Archie dropped a bombshell today. The new creative team on Archie will be Mark Waid and Fiona Staples. Yes, the Daredevil writer and the Saga artist. That Mark Waid and that Fiona Staples.
No, we didn’t see that coming either.
In an interview with the New York Times, the creative switch is described as being intended to update Archie and the gang and keep them relevant. Waid specifically mentions restoring the “contemporary attitudes of teenagers.”
It would be remiss not to mention this revitalization happens while Greg Berlanti has the Archie “Riverdale” TV series in development for Fox, although it isn’t clear how much the Waid/Staples version will be influenced by that or vice versa.
After Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was signed up as Archie’s Chief Creative Officer, it was expected there would be a few more changes, so this might not be the only announcement dropping in the near future. The Times does have the book formally relaunching as a new #1. It wasn’t specified if the other titles in the line will switch over to the Waid/Staples depictions or exactly when this new #1 is dropping, but expect that all to come out soon.
UPDATE: For all the Saga fans who just fainted, it’s only for three issues:
https://twitter.com/fionastaples/status/544315805769269248
Important to note that Staples is only on the first three issues and Saga will not be affected.
Hmm, looks like I will be reading Archie soon :)
Right, because nothing says contemporary attitudes of teenagers like a 52 yr old dude.
I wish them luck. I know sales on the line have been going down for the standard/classic material, so this move makes sense. Just as it did when the tried it before several years ago.
Years ago on a Chicago radio show they interviewed the guy who controlled Archie comics. They took phone calls and I suggested giving top writers and artists like Frank Miller full control of their Archie stories. He was polite but against that.
I like the new Archie horror stories and think this could work. But the more real world they make Archie, the more hotter Veronica has to be.
“Right, because nothing says contemporary attitudes of teenagers like a 52 yr old dude.”
Well, John Hughes was 34 when “Sixteen Candles” screened.
Stan Lee was 40 when Spider-Man debuted.
Aside from language, dress, and causes, teens don’t change much from decade to decade.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Breakfast_Club#Closing_voice-over
Hey Mark Waid is pretty good! I’d wait to see how it goes before we start lambasting him. His Daredevil stuff is so much fun — there’s a great mix of hope, joy, fun, and some dark moments — sounds like teenage years to me! I think it’s cool they’re doing so much with Archie — the Afterlife with Archie was a ton of fun.
I enjoy 99% of these two comics greats work, but can even these legends cure the cornball disease that rots the core of this long past dead concept? Archie, beyond scathing satire (like the recent Zombie Archie storyline) is pure drek (in my opinion).
Abba died with disco and justifiably so… if you get my drift.
I think ‘cornball’ can be fun for the audience it’s designed to entertain.
Love Waid, but i worry that whoever follows Staples will be nowhere near as good.
Possibly the best news ever. Love Waid, love Staples, love Archie.
Well, some writers are out of touch with younger people. Remember Marv Wolfman’s Nova? Marv had teenagers hanging out at a malt shop. In 1976. Maybe he was getting his ideas about ’70s teens from watching “Happy Days.”
OTOH, if Wolfman had tried to be trendy, and had the kids hanging out at discos, the book would be even more dated today. Best way to enjoy Nova is to pretend it’s set in 1962.
I think this is really quite interesting but a lot of the naysayers have to remember that like MAD Magazine, Archie does have a rollover audience. Average readership is between 9-12 years old. Most will move on to something else after they’ve read Archie. Because you, at the age of whatever you are, are not interested really doesnt matter.
Another thing that affects sales for Archie is the misunderstanding by retailers of who the readers actually are. Many see Archie as nostalgia so they have no idea of where to place the books.
Kids read Archie and as long as the creative teams remember this and avoid the major error of making the stories ‘edgy’ Archie will continue to sell millions of copies around the world, every month of the year.
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