Archie Comics has been teasing this particular installment for months. The moment has arrived for the legendary comic book character, Archie Andrews, to meet the Grim Reaper in the shocking issue #36 of Life with Archie.
The unthinkable actually happens as Archie dies in a tragic but ultimately heroic death. The red-haired teen may have made it out alive through the first round of the zombie apocalypse in Afterlife with Archie. But there is no chance of escaping Death this time around.
In the storyline, Kevin Keller, the first openly gay character in the comic book universe, is about to meet his husband at a military hospital. When Archie sees a gun being pointed at Kevin, he immediately jumps in and takes the bullet for his friend.
Writer Paul Kupperberg injects a little realism into the plot, reflecting our society's gun epidemic and the rise of hate crimes. In this installment, Pat and Tim Kennedy, Jim Amash, Jack Morelli, and Glenn Whitmore have teamed-up for the interior artwork. As reported here, Archie has a line-up of well-known artists, ranging from Mike Allred to Fiona Staples, contributing various covers.
During MStars' visit at Special Edition: NYC, Francesco Francavilla spoke about his cover: "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."
Archie bites the dust in Life With Archie #36, which hits stores on July 16. Readers, what do you think of Archie's death?
