Oni Press and Archie Comics have released a first look at Archie in Hell #1, the upcoming ongoing horror series launching this November as part of Oni’s ambitious new line of Archie Comics titles celebrating the character’s 85th anniversary.
Written by Patrick Horvath (Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees) with artwork by Tyler Crook (Harrow County, Out of Alcatraz), the series promises to push Archie Andrews into his darkest adventure yet, blending supernatural horror with Riverdale’s hidden history.
The story begins with a shocking revelation buried beneath the town’s cheerful image. An ancient cult has secretly embedded itself within Riverdale, plotting for generations to summon a demon lord through human sacrifice. Their chosen victim is none other than hometown hero Archie Andrews. Their plans quickly spiral out of control when Riverdale’s witches become involved, leaving Archie cursed and trapped in a fate even worse than Hell itself.
According to Oni Press:
“Unstuck from time and space. Bound to a terrible curse. Late for school.”
The publisher teases a story that stretches from Riverdale’s colonial past to the present day, promising a horror epic unlike any Archie story before it.
“Getting the opportunity to work on this book has been a series of pleasant surprises,” Horvath said. “When Hunter Gorinson and Sierra Hahn from Oni mentioned the possibility to me, it happened to line up pretty perfectly with my schedule. I had also been looking for an opportunity to write a project for another artist. Tyler has been an art hero of mine for a while now and getting to work with him on this has been supremely inspiring.”
Crook said combining Archie with horror immediately grabbed his attention.
“I have always wanted to work on an Archie comic, and I was super stoked when Patrick and Sierra presented me with a story that combined Archie with horror and history,” Crook said. “As an artist who loves period pieces, it gives me something meaty to bite into and provides us a wonderful, interesting and terrifying way to explore these classic characters.”
The debut issue will feature covers by Crook and Horvath alongside variants by Paul Azaceta, Jesse Lonergan, Kano, Dan Parent, Mirka Andolfo, and Mahmud Asrar.
Archie in Hell joins two other major launches in Oni Press’ new Archie publishing initiative. Archie #1 by Ben H. Winters and Fábio Moon arrives in September, offering a fresh take on the iconic teen and the town of Riverdale. That will be followed in October by Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1 from Corinna Bechko and Kano, which explores Sabrina Spellman’s early days balancing magic with high school life.
Check out the first preview pages below.
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