Tom King is writing Archie: The Decision, where the character will finally choose Betty or Veronica. IDW to publish American Girl graphic novels. Two all-ages Spider-Man titles are coming from Marvel. All on Comic Book Club News for May 23, 2024.
SUBSCRIBE ON RSS, APPLE, ANDROID, SPOTIFY, OR THE APP OF YOUR CHOICE. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, AND FACEBOOK. SUPPORT OUR SHOWS ON PATREON.
Powered by RedCircle
Episode Transcript:
Tom King helps Archie choose Betty or Veronica.
IDW nabs American Girl.
All-ages Spider-Man titles coming.
This is Comic Book Club News for May 23, 2024.
Tom King Writing Archie: The Decision, Where Archie Will Choose Betty or Veronica:
Archie Andrews will finally choose Betty or Veronica, in a new one-shot written by Tom King with art by Dan Parent.
Titled Archie: The Decision, the 32-page book will feature characters from throughout the Archie-Verse reacting to Archie’s choice — though whether Betty and Veronica will abide by his decision is TBD.
Said Tom King in a statement to Polygon: “As a massive Archie fan, this is just a pure joy project for me. I wanted to do something zany and cool and screwball and hysterical and gorgeous and harebrained and maybe a little tiny itty-bitty bit profound… [The Decision] is an epic, riotous story featuring scores of Archie characters where Dan and I wrestle with the greatest dilemma in the near 85-year history of comics: Betty or Veronica!? I’m not sure we can solve it, but, like all of Riverdale, we’re going to have a ton of fun trying.”
Back in 2009, Archie Comics tried something similar with The Married Life splitting into a multiverse; on one path following what if Archie married Veronica, the other if he married Betty. Meanwhile, on TV, Archie married a construction worker with a nice smile, so take that, shippers.
The Decision hits stores on August 28.
IDW To Publish American Girl Graphic Novels:
IDW is relaunching American Girl as a graphic novel series, with new books planned for this year and beyond. It all starts on June 25, 2024, with Julie and the Blue Guitar: An American Girl Mystery, written by Casey Gilly and illustrated by Felia Hanakata.
Despite the title, the book will actually feature two American Girl characters: Emma Dhillon in 2024 and Julie Albright in 1977, as the two communicate across time through a journal, and solve a mystery together.
Said Gilly via press release: “It’s such an honor to contribute to the American Girl legacy, and I hope fans and new readers fall in love with Emma, reconnect with Julie, and have a wonderful time in this world. As a parent and former Bay Area resident of over a decade, my goal was to infuse our book with exploration and discovery, inspiring readers to be curious like Emma and maybe find a mystery in their own backyard.”
The next books up hit in 2025: Meet Josefina in February, and Isabel and Nicki Versus The Bigfoot Bandit: American Girl Mysteries Across Time in July. Creative teams will be announced at a later date.
Two All-Ages Spider-Man Titles Coming From Marvel:
Two all-ages Spider-Man comics are coming from Marvel.
The first is Spidey and His Amazing Friends, written by Steve Behling, and hitting stores on August 7. Based on the Disney Jr. series of the same name, it focuses on pre-school versions of Spider-Man and friends, and includes activity pages for the kiddos.
Not based on a TV show and aimed at middle-grade readers is Spider-Man: Homeroom Heroes. Written by Steve Foxe with art by Arianna Florean, the book will feature a high-school-age Spider-Man balancing high school with being a superhero. It will hit shops on September 4, just in time for back to school.
This is far from the first time Marvel has published all-ages books, let alone ones featuring Spider-Man. But having been out of the game for a while, it’s nice to see the publisher reaching out to younger readers, once again.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And wait until you see the Red Band version of Spidey and His Amazing Friends. Yikes!
Got tips or stories you’d like us to cover? Email us at comicbookclublive@gmail.com.
For more comic book news, reviews, and interviews, check out comicbookclublive.com.
Listen early and ad-free on Patreon.com/comicbookclub.
