Welcome to the Archie Comics Pubwatch for the month of February! I’m Lisa, reporting from a corner booth at Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe, and here’s this month’s news! In February’s Pubwatch, Archie Andrews finally causes the apocalypse, and Archie finally digs back into the world of limited series! Also, there are plenty of new variant covers and much more!
Archie faces the final countdown in the first Archie Comics miniseries in years with Archie: Judgement Day in May
For the first time in a few years, Archie Comics will return to the arena of the limited series with Archie Comics: Judgement Day. Through a new imprint called Archie Premium, a three-issue miniseries from the Archie Horror universe will be released from May to July of 2024.
Written by Aubrey Sitterson with art by Megan Hutchison, color work by Matt Herms, and letters by the ever-ubiquitous Jack Morelli, it’s a post-apocalyptic tale of demonic possession. Archie appears to be the last man standing among a horde of his friends, who have all now been turned to the dark side. Heavy moral wages will be slung, and Archie must figure out who the monster at hand is. Is HE the monster? Is his morality and aim true?
“Judgment Day places Archie Andrews squarely at the center, acting as our hero—but with the power to choose who lives and who dies, can he truly remain a hero through and through? This miniseries raises the stakes more than any title we’ve ever done before. The fate of the entire world is in Archie’s hands.” Jesse Goldwater, Archie Comics Creative Consultant, said in an official press release.
“JUDGMENT DAY is the first in a compelling slate of events. As we look to the future of Archie, we wanted to translate our success in TV and film to focus that sense of grandeur back to our core publishing efforts. With our Archie Premium Event series, we’ve imbued each project with an epic sense of storytelling that is evocative of the exciting new direction for the company. In addition to our concentrated focus on elevated storytelling, these new series are also investments for the larger comic book community, transforming what would be a normal print issue into a must-have collector’s item,” said Archie Comics Senior Vice President Jonathan Betancourt in the same release.
Main line covers will be offered up by Hutchinson, Francesco Francavilla, Jae Lee, and Reiko Murakami.
Archie: Comics: Judgement Day #1 streets on May 22.
Daily Dead Previews interior art for Chilling Adventures Present: Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe of Horror: Fresh Meat
Right here.
New Variant Covers from Stadium Comics, Great Wall of Comics, Comic Book Exclusives/Mellow Fellow Trading, Happy Comics Company, Hamilton County Indiana, Jetpack Comics, Jax’s Comics, and Steven and Lily Butler
It’s new variant cover time!
First up is Stadium Comics is back with two homage variant exclusives. First, there’s this tribute to the cover of Punch #12 by Bill Galvan, which covers Chilling Adventures Present: Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe of Horror: Fresh Meat. Only 50 copies existed of the variant’s first run, with 15 metal virgin variants extent. The initial run sold out, which encouraged Stadium to bring the edition back with 75 further copies available and 25 more metal variants. The metal version sold out as part of a two-issue pack at $59.99 ($69.99 at the first run). You can buy a regular variant for $9.99 here!
Stadium also offered up this extremely limited Daisy Thunder Pop Art virgin variant by Steven and Lily Butler for Archie and Friends: Hot Rod Racing #1. Limited to 50 for the pink variant and 15 of the blue metal variant. Both have sold out at $19.99 and $59.99 in a two-cover pack respectively, but you can buy a regular cover at $3.59 here.
Lastly, Stadium is offering this Valerie Brown cover for an unnamed March release. A tribute to the cover of Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, this Laura Braga cover is limited to 250 copies, with 25 vigin metal variants limited to a two-cover pack with the regular variant. The virgin cover has sold out as part of a two-cover pack at $59.99, but you can get the regular variant for $14.99 here.
Great Wall of Comics has this variant for Chilling Adventures Present: Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe of Horror: Fresh Meat. Drawn by Sam Payne, it’s got Veronica all dolled up as DC heroine Zatanna Zarata. Limited to 200 copies comes with a COA and is available here for $24.99.
