Welcome to the Archie Comics Pubwatch for the month of October! I’m Lisa, reporting from a corner booth at Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe, and here’s this month’s news! In October’s Pubwatch, Fran Frazier returns to the Archieverse and Netflix’s version of The Archies releases their first single. Also, there are plenty of new variant covers and much more!
Archie to bring back Golden Era Detective Fran Frazier in December’s World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #136
Archie Comics have definitely been taking care of their legacy titles. The latest heroine to join Ginger Snapp and Penny Parker in being revived from her 1940s origins is Top Notch Comics photojournalist Fran Frazier. The detective comics heroine was a big deal in the day; a Brenda Starr-like go-getter who traveled the world logging tough stories that often placed her in danger, which she used her brains and guts to power her way out of. She’s often accompanied by a journalist named Hal Davis. Here, she’s still a globe-trotting photojournalist – but has a modern, internet-centric twist. Hal will apparently be along for the ride as well.
Per a preview from SmashPages, Ian Flynn will be writing Fran’s introductory story, and Holly G! will be drawing it. “It’s always a pleasure to be entrusted with breathing new life into these older characters. I hope folks enjoy Fran’s new incarnation and ask to see more of her intrepid, globe-trotting adventures,” Flynn told the outfit.
“When updating Ms. Fran, I looked to one of my heroes as a teen, Molly Ringwald, THEN I mixed in some classic stealth spy wear and a nice big dash of Brenda Starr! (And yes, I totally had that hairdo back in the ’80s!)” said Holly G!
See that very Molly Ringwald-forward concept art by Holly G! above. World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #136 streets on December 10.
The Archies Release Their First Single Ahead of Netflix Film
“Sunoh” was released on October 19.
The film itself hits Netflix India on December 7. BBC World recently posted an article about the film here. You can also see stills of the movie right here.
First for Women Talks about Betty and Veronica’s relationship.
Read the article here!
New Variant Covers from Great Wall of Comics, Arsenal Comics and Games, The One Stop Shop, Stadium Comics, VA Comic-Con, New York ComicCon, and Mellow Fellow Trading
It’s new variant cover time!
Great Wall of Comics has one exclusive variants available. It covers Darkling #1.It was drawn by Elias Chatzoudis. It’s limited to an edition of 200, comes with a COA, and costs $19.99 here.
Arsenal Games and Comics has three new covers for sale. The first is Ryan Carr’s variant for Fear the Funhouse: Toybox of Terror #1, which is limited to 250 copies. You can get a plain virgin variant for $9.99, have it signed by Carr and issue writer Timmy Heague for $9.99 or get it remarked by Heague with an Archie character for $19.99. Pick your poison here.
The next one is by Justin Frazier, and covers Fear the Funhouse: Toybox of Terror. A parody of Taylor Swift’s cover for Midnights, it’s limited to 250 copies, standard prints go for $9.99, as do issues signed by contributor Timmy Heague. One signed by Frazier goes for $14.99. One signed by Heague and Frazier goes for $14.99. All variants are available here!
Stadium Comics is back with Pop Art and general cover exclusives. From the Pop Art collection, we have Josie McCoy by Nuno Pereira, which covers Josie and the Pussycats Anniversary Spectacular #1. Only 250 copies exist of the variant, with 50 copies of the metal version extent. The metal version sold out as part of a two-issue pack at $59.99, but you can buy the regular variant for $14.99 here!
Stadium also has this cover for Josie and the Pussycats Anniversary Spectacular #1. This Bill Walko cover is limited to 250 copies, costs $14.99, and is available here; a 20 copy orange foil run and a 10 copy metal cover run have already sold out; they retailed for $39.99 and $99.99, respectively.
Next up is this exclusive Child’s Play 2 parody from and One Stop Shop Comics. This covers Fear the Funhouse: Toybox of Terror. Drawn by Scott McFarland & Ken Berube, it’s limited to 250 copies, and you can get it in standard format at $14.99 here.
Next are the Dan Parent variants for Archie’s Halloween Spectacular #1 and Josie and the Pussycats Anniversary Spectacular #1. The variant for his Veronica-as-Velma cover and his Josie-as-Catwoman cover will be made exclusive to VA ComicCon. We will update the post with links when the issue is alive in November.
Francis Bonnet offered up this exclusive cover for Archie’s Halloween Spectacular #1 at New York ComicCon in October. If he offers up extra copies, we’ll talk about it here.
Danielle Paige offers up this Barbie-inspired take for Fear the Funhouse: Toybox of Terror. Drawn by Jeremy and Daniel Lehrer, It’s limited to 300 copies, is $9.99 unsigned and $19.99 signed by the artists, Paige and Heague. Both are available at Paige’s official shop.
Parent’s cover for Sabrina the Teenage Witch Annual Spectacular#1 has sold out over at The Comic Corner Store. It was limited to 200 issues at $19.99, with a 30-count metal variant and a 15-count rainbow holofoil variant here!
