Special Edition: NYC: Archie Comics Speaks About Archie Andrews’ Controversial Death In “Life With Archie!’

The beloved Archie Andrews will meet his untimely end in Life with Archie. Teenage Archie will be safe and sound, but his future version won't be. At the Special Edition: NYC convention, Archie Comics' SVP of Publicity & Marketing Alex Segura, Co-CEO Jon Goldwater, President Mike Pellerito, and Afterlife With Archie artist Francesco Francavilla spoke about the range of emotion, from excitement to rage, that went on after the official announcement was made.

In issue #36, Archie must make a fateful decision in order to save his best friend. In the follow-up #37, life continues on without Archie. What will Riverdale be like a year later without him? What has happened to Betty and Veronica? What's happened to the whole town after such a tragedy? After the doom and gloom of Archie's death, the finale will be an upbeat, feel good story.

All-star cast of artists, including Francavilla, participated in drawing a collection of variant covers. Francavilla spoke about how his emotional cover came about, "When [Pellerito] told me about the graveyard, with Jughead holding the umbrella, the first idea was to have a down shot. I adjusted it to see this circle. Then I said, 'We're not really seeing the trees and background. They could be total strangers.' In that shot, you cannot recognize their facial features. You recognize it's them but you focus more on the tombstone."

During the Q&A session, a fan from the crowd asked if Archie's death was ill-timed because of the recent shootings in America. Goldwater thoughtfully responded, "Unfortunately, there's been gun violence for decades, and decades, and decades, we all want it to go away. Hopefully it will go away sooner rather than later." The Co-CEO continues, "That's why I encourage you guys to read the story. Because the way we handle it is so respectful towards the sentiment we're experiencing here. I think you will be pleased and proud at how we handle a violent situation."

Life with Archie #36 hits stores on July 16. Readers should not miss out on what will be the most-talked about issue of the year.