Vampironica Finally Rises From Archie Comics

First announced during Comic-Con 2015, Vampironica finally escapes from development hell and will join the Archie Horror line in March 2018. Co-written by Greg and Megan Smallwood, the book joins Afterlife with Archie, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and Jughead: The Hunger in dark takes on what was once the sunniest of comic book universes. (I’d include Riverdale, too, but that’s spun off of the CW TV series that’s a different dark take with, to the best of my knowledge, no supernatural elements.)

As a title, it feels like a no-brainer. As a book we can get behind, well, like all of the Archie Horror books, yes, except I’d like to see it appear with some regularity. If their real aim is the bookstore market, then Archie should just do it that way. The mainstream titles have been pretty much kept their deadlines; the horror and superhero books are inconsistent. Except they’re frustratingly consistently good.

From Archie Comics:

She’s beautiful. She’s deadly. She’s Vampironica!

Greg and Megan Smallwood are bringing a new terror to the streets of Riverdale as Veronica Lodge is bitten by a centuries-old vampire in a new Archie Horror series launching this March – VAMPIRONICA.

After being turned, will Veronica’s new-found thirst for blood turn Riverdale into a haven for the undead or will she put an end to the vampire threat herself? The team of Greg (co-writer, artist) and Megan Smallwood (co-writer) and letterer Jack Morelli are set to turn Riverdale red in the latest twisted take on the classic Archie Comics characters.

“Fans can rest assured that we’ll be staying faithful to the core of these characters,” said co-writer Greg Smallwood. “It was very important to Megan and I that Vampironica be the same Veronica that we all know and love, only now with fangs.”

“Greg and I were both very interested in exploring the concept of a vampire Veronica without getting rid of what makes Veronica such a special character,” said co-writer Megan Smallwood. “Ironically, Vampironica humanizes Veronica in a way that only horror can. Becoming a vampire is a humbling experience for her and she’s forced to open up and expose a little vulnerability.”

The new series will explore how Veronica adapts to her new place as one of Riverdale’s freshest members of the undead while drawing influence from classic horror films.

“I’d say that our biggest influences are American Werewolf in London and Fright Night. Both films can be quite horrific but there’s also a lot of strong characterization and humor to them,” said Greg. “I think horror works best with a small dose of comedy for levity so we’ve used the same formula on Vampironica.”

“Veronica Lodge is not the kind of girl to join any ranks, let alone vampire ranks. True to form, Veronica instead relies on her own gut-instincts,” said Megan. They haven’t let her down in life and they won’t let her down as she navigates the surreal world of the undead.”

VAMPIRONICA #1 launches in comic shops and on digital platforms March 14, 2018 and features variant covers by Francesco Francavilla, Audrey Mok, Djibril Morrissette-Phan and Marguerite Sauvage.