Halloween shall be right here earlier than we all know it, and Archie Comics is planning to have fun in appropriately spooky style. The writer introduced this week that their Archie Horror line will for the second yr in a row host a “Month of Mayhem,” with new titles and collections set to debut all through the month of October.
Describing the “Month of Mayhem,” Archie Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante teased what’s in retailer for readers:
“We’re so excited to return to our Month of Mayhem event this year, celebrating all things horror and Halloween throughout October. From a psychological thriller in WELCOME TO RIVERDALE and a collection of middle-grade horror tales in TOYBOX OF TERROR, not to mention all the Halloween fun in our classic-style comics and digests, there’s truly something for every Halloween lover from Archie!”
The occasion kicks off in September with a pair of releases. From the press launch:
The initiative launches with CHILLING ADVENTURES – THE ANTHOLOGY COLLECTION, the lengthy awaited commerce paperback compendium of Archie Horror’s latest one-shots and brief tales, on September 12. A pleasant sweet field of fast spooky thrills that may be dipped into again and again, the ebook has one thing for each horror fan throughout sub-genres, artwork types, and tones. Month of Mayhem then continues with the subsequent installment of author Elliot Rahal’s Madam Satan saga as Hell follows the long-lasting Sabrina villain to the mortal airplane in MADAM SATAN: HELL ON EARTH on September 20.
From there, a pair of one-shots will arrive in October, together with Amy Chase & Liana Kangas‘s Welcome to Riverdale and the middle-grade horror anthology Fear the Funhouse: Toybox of Terror. We’ll let the PR, cowl artwork, and creators inform the story:
Leading the pack of new horror hits is WELCOME TO RIVERDALE on October 11, an eerie one-shot exploring the horrific implications of poisonous positivity gone unsuitable in America’s superb small city by author Amy Chase (POP’S CHOCKLIT SHOPPE OF HORRORS) and artist Liana Kangas (Star Wars Adventures).
Chase stated, “Riverdale itself is a character in this book, so we want to be sure readers really feel like they’re being greeted by familiar faces and places. Longtime fans and the newly Archie-curious should all find something to enjoy as we spotlight the absolute best the iconic town has to offer and try to keep its uncanny, dark secrets swept under the rug. I hope people feel a little unsettled, but also charmed by what’s in store here.”
The comedian stars Ginger Snapp, an older character who has lately returned with new kid-friendly tales in Archie’s line of digest magazines. Archie Comics Art Director Vincent Lovallo stated, “WELCOME TO RIVERDALE features the modern style debut of classic Archie Comics character, Ginger Snapp, as she discovers Riverdale isn’t as perfect as it seems. Main cover and story artist Liana Kangas and variant cover artist Marguerite Sauvage both capture that disturbing feeling of unease through vibrant colors and gorgeous, yet chilling, artwork.”
Dealing with themes of misleading appearances and darkish mirror photos, WELCOME TO RIVERDALE captures a sure zeitgeist of the Archie Horror imprint total. “So much of what people think of as Riverdale, and even Archie Comics as a whole, is wrapped up in Americana, a nostalgia for a bygone era peered at through rose-tinted glasses,” Rotante added “This takes people’s preconceived notions of not only the friendliest town on earth but the superficial and oft-misguided view of Archie as a ‘retro’ company and turns it on its ear. There’s so much more beneath the facade, and while this comic unearths a darker side of the truth, our goal as a company is to always invite people to look at what we do beyond your childhood notions of Archie, and appreciate every chance we take with our publishing and our ideas.”
Archie Horror’s first foray into youngsters’s horror was final years FEAR THE FUNHOUSE anthology one-shot, impressed by genuinely scary youngsters’s horror like Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark?. This yr’s Month of Mayhem occasion is rounded out by a return to that darkish universe with FEAR THE FUNHOUSE PRESENTS… TOYBOX OF TERROR on October 18. It boasts three center grade chillers written by Timmy Heague, proprietor of Arsenal Comics and Games, Danielle Paige (Mera: Tidebreaker), and Michael Northrop (Teen Titans Go!) with artwork by Ryan Caskey (The Spooky Tarot), Tango (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and Ryan Jampole (Sonic the Hedgehog).
“Since the release of the M3GAN movie earlier this year, I was inundated with pitches for stories about toys coming to life, and it became clear what the theme for this year’s Funhouse would be,” Rotante stated. “Pulling from both M3GAN as well as iconic series like Child’s Play with a dash of Small Soldiers thrown in for good measure, the writers for TOYBOX OF TERROR all delivered big time on their stories, with each one being a unique take on the theme, all with a special Archie flair.”
“TOYBOX OF TERROR prompts readers to play nice, or else!” Lovallo stated. “Ryan Caskey, who made his Archie debut on last year’s anthology, returns as cover artist and lead story artist for this new collection of terrifying tales. And also returning on variant cover art is the exceptional Sweeney Boo! Both Ryan and Sweeney know just how to scare our pants off with their mastery of illustrating unsettling expressions and dynamic compositions!”
That body story, “Love Evernever” written by Heague, units in movement a terrifying sequence of occasions that results in an evil toy invasion of Riverdale. As Heague explains, the chaos is instigated by Evelyn Evernever, a character from traditional “Little Archie” comics making her Archie Horror debut right here: “In the days before the Chock’lit Shoppe, when the Riverdale gang was hanging out on the playground, little Evelyn Evernever’s heart was crushed. Now, with the help of a mysterious villain called the Toymaker, she is unleashing a Toybox of Terror to get her revenge and bring back what was lost to her many years ago. The Riverdale Gang beware! Evelyn Evernever and her demonic dolls are coming for you!”
The theme of human creations taking over a life of their very own was prime of thoughts for all three writers. Paige added, “With the advent of AI and riffing on the enormously popular M3GAN, I had the immense pleasure of giving a lonely Midge Klump her own CH3RYL doll. Come on Dollies, let’s go party! Midge ultimately has to choose between her new doll BFF and her real friends, and when CH3RYL feels like she’s maybe losing Midge, how far will she go to hold onto her?”
Northrup captured the spirit of the season—and the Month of Mayhem!—saying, “Archie is perfect for this kind of horror. That safe, familiar suburban setting is like a perfectly raked leaf pile. It’s nice and cozy but also just begging to be wrecked—and probably wrecked by a kid!”
Look, in the event you’re not excited for a Riverdale-ified model of M3GAN I don’t know what to inform you.
Look for all of these titles to reach in shops from Archie Comics in September and October.
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