Archie returns with a twist
Classic Archie is back with a new style.
Archie Comics has got a couple of revamps recently, but now a new comic book series will debut this summer featuring the classically cartoony art style Archie fans have known for decades.
Fan-favourite Archie artist Dan Parent is returning with Your Pal Archie, which will debut in print and digitally on July 26. The series will be written and inked by Ty Templeton and edited by Victor Gorelick, who is now in his 60th year with Archie Comics.
With the recent debuts of Afterlife with Archie (illustrated by Francesco Francavilla) in 2013 and the new Archie reboot (the first volume was illustrated by Calgary native Fiona Staples, Veronica Fish and Annie Wu) in 2015, Parent’s artwork was no longer seen in Archie’s most mainstream titles.
The 52-year-old Parent is in his 30th year illustrating for the company and in that time his version of Archie has become the artistic standard. Despite the recent art style change, Parent continues to draw Archie digests and a digital only series, Life with Kevin, starring popular Archie character Kevin Keller.
Parent considers himself fortunate to have been able to draw in the same style at one publisher for so long. His style is based on the art of previous Archie Comics artists, Dan DeCarlo and Bob Montana.
“When the reboot style was introduced, it was a big deal and garnered a lot of new fans. Fiona Staples has a huge following, deservedly so,” Parent said. “But I always had faith in the classic style, and knew it would coexist with the new style. And it has.”
Parent will be slightly altering his classic artistic approach to Archie, Betty, Veronica and the rest of the Riverdale gang. He turned to the new Archie-inspired CW hit television show Riverdale for inspiration.
“The influence from (Riverdale) is more of a fashion makeover for me. I’ve changed the hairstyles a bit, and the clothes. And the faces are a little more detailed, but the line work is still the simple classic lines I’ve always used,” Parent said. “I hate over-rendering and too many lines, so I won’t go there.”
Archie will also be hitting the weights a bit and have a slightly more buff frame, like his Riverdale television counterpart, actor K.J. Apa.
“Yes, that’s part of the fashion makeover,” Parent said. “But, along with the good looks, he has to be a little goofy too. It’s about striking a balance.”