This was unexpected! How many of you even knew that Archie was still running? Well, he's not for much longer- the comic book icon is going to die this July, in Life With Archie #36. Really!
Of course, death doesn't necessarily have to be the end for a comic book character. Pretty much every major Marvel and DC character has survived their own death, even Superman, so it's nothing new at this point. But the creators are promising that there will be no return for ol' Archie.
"Well, this is the end. This is how Archie dies in the pages of Life With Archie," said Jon Goldwater, son of Archie creator John Goldwater, in an interview with CNN. "We will not be retconning, reversing or backtracking on this story in terms of Life With Archie"
That's a pretty definitive response. Life With Archie is a bit of a strange series though- unlike past Archie books that followed his teenage antics, Life With Archie shows what would happen to him after high school and college, so is this the last we've seen of him? Not quite.
"The main Archie line, however, telling stories of Archie in high school, will continue," says Goldwater. "Afterlife With Archie [the Archie zombie series] will continue, and we will keep on taking risks with different and new interpretations of our characters. But as far as we see it, this is how Archie dies. That's how we approached this story and how we're treating it."
Now that you know there's also an Archie zombie series I'm sure your mind has been blown twice. Besides zombies, Archie's death is certainly the most serious thing that's happened to the comic. He first appeared in Pep Comics #22 in December, 1941, and has outlived his own creator, so don't shed any tears for the teen. It's pretty remarkable that he's going to outlive his fumbling friend Jughead, though.
"Archie dies as he lived - heroically. He dies saving the life of a friend, and does it in his usual selfless way," said Goldwater. "Archie has always been a representation of us - the best of us. Our strengths and our faults,"
He's laying it on pretty thick there but it's true that there haven't been many other pop culture characters as enduring as him. Rest in peace, Archie, and please don't rise as a zombie.
