Archie Comics has announced Archie: The Decision creators Tom King and Dan Parent will reunite on a new one-shot, Jughead: Piemageddon. Due out this July, the comic will see Jughead participate in a pie-eating contest that descends into pure chaos. The official synopsis teases “Betty vs. Veronica (kind of), Reggie being… well, Reggie. Hot Dog lounging. Friends turned to enemies. Hearts broken. Crumbs everywhere. What’s to become of Riverdale? And will Jughead ever get to taste a sweet morsel of pie? All this AND a peek at Old Man Archie & Jughead.”
King says, “I wanted to write a comic that spoke not only to our time, but to all times — a comic that challenged facile definitions of love and literature by transcending those perpetual platonic shadows and revealing a priori, the tragic and comedic conditions inherent to our own precious, dissected, humiliating, human condition. Also, I wanted to write a comic where like a lot of people are getting hit by pies.”
Parent adds, “It’s so good to be teaming up with Tom again, especially in this very Jughead-centric story. Even though I love drawing the girls, it’s nice to work on Jughead, who is probably everyone’s favorite character in the Archieverse. [Plus] it’s always good to do slapstick. There is not enough slapstick in comics, or for that matter, the world, and here, Tom presents the ultimate in slapstick humor: the pie fight! And to the youth of America who are not familiar with this classic form of slapstick comedy… you’re welcome!”
King and Parent originally collaborated on Archie: The Decision in 2024. In the meantime, King landed the gig of writing an Archie movie for producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Editor-in-chief Mike Pellerito acknowledges this in the press release, while also noting the new Supergirl movie (out June 26) is based on King and Bilquis Evely‘s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. “So, with all these wonderful things happening — especially in the 85th anniversary year of Archie — we’ve decided to celebrate with a pie fight!”
The book will feature inking by Rich Koslowski, colors by Rosario “Tito” Pena, and lettering by Jack Morelli. It will be released on July 15, with covers by Parent, Jen Bartel, Elsa Charretier, Marguerite Sauvage, Greg Smallwood, and Francesco Francavilla, all available on regular or foil paper. You can check out them out in the meantime below.