Great Wall of Comics is also offering an exclusive Dan Parent cover for Archie and Friends: Hot Rod Racing #1 which is also limited to 200 copies and costs $24.99 here.
Comic Book Exclusives has a split-cover variant for Archie’s Valentine’s Day Spectacular #1 by Andrew Pepoy. Featuring Betty, Veronica, and Archie, it’s limited to 200 copies and available for $10 here. You can also snag a magma foil variant at $49.95 here – it’s limited to 5 copies. There are also 20 holofoil versions at $29.94 here.
This Sabrina Spellman variant for Archie’s Valentine’s Day Spectacular #1 by Leanne Hyunh, which we promoted last month, is now available in a wider variety of variants. You can pick up a lava foil variant for $39.94 here, limited to 12 copies apiece. There is also a regular foil variant that costs $24.94 and is limited to 25 copies. You can buy it here.
Dan Parent is offering up a variant at Happy Comics Company. It covers Betty and Veronica: Friends Forever: Sleepover #1. A replica of Parent’s cover for Veronica #1, which launched his Archie career, it’s limited to 250 copies apiece, you can pick it up here for $20.00; graded by the CGC to a 9.8, they cost $75 apiece here
Here’s an interesting one. Hamilton County, Indiana has teamed up with artist Stuart Sayger to create two covers for Betty and Veronica: Friends Forever: Sleepover #1 which celebrate the oncoming total lunar eclipse on April 8 and exclusively pay tribute to local locales. There’s no word as to how much they will cost, where they can be bought, and what the issue limit number is on them, but when those emerge we will update our readers.
Jetpack Comics is offering up this Matt Talbot variant for Archie and Friends: Hot Rod Racing #1. Limited to 250 copies, you can get it unsigned for $7.99 or signed by Talbot at $10.99 here.
Tessa Rose is offering this cover for Jaguar #1. She reports that it’s available at Jax Comics in Biloxi, MS, and they should be contacted for copies.
Finally, Steven and Lily Butler are directly offering a plethora of covers. From left to right, they have limited editions out through their Duo Press imprint; Archie’s Valentine’s Day Spectacular #1, Sabrina Annual Spectacular #1, Sabrina Holiday Special #1, and Darkling #1. Each is limited to 250 copies, is available signed by the artists, and you can buy them for $24.47 apeice here.
Archie Comics Tweets of the Month
Reggie no pic.twitter.com/7YWul9rIy8
— Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) February 4, 2024
Veronica Lodge: Mob Wife edition pic.twitter.com/HPkDYTOZuc
— Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) February 1, 2024
If Reggie can be kind, so can you. This has been a public service announcement from your friends at Archie Comics. pic.twitter.com/FQkIjpArVd
— Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) February 17, 2024
Yee-haw? pic.twitter.com/ECXaC4SmhW
— Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) February 20, 2024
Reggie being Reggie, Ronnie angling for her own reality show, and some yee-haw Betty.
Sugar Sugar of the Month
World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #137
Steven Butler (Art); Lily Butler (Inks); Tom DeFalco (Writing); Bill Golliher (Cover Inks); Jack Morelli (Letters); Dan Parent (Writing, Art, and Cover); Rosario “Tito” Peña (Cover Colors); Bob Smith (Inks); Glenn Whitmore (Colors)
February 7, 2024
It’s always fun when the Archie Horror side of continuity leaks over into the main Archie Comics continuity, and this comic is a great example of that.
In this issue, Jughead has the worst Valentine’s Day ever when he’s trapped at Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe. You’d think that’d be heavenly or him, but no. It seems that the restaurant has once again been overrun by monsters — as happens surprisingly often, even in the main thrust of Archie Comics continuity. But this is an even worse version of that problem; Jughead can’t convince anyone to feed him!
In the second new story, Archie goes to the tabloids while trying to figure out which celeb Young Dr. Masters is dating. It’s a time capsule of Swiftian magic that delights.
