Archie Andrews, that red-headed bumbler famous for bringing a dollop of decency to Riverdale High, is doomed to die in July. He’ll be 73. Publisher Archie Comics is knocking off its signature character — sort of — in Life With Archie No. 36, a series focusing on the future adventures of a grown-up Archie and his friends.
Apparently, the future is less than kind to the freckle-faced hero since — SPOILER ALERT — Archie is slated to die sacrificing himself to save one of his friends.
“This is a historic moment for the company, but also for comics,” said Archie Comics Publisher/Co-CEO Jon Goldwater. “Archie was around for the birth of the comic book industry, and now we have a chance to celebrate his life by showcasing his final moments in the future “Life With Archie” story. We thought about this a long time, and this story really represents the best of Archie and, in turn, the best of us.”
Before fans of the comic book character created in 1941 throw up their hands and yell “Gosh,” the high school-aged version will continue his saga in other series. The storyline is part of the publisher’s continued campaign to shake up the status quo in Riverdale over the past few years.
In 2010, Archie Comics introduced an openly gay character, Kevin Keller, to Riverdale High School. That came one year after Archie proposed to Veronica, not his sweetheart Betty, in a mini-series that provided a glimpse into a different future for the Riverdale residents.
More recently, the publisher released a (gasp) mature audiences aimed horror comic, “Afterlife With Archie,” which pits Andrews against zombies overrunning his town — including his poor best friend Jughead. Critics have been raving about that title by noted playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Deadline.com reported last year that Warner Bros. optioned a movie adaptation
