Posted in: Comics | Tagged: archie, betty, Comics, NYCC, veronica

NYCC Archie: Farewell Betty And Veronica, Hello To Two New Characters To Take Their Place

Timothy Carlson reports on the BC Liveblog:

I almost didn't make it into this panel. I arrived well before the start time, and still the line wrapped around the stanchions like a human centipede – minus the gore and sexual depravity. In fact, the line was cut just as I would have entered the conference room. Luckily I name-dropped Bleeding Cool and they snuck me in the back. I don't mind being a loitering creep when it means I get to attend closed panels.

The panel opened with discussion about Archie: Afterlife to an uproarious reaction from the audience; fans are really excited about this newest addition to the long-running Archie series, and with good reason. The art is high class, and it is a completely new take on the Riverdale universe. After nearly 70 years of existence, it is a smart move, business wise, to stir the pot.

Francesco Francavilla, Eisner winning artist, said that he "is a big fan of horror," which lead to the concept art for Afterlife. And truly the art is extraordinary – it is still recognizably Archie, but twisted enough to appease horror fans as well. The panel also made the enthusiastic promise that the coming issues of Archie: Afterlife are going to explore even darker themes. Zombies may not be the only creatures of the night terrorizing Riverdale.

We were then treated to a preview of the brand new Sabrina animated series – "Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch." The clip showed our plucky, blonde heroine caught in a footrace against a male rival while being pursued by werewolves. The new series airs on the Hun network and premiered this morning. Do not despair fans – an encore presentation of the first episode will be running tonight at 7 PM.

Following in the footsteps of Sabrina, the panel showed clips of "It's Archie," a new cartoon featuring younger versions of Archie and his gang, and "Rescue Riverdale," a video game app for the Ipad that puts players in control of the Archie universe. However, the biggest announcement came from Michael Uslan, who stood before the audience and revealed the title for a new series within Betty and Veronica: "Farewell, Betty and Veronica."

There was literally a collective gasp from the audience, and I haven't experienced a quieter moment at a NYCC panel yet. Uslan continued the big reveals by stating that two new characters will fill the void of Betty and Veronica. Dan Parent later divulged that these two new characters are female. Looks like new things are shaking up the Riverdale community: zombies, major character exits.

And Archie will be coming to a theatre near you, as per a fan question, it was confirmed that an Archie film is currently in the works, to be directed by Jason Moore, who previously worked on the musical hit, "Pitch Perfect."

Who do you think should be cast as Archie and his gang?

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