Hotdogs and Hotshots
Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #348
Jim Amash (Inks); Bill Golliher (Inks); Pat Kennedy (Art); Dan Parent (Writing and Art and cover); Ian Flynn (Writing); Jack Morelli (Letters); Rosario “Tito” Peña (Colors); Bob Smith (Inks); Glenn Whitmore (Colors)
February 28, 2024
The A-story here is a lot of fun and features Bingo Wilkins battling the auguries of fame. He has a viral video hit, but the wages of fame make his upcoming anniversary with his girlfriend Samantha difficult. Cue Archie and Jughead offering up their services. Also, Archie helps out The Shield.
The Jaguar #1
Keryl Brown Ahmed (Writing); Jack Morelli (Letters); Reiko Murakami (Alt Cover); Maria Sanapo (Cover); Tango (Art); Ellie Wright (Colors and Cover Colors)
February 21, 2024
The best so far of the Impact Comics imprint revival one-shots, this one features Jaguar returning to print in the guise of Ivette Velez, a zoologist in the middle of investigating a murder.
Archie’s Valentine’s Day Spectacular #1
Jim Amash (Inks); Ian Flynn (Writing); Holly G! (Art); Jack Morelli (Letters); Dan Parent (Cover); Rosario “Tito” Peña (Cover Colors); Glenn Whitmore (Colors)
February 7, 2024
Everyone loves love, even if you have to charm the very embodiment of romance to get a little of your own. Betty and Veronica must cope with newcomers Hearts, Flowers and Candies as yet another Riverdale Valentine’s Day goes haywire!
Picks From the Timecops
Chilling Adventures Present: Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe of Horror: Fresh Meat #1
Ryan Cady (Writing); Amy Chase (Writing); Adam Gorham (Cover); Liana Kangas (Art); Aaron Lea (Cover); Jack Morelli (Letters); Jordan Morris (Writing), Chris Panda (Art); Federico Sabbatini (Art); Ellie Wright (Colors)
March 20, 2024
Return to the scene of one of Archie Horror’s biggest hits of the past year as three more writers and three more illustrators weave a web of horrifying stories surrounding everyone’s favorite seemingly wholesome malt shop.
Betty and Veronica: Friends Forever: Sleepover #1
Jack Morelli (Letters); Dan Parent (Writing, Art, Cover); Rosario “Tito” Peña (Cover Colors); Bob Smith (Inks); Glenn Whitmore (Colors)
March 6, 2024
Betty, Veronica and all of their nearest and dearest must struggle with the a sudden burst of unexpected magic during a sleepover in this slumber party-related digest.
Betty and Veronica Decades: The 1970s
Dan DeCarlo (Cover Art); Rudy Lapnik (Cover Inks); Rosario “Tito” Peña (Cover Colors); Various (Colors/Art/Inks/Writing/Letters)
March 27, 2024
Platform shoes, disco nights, and all the Archies shenanigans you can shake a stick at pop up in this collection of Bets and Ronnie’s best adventures from the 1970s.
Archie Milestones: Jumo Comics Digest #23: Jughead’s Spring Time Bash
Rex Lindsey (Cover); Rosario “Tito” Peña (Cover Colors); Various (Colors/Art/Inks/Writing/Letters)
March 20, 2024
In springtime, a young man’s fancies turn to thoughts of — burgers, milkshakes, and rock and roll! This collection is all Jughead, all the time, and every story is spring-related.
Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #322
Jim Amash (Inks); Francis Bonnet (Cover Art); Tom DeFalco (Writing); Bill Golliher (Art); Jack Morelli (Letters); Dan Parent (Writing, Cover and Art); Rosario “Tito” Peña (Cover Colors); Bob Smith (Inks); Glenn Whitmore (Colors)
March 6, 2024
Fran Frazer teams up with Betty and Veronica to retrieve Mrs. Grundy’s master for their midterm final. Who’s the culprit, and will they be caught? Elsewhere, the magic brew Sabrina’s aunts crafted to help her with her ice skating ends up being shared around in the hot cocoa she offers her friends. Will things stay footloose and fancy free?
