Next week Archie Comics will release Archie’s Valentine’s Day Spectacular #1. The one-shot special dedicated to the year’s most romantic holiday features classic-style stories starring the Riverdale gang and all of their many relationship entanglements. Today The Beat is happy to present an exclusive preview of the one-shot, featuring pages from the issue’s new entry and a full five-page classic story.

Cover art by Dan Parent

The new story in Archie’s Valentine’s Day Spectacular #1, “A Not-So-Sweet Romance,” is written by Jamie L. Rotante, pencilled by Bill Galvan, inked by Bob Smith, colored by Glenn Whitmore, and lettered by Jack Morelli. Here’s how the publisher describes the story, which finds Archie having accidentally inspired a hit song:

NEW CLASSIC-STYLE STORY: “A Not-So-Sweet Romance” Archie’s been awful quiet about his last girlfriend, who was also an aspiring musician. So quiet, no one even knew he had one! That is, until her song hits the charts. Everyone is obsessed with it—especially Betty and Veronica. But neither of them know that Taylor Sweet’s pop breakup anthem is about Archie! And he’s going to try his hardest to not let them find out, no matter what it takes!

No one does romance in comics better than Archie, and a gentle riff on a certain songwriter with a number of break-up songs about well-known celebrities looks to be a lot of fun. Sure, Archie doesn’t want his friends to find out he’s the subject of Taylor Sweet’s hit song, but here’s hoping her stans never figure out who that song is about, or Archie’ll never be safe to go on TikTok again.

Check out the two-page preview of “A Not-So-Sweet Romance,” as well as the full five-page classic Betty & Veronica story, “Object of Affection,” by writer Kathleen Webb, penciller Jeff Shultz, inker Henry Scarpelli, colorist Barry Grossman, and letterer Bill Yoshida, below. Archie’s Valentine’s Day Spectacular #1 arrives in stores and digitally next Wednesday, February 2nd.

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1 COMMENT

  1. The Bill Galvan/Bob Smith art is good, reminds me a bit of Stan Goldberg. I appreciate the $3 price tag. OTOH, just ONE new story? Archie produces so little new content. Reminds me of Harvey, Western, Dennis the Menace (US), switching to all reprints, then defunct.

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