Afterlife With Archie is the Archie Comics take on the zombie apocalypse, complete with Jughead, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and the whole Archie gang.
Archie Comics has been publishing stories about Archie Andrews and Riverdale since 1941, and during that time the universe has remained fairly consistent. Sure, the publisher offered its take on same-sex marriage and tried rocking the boat with Archie’s wedding storyline, but by and large, Archie’s books are about a wholesome individual living an ordinary life in the town of Riverdale. Unless you’ve been reading Afterlife With Archie, that is, a new ongoing series that drops Riverdale into a straight-up zombie apocalypse. If that concept sounds appealing in any way, you’ll be excited to learn that the Escape From Riverdale trade paperback hits bookstores on April 23rd, collecting issues 1-5 of Archie’s zombie-fighting adventures.
How exactly could zombies overrun Riverdale? It all begins when Jughead’s pet Hot Dog is killed in a hit-and-run. Unable to handle the grief, Jughead takes his faithful pet to Sabrina the Teenage Witch, who uses the Necronomicon to restore his lifeforce. Unfortunately, the spell doesn’t stop with Hot Dog; eventually the dead are wandering Riverdale’s streets, forcing Archie and his friends to flee unstoppable hordes before they find themselves on a zombie’s menu.
Purist Archie fans might be disturbed by this alternate take on the universe, but personally, I’m itching to check it out. I’ve loved previous books that mixed up Archie’s formula, including the Archie Meets The Punisher crossover, a surprisingly faithful adaptation for both characters. The fact that this is an ongoing series reaching beyond Riverdale into magical realms intrigues me all the more. Whether you enjoy darker takes on Archie, or just like following zombie comics, this could be an interesting series to follow in the coming months.
Source: Bleeding Cool