The next set of issues comes from Mellow Fellow Trading. The first cover is a Tomb of Dracula tribute by Dan Parent that covers Chilling Adventures Present: Return of the Chilling Adventures in Sorcery #1. It’s limited to 25 foil variants at $20 each, 12 color shift foil variants at $35.00. The covers for the first variant were offered at New York Comic Con but are now available here. Mellow Fellow are also offering a set of variants for Chilling Adventures Present: Chilling Adventures of Salem #1. I can’t find information on the artist on their webpage or social media, but there are 20 foil copies of the issue available for $2o, 20 virgin foil copies for $20, and 15 color shift foil copies for $35. There’s also a Creature from the Black Lagoon tribute cover from Dan Parent that covers Archie and Friends: Thrills and Chills #1. The foil variant is limited to 25 and goes for $20, and the color shift variant goes for $35 and is limited to 12. Next up is this Bill Galvan EC Horror tribute cover, which covers Betty and Veronica Beach Party #1. It’s limited to 150 copies, a combined lot of virgin variants and trade, each going for $12. There are also 35 foil variants, 20 distressed metal and 15 distressed virgin metal issues. The foil variants are only available in packages at $55 each. This set of flashback covers – drawn by Sajad Shah – were created for New York Comic Con and cover Chilling Adventures Presents: Welcome to Riverdale #1. There’s no word at press time how many of each variant exist. Next up is this Corpse Bride tribute which covers Archie’s Halloween Spectacular #1. Drawn by Scott McFarland and Ken Berube, it’s limited to 200 virgin covers, 31 foil covers, 10 metal covers, 3 wood covers, 3 gold metal and 1 blue marble cover. The issue is set to be released on October 22. Bill Galvan and Archie Comics meet professional wrestlers Danhausen and Brody King in the next two covers, which cover an unspecified comic and have an unspecified release limit. Then there’s Bill Galvan’s Demons Slayer homage, which covers Chilling Adventures Presents: The Cult of that Wilkins Boy. It’s limited to 125 copies, comes with a COA and goes for $10.
Archie Comics Tweet of the Month
Berty… https://t.co/xAAEyrJx7l pic.twitter.com/ma10SCTjp4
— Mike Pellerito (@pellertweeto) October 6, 2023
Seems bad IMHO pic.twitter.com/JEVoUqhkMs
— Jesse's Ghost (@Jesse_Post) October 6, 2023
Big Monday morning energy here. pic.twitter.com/4EE95CozrD
— Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) October 16, 2023
Cowboy Archie is a whole mood. 🤠 pic.twitter.com/zEHUXD8VjQ
— Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) October 8, 2023
Berty, prime yeeha time, Monday Morning blahs, and something monstrous.
Sugar Sugar of the Month
Chilling Adventures Presents…Welcome to Riverdale #1
Amy Chase (Writing); Liana Kangas (Art and Cover); Jack Morelli (Letters); Marguerite Sauvage (Variant Cover); Ellie Wright (Colors)
October 11, 2023
It’s rare that a comic manages to perfectly explain why the sometimes lockstep whimsey and sweetness of Riverdale can be a bit much. Here, it takes on a certain Invasion of the Bodysnatchers-style ring, complete with the forbidding nightmarishness of life in a small town.
October was a very Ginger Snapp heavy month, to my delight; she proves to be a relatable and sympathetic figure as her fantasies about joining the popular set in Riverdale go sideways, to say the least. And yet the teen finally gets to spend time in the legendary town of old-fashioned midwestern wholesomeness – but might something creepy be lurking under Riverdale’s wholesome surface? She finds out. Big time.
Fear the Funhouse: Toybox of Terror #1
Sweeney Boo (Cover); Ryan Caskey (Art and Cover); Timmy Heague (Writing); Ryan Jampole (Art); Jack Morelli (Letters); Michael Northrop (Writing); Danielle Paige (Writing); Tango (Art); Ellie Wright (Colors)
October 18, 2023
This one is a lot of fun, and its spooky edginess culminates in a very chilling conclusion.
Archie Comics’ Month of Mayhem continues with this more kid-friendly set of scares, though this one will please horror-loving tweens and teens instead of the younger set who usually follow the series. All three stories here involve deadly dolls. The wraparound story is headed up by longtime (and long-ignored) Archie heroine Evelyn Evernever, who’s entering into a desperate bargain to bring back someone she loves dearly. The other stories – which feature Ethel Muggs and a murderous, magical man – help heighten the sense of looming dread. This is a very EC Comics-forward issue that reaches a perfect, Twilight-Zoneish conclusion. Highly recommended.
Hotdogs and Hotshots
Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #318
Ian Flynn (Writing); Ben Galvan (Inks); Bill Galvan (Art); Bill Golliher (Cover); Jack Morelli (Letters); Dan Parent (Writing, Art and Cover); Bob Smith (Inks); Glenn Whitmore (Colors)
October 11, 2023
Clearly, if you’re like me, you’re here for more Ginger Snapp! She’s just a little on edge after watching the latest “Melanie” horror movie – and does not calm down when Jellybean Jones shows up dressed as Melanie on her doorstep for some Trick or Treating action. You’ll have to read the issue to find out what happens, but this was such a fun little story and I really enjoyed it.
