It’s a similar set-up to that used in the new Stargirl television series: A great superhero of the past has headlined success after success. It all begins as the greatest pulp hero of them all, Adventureman, faces his death at the hands of his nemesis, Baron Bizarre, in a soul-shattering cliffhanger. Or not. Flash forward 80 years later to a mother and her son–the only two people that recall the Adventureman sagas. It all begins here, in the first, triple-sized issue of Adventureman, with some great visuals that conjure the early artistic stylings of Adam Hughes.
It’s not an overstatement to say Francesco Francavilla is the artist who brought Archie Comics back to life. At the very least he has turned a new generation of readers onto one of comicdom’s longest lasting titles. Along with Jon Goldwater and Alex Segura behind the scenes and writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and later artist Robert Hack in the pages of the monthly books, it was Francavilla’s haunting, brand new look at Riverdale and its teen characters that kick-started reader interest in new titles and take another look at the classic stories, the ones with the traditional Dan DeCarlo look that 70 years of readers were familiar with. Francavilla, the Eisner Award-winning cover artist, is the focus of a new hardcover book Archie Comics is premiering this Wednesday. Featuring all of his Archie Comics standard covers and variants, plus selected interior artwork and cover artwork for books outside the Archie universe, The Archie Art of Francesco Francavilla is a must for collectors of his books and neo-pulp styled art prints.
In part because of his use of fantastic colors for his imagery, his designs seem to pop on every page. You’ll find his several covers for Afterlife with Archie, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Vampironica, Jughead the Hunger, Archie Meets Batman, Archie vs Sharknado, Archie vs Predator, Chilling Adventures in Sorcery, Riverdale, Life with Archie, Archie, Jughead, Betty & Veronica, and Josie and the Pussycats. Other pages highlight Francavilla’s style on the covers of New Crusaders, The Black Hood, and The Hangman. The Archie Art of Francesco Francavilla also includes some cover and page roughs–preliminary sketches used for approval and story breaking, all shown along with the final versions. You’ll also find exclusive cover art from convention-only covers and other variants.
Woule we have a Riverdale television series if not for Francavilla’s darker look at Archie? Probably not. Here is a first look at some advance preview pages of The Archie Art of Francesco Francavilla for borg readers courtesy of Archie Comics:
If you’re wondering who is the best current comic book interior artist, you only need to turn to the current issue of Archie Comics/Dark Horse Comics′ mash-up series, Archie vs. Predator II: Revenge Comes to Riverdale. Consistently Robert Hack is one of the industry’s best producing artists, and with this series he immerses readers into new territory where sci-fi meets small town America. And he’s a double threat–take a look at his incredible covers for Issues #1-3 above and below with co-creator Kelly Fitzpatrick (along with a nice variant cover from Francesco Francavilla).
Dark Horse Comics and Archie Comics have partnered again, bringing back writer Alex de Campi, who crafted the initial bestselling 2015 story (for both publishers) with artist Fernando Ruiz. Our preview below takes you right into the story where de Campi last left us. Something’s not quite right with Archie Andrews, and Betty and Veronica are attempting to track down a “Diagon Alley” of sorts called Memory Lane to get everyone back to where they are supposed to be. Funny and clever, it’s peppered with pop culture references, and some of Betty and Veronica’s best frenemy banter. Predator dogs! The Mars Curiosity rover!
Artists Rick Burchett, Derek Charm, Francesco Francavilla, Dan Parent, and Billy Tucci are providing some great cover variants for the series, too.
You won’t want to miss it. Here is a preview of the first issue of Archie vs. Predator II, plus a look at the variant covers, courtesy of Archie Comics:
An attractive new comic book based in the 1920s is nearly halfway to its funding goals with 16 days to go in its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Portland writer Sunshine Barbito and São Paulo, Brazil-based artist Debora Carita have teamed together to recreate New York of a century ago and the Mafia’s rise to power in the pages of Mafiosa, an original comic book story. Launching via Kickstarter if fully funded by July 18, 2019, Mafiosa will debut as a 28-page issue, featuring variant covers by Kirbi Fagan(Mockingbird, Shuri) and Eisner Award winning artist Francesco Francavilla(Detective Comics, Afterlife with Archie).
Mafiosa is the story of a woman on her way to becoming not just a moll but a crime boss in her own right. Following the rise of Nicoletta Marchesi, the youngest of five children in a family of first generation Sicilian Americans who have established a crime syndicate in Brooklyn in the early 1900s, writer Barbito takes on gender roles with the background of mob life. When Nicoletta confronts her father and announces her desire to join the family business alongside her brothers, a family conflict is formed, and Nicoletta is sucked into the savagery of a life of crime.
Carita’s interior artwork has a nicely crafted noir vibe. The Kickstarter book will be a self-contained story, with Mariacristina Federico as colorist and lettering by Clem Robins. Take a look at these previews of some of the concept sketch art for the Kickstarter campaign and some gorgeous, completed pages for Mafiosa:
Archie with a crossbow. Betty with an axe. Jughead with a wooden spike.
