Warning: contains a preview for Archie: Love and Heartbreak Special One-Shot!
The Riverdale crew is returning to its roots this February, as Archie and his friends fall in and out of love. Archie: Love and Heartbreak Special One-Shot is a new holiday special anthology comic starring the titular hero and his friends. Veronica, Betty, Jughead, Dilton, and Kevin Keller will all see what the carnival has in store for them this Valentine's Day.
Archie has long been known for his on-again-off-again relationships with Betty and Veronica. For decades his romantic misadventures were the staple of his comics. In recent years, this has changed. The town of Riverdale has met new characters like Kevin Keller, been revamped with horror overlays such as Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and has found new levels of drama in the hit television series, Riverdale.
Archie: Love and Heartbreak Special One-Shot has the creative team of Thomas Pitilli, Stephanie Cooke, Sina Grace, Lisa Sterle, Iolanda Zanfardino, Matt Herms, and Jack Morelli. The main cover is illustrated by Thomas Pitilli and a variant cover starring Archie and Veronica is illustrated by Paulina Ganucheau. Screen Rant is excited to share a few glimpses at the included stories within this upcoming anthology.
Fans may be surprised to see that "The Best Things in Life are Free" includes "Bughead," the ship name associated with Riverdale the television show. The series is responsible for creating a rather popular couple from two characters who, within comics, wouldn't seem like an ideal match. Now, Betty and Jughead Jones could finally be seeing each other in a new light. Regarding this unorthodox couple, writer and illustrator Thomas Pitilli says:
I'm definitely honored to be one of the first to bring the Betty and Jughead pairing to the traditional comics, outside of the Riverdale universe. With that being said, since I wanted this story to feel like it came out of an old Archie digest, I tried my best to be true to the original characters, setting them apart from their TV show interpretations. There's a reason why the characters of Archie Comics have had such a long lasting life in comics, it's because they're such rich and well rounded characters that any creator would have a blast working with them. I know I certainly did. I think fans of both the comics and the TV show will be able to enjoy my story!
Another included story focuses on Dilton and Veronica, which could be to the chagrin of Archie. Ronnie and Archie may be a long-term staple, but their relationship is in danger. Their ups and downs in this anthology are being tackled with writing from Stephanie Cooke and art by Lisa Sterle. Sterle says she "grew up reading Archie Comics, they were in fact one of my first introductions to comics! I had quite a Betty & Veronica Digest collection going as a kid. Having the chance to draw a comic with the iconic Veronica Lodge was a treat I didn't expect, and I loved every second of it." Cooke has shared some thoughts on Archie Comics' Dilton:
Dilton isn't generally a character we see much of period, so I wanted to explore the possibilities there and how a more introverted personality would work with a big, over-the-top character like Veronica. Between the comics and Riverdale, lots of pairings have been explored already but as a Sabrina fan for most of my life, I'd love to see what other characters she could connect with - obviously, Harvey is a staple in her love life but who else in the Archieverse might she connect with? Maybe Sabrina would have better luck with Dilton!
Sina Grace, the writer of Kevin's newest romantic adventure with artist Iolanda Zanfardino, says, "The thing I learned and loved about writing Kevin Keller for this anthology, is that once you put him in a place where he's out of his happy-go-lucky comfort zone, he's a nervous wreck like the rest of us. I hope people love watching Kevin realize he doesn't have everything sorted out when it comes to fresh romance!"
This Archie Comics anthology will bring speed bumps, start new relationships, and allow these classic comic heroes to know one another better. Fans won't want to miss out on Archie's latest romantic misadventure or the early comic debut of Bughead. Archie: Love and Heartbreak Special One-Shot will release February 9.