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Archie Comics and Oni Press Begin New Era in 2026 with a Publishing Partnership

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Oni Press and Archie Comic Publications, Inc. have revealed an ambitious and wide-ranging publishing partnership that will mark a milestone new beginning for Archie, Betty and Veronica, Jughead, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats, and the rest of Riverdale’s most iconic characters across a distinctly original and stylistically reimagined slate of monthly comic series, original graphic novels, and prestige collections honoring the full breadth and influence of Archie Comics’ nearly nine-decade history. 

The joy of being young. The pain of growing up. In 2026, the fantastical, pure-pop existence of “America’s Favorite Teenager” will be thrown into overdrive as Archie Andrews reaches a once-in-a-lifetime crossroads between then and now, daydream and reality, the heat of the moment and the vast expanse of eternity, across three daring new monthly series from some of the most brilliantly innovative creators working in the comics industry today: multiple Eisner Award nominee W. Maxwell Prince, Hugo Award nominee Corinna Bechko, and Harvey Award winner Patrick Horvath, working alongside riveting artists, including multiple Eisner Award winner Fábio Moon, Nick Cagnetti, Eisner Award nominee Kano, and Russ Manning Award winner Tyler Crook.

Timed to coincide with the 85th anniversary of Archie’s’ first appearance in Pep Comics #22 in 1941, the new partnership will officially begin in Fall 2026 with a new slate of ongoing, monthly comics series:

ARCHIE #1
Written by W. Maxwell Prince 
Art by Fábio Moon and Nick Cagnetti 
September 2026

SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH #1 
Written by Corinna Bechko 
Art by Kano 
October 2026

ARCHIE IN HELL #1 
Written by Patrick Horvath
Art by Tyler Crook
November 2026

The new Archie line will be editorially overseen by Oni Press Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn with additional contributions from Senior Editor Bess Pallares and Editor Megan Brown with guidance from Archie Comics‘ own Senior Director of Editorial Jamie Rotante and Editor & Art Director Vincent Lovallo. Full creative details on each series are being kept under tight wraps, but readers and retailers can expect to hear more as Oni Press and Archie begin a unified marketing and communications campaign for their new slate that will include key appearances at the annual ComicsPRO Industry Conference in Glendale, CA and San Diego Comic-Con 2026 in the months ahead. 

Following the debut of the all-new Archie #1 in September 2026, the unprecedented publishing partnership between Oni Press and Archie Comics will continue as Oni releases a wave of brand-new collections spanning all eras of Archie’s history in variety of formats – including compact digest editions, deluxe hardcovers and omnibi, and comprehensive box sets – that will spotlight contributions from the characters’ original creators John L. Goldwater, Bob Montana, and Vic Bloom, alongside those from a decades-spanning cast of seminal writers and artists including Dan DeCarlo, Veronica Fish, Francesco Francavilla, Erica Henderson, Stan Goldberg, Tom King, Paul Kupperberg, Dan Parent, Samm Schwartz, Fiona Staples, Kelly Thompson, Michael Uslan, Mark Waid, Chip Zdarksy, and many more.  

In 2027, the line will expand further will the debut of an all-new line of middle grade and young adult graphic novels – set in their own, accessible continuity outside of the core Oni Press publishing line – that will feature contributions from some of the most acclaimed and recognizable talents writing and illustrating for those audiences today. More details on those titles will be revealed in mid-2026. 

Coming up, Archie will next appear on the small screen in a live-action horror series Afterlife with Archie on Disney+  followed by the big screen in a new live-action feature film written by Eisner Award winner Tom King and produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for Universal Pictures. 

This is the third publishing partnership Oni Press has announced in recent years. Along with Archie, Oni is also publishing comics under the classic EC Comics imprint and Matt Kindt’s Flux House imprint debuts in Summer 2026. 

Archie announces two new characters, Eliza Han and Stacy Banks!

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Archie Comics is introducing two new characters to the core cast of iconic Riverdale teens who have delighted readers for 80 years. Fans of Archie’s ongoing digest and comic book series will meet teen business mogul Eliza Han and software tech genius Stacy Banks in two new one-shot specials hitting comic shops this summer.

Eliza Han — a bi-racial pansexual teen with a remarkable back story as the brains behind a major corporation — makes her first appearance in June’s Archie & Friends: Summer Lovin’ one-shot. Eliza comes to Riverdale to hang out with her new love interest, Veronica’s cousin Harper. The only problem is that Reggie thought this would be his chance to rekindle his romance with Harper. The story is by writer Tee Franklin and artist Dan Parent and is the first to reveal that Harper Lodge is bisexual. It features art by Parent, Bob Smith, Matt Herms, and Jack Morelli, and a cover by Bill Golliher and Rosario “Tito” Peña.

Then, African American teen coding savant Stacy Banks shakes things up in July’s Betty and Veronica Friends Forever: Summer Surf Party one-shot! While Dilton Doiley has long been the established genius of Riverdale, Dilton’s mechanical knowledge will now be complemented by Stacy’s digital savvy. In the story by Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie Rotante and artist Dan Parent, Stacy invents an online word game that’s making waves — and distractions — all over town. Featuring art by Parent, Bob Smith, Glenn Whitmore, and Jack Morelli, and a cover by Bill Golliher, Jeff Shultz, Rosario “Tito” Peña, and Jack Morelli.

While Stacy and Eliza make brief introductory appearances, they are here to stay. As part of Archie’s ongoing commitment to expanding and diversifying its storytelling universe, the characters will have regular recurring roles in future issues of its many comic book and digest series. 

Archie & Friends: Summer Lovin’ #1 releases June 8  and Betty and Veronica Friends Forever: Summer Surf Party #1 hits stores July 17 with a cover by Jeff Shultz and Peña.