The Cats Came Back! Josie and the Pussycats Getting Relaunch

It’s undoubtedly a case of saving the best for last.

Archie Comics has announced that, in the spirit of its recent title relaunches — Archie, Jughead, Betty & Veronica, etc. — that have incorporated a modern sensibility into the Archie classics, that Josie and the Pussycats are set to come roaring back in September.

Betty & Veronica: Hughes’ New Series Boasts A Zillion Awesome Variant Covers

Comics legend Adam Hughes is set to both script and illustrate a brand-new series about America’s original Frenemies, Betty & Veronica. Betty & Veronica #1 hits stores on July 20, and will not only feature a beautiful regular cover by Hughes himself, but 23 more spectacular versions of Riverdale’s best-known beauties (and a blank sketch cover which may or may not be beautiful and may or may not feature Betty and/or Veronica. Cuz, you know, it’s blank.)

We have put EVERY DANG ONE in a slide show below. While they’re all sweet as a malted from Pops’ Chocklit Shoppe, our favorites are D (Stephanie Buscema), S (Ramon Perez), E (Cliff Chiang), H (Veronica Fish), and W (Chip Zdarsky). What are yours?

Riverdale: Archie’s Return to TV Boasts Stars of Tomorrow and Yesteryear

Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica & the rest of the gang from Riverdale have been in the funnybooks for 75 years. But characters from Archie Comics also have a very rich television history — a memorable cartoon starring Archie and friends, another starring Josie and the Pussycats; a live-action hit concerning Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and more.

Now, even as the Archie Comics line has been undergoing a modern refresh by writers Mark Waid, Chip Zdarsky and a team of talented artists (including Fiona Staples, Erica Henderson, and Veronica Fish), there’s another modern take on Archie’s characters heading for a pilot on The CW. The one-hour drama is to be written by Archie Comics Chief Creative Officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (also behind comics including Afterlife with Archie, and a writer on television shows including  ‘Glee’). And it seems some of the stars are a pleasant blast from television’s past.

Archie Relaunches with Cavalcade of Variant Covers

The iconic Archie Andrews is getting a relaunch after 75 — yes, 75! — years, courtesy of Mark Waid (writer) and Fiona Staples (artist).

Issue #1 hits stores on July 8, and features not only multiple cover options by Staples (pictured above), but 20 additional covers by guest artists — our four favorites of which are posted below (all images courtesy of Archie Comics). There is also slated to be a “Blank Sketch” cover, for those of you who want to pretend you are iconic Archie Artist Dan Parent.

While the art on the “official” cover and the variants point to an Archie that incorporates more modern design and sensibilities, Archie Comics’ Publisher & CEO Jon Goldwater was clear in an AMA on Reddit a few months back:

The Predator And Some Of Archie’s Other Greatest Crossovers

Archie comics are certainly diverse in their output. Starting in 1942, it’s one of the longest running series in all of comicdom, following the adventures of Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica as they go about their lives in Riverdale. The amazing thing about the franchise, it also manages to come up with some extremely novel ideas and concepts. Much like his superhero counterparts, Archie has been part of a gay wedding, met the president, grown up, and in a controversial turn of events; died.

From the Ashes of Industrial Ovens, Will Hostess Rise Like (Marvel’s) Phoenix?

Fruit Pie the Magician’s best trick may yet be coming back from the dead. Or, more specifically, the death of Hostess, the company famous for making Wonder Bread, Fruit Pies, Ho-Hos, Ding-Dongs, and Twinkies, among others. Hostess today filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection — that’s the kind of bankruptcy where you wind the company down, sell off the assets, call it quits, cease to exist. The company will be unwinding over the next few months; already it has dismissed a veritable legion of workers, just in time for the holidays. Sucks for them far worse than those with a nostalgic sweet tooth. Let’s keep that in mind as we discuss.