In ‘Afterlife,’ Archie Comics veers into horror

Francavilla included his own nods to horror classics, too, like the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Nosferatu” posters on Jughead’s bedroom wall.

But the book, despite its subject matter, he said, reflects the core characteristics of Archie and the other characters.

“Sabrina? She’s always messing up,” Aguirre-Sacasa said, though in this case, the mistake has grave consequences for Jughead.

“He’s always hungry,” Aguirre-Sacasa said, a normal trait that portends doom by the end of the first issue, setting the stage for the second issue and beyond.

Publisher and co-CEO Jon

Goldwater says the title is not your “traditional Archie Comic” given the subject matter.

Instead, Goldwater called the series a fresh opportunity to place Archie’s characters in a setting where there is no easy, happy ending with everyone feeling just fine.

“I really view this as Archie’s ‘Walking Dead,'” he said, referring to the Robert Kirkman-created series that has blossomed into a television show with a massive fan base.

The monthly series is drawn by Francavilla with dark, ominous illustrations boasting artistic nooks and crannies.

“We are taking a series of characters known to be light-hearted and young adult-oriented and doing a horror comic with them, so the mood, atmosphere, and setting are very important to make this a believable horror and not a comedy horror,” the Eisner awarding-winning artist said in an email.

“Fortunately, I am really good at making things dark and ominous.”