He’s met the Punisher. He’s met the Predator. Betty and Veronica met Harley and Ivy. It’s now time for Archie, that bastion of American valor and innocence, to meet his superhero match. The Caped Crusader will journey from the wilds of Gotham City to the bucolic splendor of Riverdale — with regular [amazon text=Batman ’66&asin=1401283284] writers Jeff Parker and Michael Moreci writing the chronicle. Regular Archie Comics artist Dan Parent, who also does the devilishly delightful [amazon text=Die, Kitty, Die&asin=1988247144], teams with the charismatic cartoonist J. Bone to delineate the adventure! And you can tell this is a must-have in my pullbox — and it starts right before Comic-Con!
From Archie Comics:
Batman and Robin are swinging their way to Riverdale and things are going to get really wild, really fast! Archie Comics and DC Entertainment are proud to present the crossover adventure 50 years in the making: ARCHIE MEETS BATMAN 66! The groovy six-issue mini-series from writers Jeff Parker and Michael Moreci, penciler Dan Parent, inker J. Bone, colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick, and letterer Jack Morelli will see Gotham’s caped crusaders (as seen in the classic 1960s TV series) on a mission to Riverdale that upends the lives of Archie and the gang in a madcap adventure for the ages.
“Following the success of a monster hit like [amazon text=HARLEY %26 IVY MEET BETTY %26 VERONICA&asin=1401280331] is tough, but not impossible, and we’re going to prove that with ARCHIE MEETS BATMAN ’66, which meshes two of the most iconic characters in the world,” said Archie Comics CEO/Publisher Jon Goldwater. “Like Batman, Archie is one of the most famous, global characters in comics, and we’ll see the best of both heroes in the pages of this mini-series, including tons of cameos and plenty of action.”
“We considered many different combinations for this next pairing between DC Universe and Archie characters, and Batman ’66 and Archie Andrews really stood out as the perfect choice,” said Hank Kanalz, DC SVP of Editorial Strategy and Administration. “What DC and Archie started with HARLEY & IVY MEET BETTY & VERONICA last year continues with this off-the-wall pairing of Archie and The Caped Crusader; we believe fans of the classic TV shows and their modern interpretations will be excited about this new series.”
“Look, we all want to know what Jughead and The Joker make of each other and we want to see the romance dynamics of Riverdale High thrown completely out of gear by bringing in Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon,” said co-writer Jeff Parker. “It’s very cool to work with a heavy hitting team of top talent. Michael and I synched up immediately with plotting, and Dan and J. Bone are the exact right cartoonists to make a mash-up like this really work.”
“It’s rare that you get a call to work with character/property that you love, but to do TWO at the same time? That’s more than I can ask for,” added co-writer Michael Moreci. “And to work with such an amazing team — this is one of those rare dream projects, and I can’t wait to bring all this love to the series.”
For artist Dan Parent, this team-up is a childhood dream come true as well. “I’ve been lucky enough to have a career drawing characters I love from my childhood. But the first show I ever got excited about (and my mom can verify this) was the original Batman series!” “So, the chance to combine these two big influences in my life into one project is a total thrill. And to work on it with Jeff and Michael, as well as my friend and colleague J. Bone, makes it even that much sweeter!”
The action and intrigue of ARCHIE MEETS BATMAN ’66 begins when a team of Gotham’s most notorious villains decide they need a new base of operations, one with a resident millionaire and fewer superheroes to stop them. Their plan doesn’t go unnoticed for long, and soon enough, Riverdale High has a couple new transfer students: Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon!
ARCHIE MEETS BATMAN ’66 #1 goes on sale July 18, 2018 with a main cover by Mike Allred and variant covers by Derek Charm, Francesco Francavilla, Sandy Jarrell (with Kelly Fitzpatrick colors), Dan Parent (with J. Bone inks, Tito Pena colors), and Ty Templeton.
In addition to running Fanboy Planet, Derek has contributed stories to Arcana Comics (The Greatest American Hero) and Monsterverse Comics (Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave). He has performed with ComedySportz, City Lights Theater Company and Silicon Valley Shakespeare, though relocated to Hollywood to... work in an office? If you ever played Eric's Ultimate Solitaire on the Macintosh, it was Derek's voice as The Weasel that urged you to play longer. You can buy his book "I Was Flesh Gordon" on the Amazon link at the right. Email him at [email protected].
