Next month Archie Comics will release Archie vs. The World. The new one-shot comes from the creative team of writer Aubrey Sitterson, artist Jed Dougherty, colorist Matt Herms, and letterer Jack Morelli. Today, ahead of the issue’s final order cutoff date, The Beat is pleased to present an exclusive look at a black-and-white spread from the issue by Dougherty.
Here’s how the publisher describes Archie vs. The World:
In a post-apocalyptic future, our hero Archie Andrews is cursed to walk the world alone—well, alone with his souped-up jalopy. But Archie can defend himself—in fact, he’s the master of a brutal, deadly form of martial arts and must use his skills when he comes face-to-face with his rival and evil mirror image, Reggie. This action-packed one-shot is equal parts Mad Max: Fury Road and The Fist of the North Star, and reunites the “Jughead the Burgarian” team from the smash-hit comic THE BEST ARCHIE COMIC EVER!
“Archie vs. The World moves fast but, when reading it, you owe it to yourself to go slow,” writer Aubrey Sitterson told The Beat. “Just flipping through the issue you’ll see the innovative page design and layouts that Jed is working with but, unless you really take your time, you’ll risk missing the craft on display, the conscientious decisions made every step of the way to deliver you something new, something challenging, something overwhelming: A brutal, frenetically paced meditation on sacrifice, fate, and the violence people bring to bear upon themselves and others.”
“Jed’s art in particular is so energetic and lively,” added Archie Art Director Vincent Lovallo. “His hatching and spot blacks give this story a unique look compared to other Archie titles, and this spread featuring Archie and team in the jalopy is one of my favorites. Jed really nailed the sense of speed and atmosphere, emphasizing the hot dryness of the wasteland with dirt and dust. The characters practically leap off the page, and that’s just one of this book’s intense action-packed spreads!”
When it comes to reuniting with Dougherty, Sitterson described Archie vs. The World as a chance to try something new. “With ‘Jughead the Burgarian‘ as well as the full Savage Hearts series (now available as a graphic novel!) under our belts, Jed and I are pretty familiar with what the other can bring to the table,” the writer said. “But, for this one-shot, given so much freedom by the Archie editorial team, we decided to take the opportunity to try some different techniques and approaches, testing out some new tools, and the results have been incredible.”
“When I learned that we would be reuniting with writer Aubrey Sitterson and artist Jed Dougherty for Archie vs. The World, I was beyond excited,” Lovallo added. “I loved their ‘Jughead the Burgarian’ story from this past summer’s The Best Archie Comic Ever, so I knew we would be in for a treat with this new Mad Max/Fist of the North Star-esque story.”
Check out the exclusive look at Dougherty’s spread below. Archie vs. The World arrives in stores and digitally on Wednesday, January 25th. The issue has a final order cut-off date of Monday, January 2nd.
Literally nice.
Archie as Fist of the North Star’s Kenshiro? Ah-ta-ta-ta-ta, ah-ta-ta-ta-ta. Yatta!
Archie Comics needs to commission a variant cover by Fist of the North Star illustrator Tetsuo Hara!
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