how much they enjoyed the story once seeing it in print. They thought it was fun and interesting to see the characters with a different look, AS LONG AS IT WASN’T IN ALL OF THE COMICS. The story was so popular it was collected into a Graphic Novel.
Thanks to the response of those thousands of fans, we have created another story with a Dynamic New Look. This time, starring Jughead in a story that will shock you. You can see Jughead’s Dynamic New Look in four consecutive issues of Jughead’s Double Digest starting with issue #139 through issue #142, with Dynamic art by the legendary Joe Staton. Remember, it is only one of the stories in Jughead’s Double Digest, the remaining stories will be in the classic Archie art style you know and love.
– Matt Price
