Everything's Still Archie!

Not only is the second Life With Archie: The Married Life graphic novel (collecting issues #7-12 of Life With Archie magazine) out this week, but the monthly Life With Archie magazine keeps making news...and just a bit of controversy!

The celebrated Life With Archie #16, featuring the well-publicized wedding of Kevin Keller and Clay Walker, has sold out (word is, copies are going for big bucks on eBay and Amazon), and has got a Million Moms mad at me and retail outlets like Toys 'R' Us which carried the issue. Seems those Million Moms have some kind of problem with love, commitment, and marriage, but I wish them well and thank them for the publicity.

And, last but not least, news broke this week of an upcoming story line, focusing on Cheryl Blossom and her battle with breast cancer.

I've said it before and it's still true: I'm having the best time of my comics writing career on Life With Archie. Not only do I get to tell real stories about real people, but I've also being given the opportunity to put a spotlight on issues that don't normally get much attention in the four-color funny book fantasy world. As much as some accuse us of sensationalism, my top priority is to tell a good story and, a million moms--who number far less than that, alliteration aside--here or there who make claims to the contrary, that's just what we're doing.

Archie The Married Life: Volume 1

It's here at last...Archie The Married Life: Volume 1, collecting the first six issues of the Life With Archie: The Married Life Magazine. That's six stories (the first issues of Archie Loves Veronica and Archie Loves Betty were written by Michael Uslan; the rest is all me) of what's been called "the most critically acclaimed storyline in Archie Comics history," 320 big pages of art by Norm Breyfogle, Joe Rubinstein, and Andrew Pepoy, a few introductory pieces by Michael and myself, all for $19.99!

Also hitting comic shops is Betty & Veronica #255, which features a short story I wrote, "Beach Blanket Bash-Up," with art by Jeff Shultz and Jim Amash. Betty versus Veronica in a secret beach Olympics with Archie as the prize! 

Behind the Scenes: Veronica and Jughead, the Real Story!

It's all revealed in the hard-hitting "B.F.F....Not!" in Jughead Double Digest #173, in comic shops tomorrow. I wrote it, my old friend and Vigilante colleague Tod Smith penciled it, another old friend and colleague (he inked one of the first half dozen stories I wrote for DC Comics many, many moons ago), Al Milgrom inked it.

All you've got to do is read it.

Please.

I'm M.A.D.D. As Heck, Darn It!

I do my public service in Archie Double Digest #217, featuring the story "The MADD Cowboy of Riverdale High!" I wrote it, the talented Jeff Schultz drew it, and it guest-stars Dallas Cowboy star, tight end Jason Witten making his pitch for the new Mothers Against Drunk Driving initiative, "PowerTalk 21 Day," which encourages open talk between parents and kids about teen drinking.

Newsarama.com has a nice piece on it.

It's a TWO Archie Week!

Check 'em out...Archie's Pals 'N Gals Double Digest #146, which cover features my 10-pager, "All the Doggone Day!" with art by the legendary Stan Goldberg!

And Archie's wedding woes continue in Life With Archie: The Married Life #4: two full 24-page comic book stories (with gorgeous art by Norm Breyfogle and inkers Jos Rubinstein and Andrew Pepoy!!) in one magazine for a mere $3.99! Best bargain in comics!

Leave a comment! Lemme know what you think!

Striking Gold(berg)

When I started writing for Archie Comics about a year ago, the first script I turned in was a 10-page story entitled "All the Doggone Day!"

When I saw veteran Archie artist supreme Stan Goldberg at the NY Comicon earlier this month, I told him that my Archie-writing experience wouldn't really be complete until he drew one of my scripts. He said he believed he had already done just that, though it was months ago and he didn't remember the title.

Needless to say, the story Stan had drawn was "All the Doggone Day!" and what a beautiful job he did! See...

Hilarity, you can be sure, ensues! And it's going to be published next week, in Archie's Pals 'N Gals Double Digest #146!

C'mon! You know you wanna...!

Everything's Still Archie!

Okay, maybe not everything, but a lot of my writing time each month goes into scripting two new ongoing series for Archie Comics, a total of 48 pages a month that will appear in Life With Archie: The Married Life, a 64-page magazine format comic (more on that here); Married Life creator Michael Uslan writes the first issue; I pick up as regular scripter with #2!

Well, the art, by the wonderful Norm Breyfogle, has started coming in and I thought I'd share a few pages (click on images to see them at a larger size) with you, all copyright 2010, of course, by Archie Publications:

Life With Archie: The Married Life #1 is on sale in comic shops July 28, 2010 (August 10 on newsstands). My "first" issue, #2, appears in late August.

Cat-Girl and the Black Queen, Part The Last

The end of this unpublished 1980s Archie Comics superhero story (Part I, Part II, and Part III here) I scripted, with art by the amazing Pat Boyette. As always, click on the images to view the images at a readable size...

CAT-GIRL AND THE BLACK QUEEN, Part 3

© Archie Comics

Cat-Girl and the Black Queen, Part III

More of this unpublished 1980s Archie Comics superhero story (Part I and Part II here) I scripted, with art by the incomparable Pat Boyette. As always, click on the images to see them at a readable size...

CAT-GIRL AND THE BLACK QUEEN, Part 3

© Archie Comics

Cat-Girl and the Black Queen, Part II

I ran the first five pages of this unpublished 1980s Archie Comics superhero story here. And now (click on the images to see them in a readable size), the next exciting episode of...

CAT-GIRL AND THE BLACK QUEEN, Part 2

© Archie Comics

Cat-Girl and the Black Queen

Nowadays I'm not sure who comics are for, but they used to be for kids. A long time ago, during one of their periodic attempts to do superhero comics--late 70s, early 80s--I did a job for Archie Comics, re-writing a script for a character called Cat-Girl. I don't recall who wrote the script originally nor have a clue where Cat-Woman came from (she might've been dredged up from a 1940s Sheena-imitator character), but the story was drawn by the late, great Pat Boyette. Boyette was an actor, screenwriter and TV news anchorman who began drawing comics in the 1960s, doing the bulk of his work for Charlton Comics, the "Little Comics Company That Could." His style was very quirky but I always loved it. Too bad Archie cancelled their superhero line before this story could see print. It's 22-pages long, so I'll post a chunk at a time, every week. As always, click on an image to view it at a readable size:

CAT-GIRL AND THE BLACK QUEEN, Part 1

© Archie Comics