No it’s not some strange version of Clue. It’s all part of Vampironica, the Archie Comics series, now available as a trade paperback from the Archie Horror imprint. Collecting Issue #1-5 of the series, Vampironica, Book One introduces the Veronica Lodge you always knew, until she is bitten by a centuries-old vampire. So then what’s a teenage girl to do? Turn Riverdale upside down in a search for blood, of course.
Siblings Greg Smallwood(Moon Knight) and Meg Smallwood partnered to co-write the story, adding a new realm to the imprint’s great re-imaginings of the 77-year-old Riverdale characters along with Afterlife With Archie, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,Chilling Adventures in Sorcery, Blossoms 666, and Jughead: The Hunger. Interior artwork and covers were created by well-known cover artist Greg Smallwood, and he worked on interior art along with Greg Scott, with colors by Matt Herms, and lettering by Jack Morelli.
The series has a great, lighthearted, pop culture vibe, like Scooby Doo and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and it’s not too much of a stretch to swap the leads in Buffy for the leads in this series, for anyone missing their Buffy fix). The book includes a section with a few of the variant covers for the series, by Francesco Francavilla, Audrey Mok, Djibril Morisette-Phan, Marguerite Sauvage, Robert Hack, Fiona Staples, Matthew Taylor, and a bonus, Issue #4 of Jughead: The Hunger.
Later this month Jughead: The Hunger faces off against Veronica in the next iteration of the two series, Jughead: The Hunger vs. Vampironica,Issue #1.
The Jughead/Veronica crossover will feature a story by Frank Tieri, interior artwork by Pat and Tim Kennedy, Joe Eisma, Bob Smith, and Ryan Jampole, colors by Matt Herms, and lettering by Jack Morelli, and covers by Pat and Tim Kennedy, Bob Smith, and Matt Herms, Francesco Francavilla, Robert Hack, John McCrea, and Dan Panosian.
Here is a preview of the new trade edition of Vampironica, Book 1, Issue #1 of Jughead: The Hunger vs. Vampironica, and some future covers from the series, courtesy of Archie Horror:
We’re seen several comic book series from Dynamite Entertainment featuring Steve Austin, The Bionic Man, as tie-ins from the 1970s TV series The Six Million Dollar Man, including 2013’s The Bionic Man vs The Bionic Woman, 2014’s The Bionic Man, The Six Million Dollar Man Season Six, and The Bionic Woman Season Four, a very early version of the character in Legenderry in 2015, and most recently The Six Million Dollar Man: Fall of Man from 2017. Today the next Steve Austin series begins in the pages of The Six Million Dollar Man, Vol. 2 as Issue #1 arrives in comic book shops. We have a preview of the covers for the first three issues, plus a preview of Issue #1 for borg readers below.
This version is more light-hearted than prior comic series for the character, with a lead that is more like the kind of off-kilter, daft take you could envision Mark Wahlberg taking on in the long-rumored Six Billion Dollar Man movie. It’s another 1970s era tale, and readers meet Japanese secret agent Niko Abe, who takes on the James Bond position in the story, assisted on a mission by Steve Austin, ANSA agent from America, taking on the Felix Leiter position. And, being the first real cyborg, he needs to explain to her what bionics and cyborgs are.
The series is written by Christopher Hastings(The Unbelievable Gwenpool! Secret Agent Deadpool! Adventure Time! I Am Groot!) with artwork by David Hahn (Batman ’66! Bombshells: United!), colors by Roshan Kurichiyanil, and letters by Ariana Maher. Keep an eye out for variant covers by Michael Walsh, Yasmine Putri, Denis Medri, and Francesco Francavilla.
Here is a preview of Issue #1 of The Six Million Dollar Man, Vol. 2 and even more covers from the first three issue, courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment:
Much like Hergé and his Tintin and Christin and Mézières’ Valerian and Laureline, another story read by millions of Europeans in the 20th century but overlooked by the masses in America is finally making its way overseas. This time its the villain Fantômas who is coming to America, the star of a series of some 43 novels and 15 films, a popular crime novel readers in Europe have flocked to read about beginning in 1911 with Marcel Allain and Pierre Souverstre‘s team-written novel Fantômas, followed by a succession of comics and other adaptations. Writer Olivier Bocquet and artist Julie Rocheleau pulled ideas from the original novel series for their award-winning 2013 work, The Wrath of Fantômas, which is being released in an English translation for the first time tomorrow.
First previewed by Titan Comics at the Diamond Retailer Lunch at San Diego Comic-Con last year, The Wrath of Fantômas is steeped in literary history. The masked, black-gloved Fantômas has been said to have inspired the 1930s comic strip character The Phantom (1936), who in turn inspired Batman (1939), but Fantômas isn’t the first superhero character. That designation traditionally goes to the title hero of Baroness Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel, created a few years earlier in 1905, who inspired, in turn, Zorro in 1919. But it won’t take long for readers to pick up the same disdain for corrupted governments and leaders throughout the 19th and 20th centuries from the vantages of Fantômas, Sir Percy Blakeney, and others, that continued to spread across the world, reflected well into the 20th century with anti-heroes like the Guy Fawkes-masked V in Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta.
