This is one of those stories that I checked the date on, and no, it’s not an April Fool’s joke. Veronica and Betty’s redheaded boy toy Archie Andrews will die from a gunshot wound in July’s LIFE WITH ARCHIE #36,. The guy whose band topped the charts with Sugar Sugar will meet his Maker via gunfire, ending the “flash forward” series and proving that no, there isn’t life after High School. At least not for Archie, who buys the farm saving a pal from a bad guy. No word on whether or not Mayors Against Illegal Guns will include Mr. Andrews in their roll call of victims of “gun violence.” Archie Comics Publisher/Co-CEO Jon Goldwater’s statement after the jump . . .
We’ve been building up to this moment since we launched LIFE WITH ARCHIE five years ago, and knew that any book that was telling the story of Archie’s life as an adult had to also show his final moment.
Archie has and always will represent the best in all of us—he’s a hero, good-hearted, humble and inherently honorable. This story is going to inspire a wide range of reactions because we all feel so close to Archie.
Fans will laugh, cry, jump off the edge of their seats and hopefully understand why this comic will go down as one of the most important moments in Archie’s entire history. It’s the biggest story we’ve ever done, and we’re supremely proud of it.