Then Betty and Veronica team up with The Web to fight crime on Halloween!
World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #134
Jim Amash (Inks); Goldie Chan (Writing); Holly G! (Art); Bill Golliher (Writing, Cover and Art); Jack Morelli (Inks); Dan Parent (Cover); Bob Smith (Inks); Glenn Whitmore (Colors)
October 18, 2023
And yes, I’m recommending more Ginger Snapp! When she shows up at Pop’s to help Betty and Veronica pick out their Halloween costumes, a stroll down memory lane ensues, but will everyone get way too distracted to pick their costumes out? Elsewhere, in a really terrific, action–packed outing, Penny Parker leaps to the defense of her boxing teacher. He stands accused when the owner of the gym disappears. Penny enlists Archie and Veronica to help her track down the missing owner before it’s too late.
Archie Halloween Spectacular #1
Jim Amash (Inks); Steven Butler (Art); Tom DeFalco (Writing); Vincent Lovallo (Cover); Jack Morelli (Letters); Dan Parent (Cover); Glenn Whitmore (Colors)
October 4, 2023
Another cute, Halloween mischief-filled issue! It’s Halloween in Riverdale, and in a brand-new story Trick and Treat are back! Can Archie and the gang defeat them on a spectacularly spooky Halloween night?
Picks From the Timecops
Darkling #1
Carola Borelli (Art); Sarah Kuhn (Writing); David Mack (Alternate Cover); Jack Morelli (Letters); Maria Sanapo (Cover); Ellie Wright (Colors)
November 22, 2023
It’s time for another golden-era heroine to rise up and see a rebooting!
Darla Lang seems like your average college student, but she’s got a secret – a connection to the supernatural world, and a cape that she can use as a weapon. And she’s planning on fighting crime with both. Good thing Ivy Hollow University – her new alma mater – is the home of some pretty spooky stuff.
Josie and the Pussycats Anniversary Spectacular #1
Jim Amash (Inks); Holly G! (Writing, Pencils, Alternate Cover); Jack Morelli (Letters); Dan Parent (Cover Art); Rosario “Tito” Peña (Cover Colors); Glenn Whitmore (Colors)
November 8, 2023
You’re invited, come along! Josie and the Pussycats head into outer space to put on the wildest, furthest-reaching concert possible. Is the concept a stellar one, or is it too far out to be believed?
Archie Colossal Digest Pack
Dan Parent (Cover); Rosario “Tito” Peña (Cover Colors); Various (Writing/Art/Inks/Letters/Colors)
November 15, 2023
It’s time to start thinking about stocking stuffers, and this mega pack of digests is a good bet for comic-loving Archie fans on your list!
Archie Showcase Digest Presents: Jughead Christmas Special (Archie Library #16)
Dan Parent (Cover Art); Rosario “Tito” Peña (Cover Colors); Various (Writing/Art/Inks/Letters/Colors)
November 29, 2023
It’s never too early to think of Christmas, and Archie is putting out a fresh collection of Christmas tales for those doing some early shopping.
World of Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #30
Jim Amash (Inks); Bill Golliher (Writing and Art); Jack Morelli (Letters); Dan Parent (Writing, Cover and Art); Rosario “Tito” Peña (Cover Colors); Bob Smith (Inks); Glenn Whitmore (Colors)
November 1, 2023
A Lodge mansion whodunit stretches Penny Parker’s brain to the limits! Elsewhere, Pow Girl and Pureheart the Powerful team up to stop a Christmastime act of villainy!
Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #345
Francis Bonnet (Cover); Lily Butler (Art); Ron Cacace (Writing), Ian Flynn (Writing); Pat Kennedy (Art); Rex Lindsey (Writing); Jack Morelli (Letters); Dan Parent (Cover); Glenn Whitmore (Colors)
November 8, 2023
Looks like there’s gonna be no joy in Riverdale this Christmas — at least according to Ethel Muggs, who hears that Santa won’t be coming this season. Is it a lie? A hoax? A terrible truth?!
Elsewhere, Archie helps The Shield in finding a mysterious artifact that could save an important winter celebration.
World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #135
Jim Amash (Inks); Steven Butler (Art); Tom DeFalco (Writing); Jack Morelli (Letters); Dan Parent (Writing, Art, Cover); Rosario “Tito” Peña (Cover); Bob Smith (Inks); Glenn Whitmore (Inks)
November 22, 2023
A mysterious (perhaps magical?) Tunnel of Love at the Riverdale Winter Carnival gives our gang hints about what their romantic futures might contain — with shocking results!
Elsewhere, Pow Girl and Pureheart the Powerful team up to take down some villains who want to misuse the superpowers of heroic types!
Leftover Fries
Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #319