Fantômas is pursued by the fiercely zealous and savvy Inspector Juve, a character that critic and author Kim Newman has cited as the inspiration for Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther series. Juve is as determined as Javert, and Victor Hugo’s chief antagonist from 1862’s Les Misérables was no doubt an inspiration for Juve–he’s Javert seen as noble and loyal, but also just, heroic, and good. His nemesis Fantômas is merciless toward his targets and in his methods, killing for vengeance, and seemingly for no reason, and no woman or child or man is out-of-bounds for his fury.
Remember Kresge’s? Western Auto? If not, some time travel may be in order. Or, beginning next month watch Archie Comics take Archie back to the year his character was created in a new five-issue limited series, Archie 1941. For 77 years Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica have been entertaining the world from their hometown of Riverdale, but never before have we seen the characters take on real-world events as they unfold like this. World War II is looming. What will that mean for Archie and his friends?
Archie 1941 is from a story by the writing team of Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn, with interior artwork provided by Peter Krause, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Jack Morelli. Five covers will be available, created by Peter Krause, Sanya Anwar, Francesco Francavilla, Dave Johnson, and Aaron Lopresti.
Archie Comics created a video trailer for Archie 1941 and they sent us a preview of the first issue. Check it out:
If you’ve been looking for your next retro fix, this may be it. Archie Comics and DC Comics is bringing nostalgia into a new crossover arriving in comic book stores today with Archie Meets Batman ’66. Two characters first seen in 1939–and never before have they appeared together! A battle in Gotham City extends its reach into Riverdale—with Mr. Lodge becoming Public Enemy #1 of the dynamic duo. And it’s up to Veronica to recruit some help and place a call… to the Batcave. Written by Jeff Parker and Michael Moreci with art by Dan Parent, J. Bone, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Jack Morelli.
This new story is in the style of the opening title credits of the pop culture favorite 1960s live-action Batman series and the animated series Superfriends. And it’s an even bigger series than you might think, with its first issue full of not only the Archie gang and Batman and Robin. You’re going to find several of your favorite characters from the 1966 TV series make appearances. The artists have all emulated that over-the-top BAM! POW! variety of comic book goodness. Yes, we’re talking the return of the Batusi. Check out a preview to Issue #1 below courtesy of Archie Comics. Keep an eye out for a host of covers for this issue from Michael and Laura Allred, Derek Charm, Francesco Francavilla, Sandy Jarrell and Kelly Fitzpatrick, Dan Parent, J. Bone, and Rosario “Tito” Peña, and Ty Templeton.
Archie Comics plans to have a big presence at San Diego Comic-Con this week, focused on the hit CW television series Riverdale. Fourteen cast members from the series will be pictured on hotel keycards across town. With more than 40,000 keys created for the week, visitors will find these unique collectibles at nearly 40 San Diego hotels. Check your keycards for Archie Andrews (K.J. Apa), Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), Alice Cooper (Mädchen Amick), Fred Andrews (Luke Perry), Hermione Lodge (Marisol Nichols), Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos), Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch), Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), Kevin Keller (Casey Cott), F.P. Jones (Skeet Ulrich), Reggie Mantle (Charles Melton), and Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan).
As promised, here’s your preview of Archie Meets Batman ’66, Issue #1:
If you are a fan of Italian comic book artist Francesco Francavilla, you probably make sure you’ve kept up with his work on series like DC’s Detective Comics, his creator-owned noir series The Black Beetle, Dynamite’s Zorro, Marvel’s Black Panther, Archie Horror’s Afterlife With Archie and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and loads of other series and comic book covers. In July you’ll even be able to purchase his variant edition of the forthcoming comic Archie Meets Batman ’66. Francavilla burst onto the comics scene a decade ago, and quickly his trademark style–a mix of classic pulp, noir, and retro color combinations and designs–helped earn him the Eisner Award in 2012. But if you’re a completist, get ready to for a brief course change this week.
Here’s something to think about: Not all comic book artists stick exclusively to the comic book medium. Today Francavilla’s artwork is taking on the non-fiction route, as the artist is the featured creator of visuals in today’s issue of The New York Time Magazine. It’s a clever pairing as the magazine’s annual money issue is taking on the mystique of the classic Crime Does Not Pay comic book series of comicdom’s Golden Era, instead of featuring images of the criminals themselves in its pages. Titled “Crime Pays,” today’s issue has plenty of Francavilla’s unique imagery for his fans to soak up. And–what a concept–get caught up on the news at the same time. Here is the new cover image compared to a classic 1940s cover design:
For Francavilla’s comic book fans, he says there’s nothing to worry about. Via Twitter Saturday he responded to one fan, “I’m not leaving comics at all – working on the new @TheBlackBeetle mini right now as matter of fact 🙂 #IheartComics”.
