Archie Is Mr. Justice: Heroism and Sacrifice Comes to the Archieverse

Information on Mr. Justice, Archie's superhero alter ego.

Although Archie Comics has featured superheroes in the past — from the pulpy adventures of The Mighty Crusaders through to the colorful comedic exploits of the Superteens — nothing in our nearly 85-year history approaches the ambitious and effective storytelling of the upcoming Archie Is Mr. Justice mini-series.

Exploding onto store shelves on November 20th, the story begins with a look at how Archie — Riverdale’s heart and soul — was involved in a childhood accident that gave him fantastic abilities. Told from Jughead’s point of view and brought to life by writer Tim Seeley (Local Man) and artist Mike Norton (Battlepug), this debut issue is an exciting and audacious bit of storytelling that comments on matters of sacrifice and loss that makes it an instant classic. Archie is Mr. Justice is a title that can easily hold its own alongside of such legendary superhero deconstructionist titles like Marvels and Watchmen.

“The number one question I get asked about this book is why isn’t this just a Pureheart story?,” said Archie Social Media Manager Chris Cummins. “My answer? Pureheart and the rest of the Powerteens are comedic superheroes, and while we could give them a gritty reboot, we are much more interested in telling a completely different, fresh kind of superhero story set in the Archieverse. With that in mind, the saga that we are unfolding has Archie drawing influence from a comic book icon he grew up with (named Mr. Justice, in a meta nod to a memorable character from our company’s early days) as he embarks on a crime-fighting career — one for which he is willing to risk everything.”

Archie Is Mr. Justice is bold, powerful stuff. “This isn’t just another superhero story,” said Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante. “This is a story about hope in a world that feels increasingly hopeless. And in this timeline, Archie is our beacon of hope.”
Character designs for Mr. Justice, a Archie Andrews's secret superhero identity. Various costume ideas include variations of a yellow, blue, and black jumpsuit with a stylized symbol of the scales of justice in the center.
Each issue also plays with storytelling techniques, with a different writer/artist team every installment. This, combined with how the narrative of every issue is told from the perspective of a different character, results in a captivating read that is part-Rashomon/part-Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow.
 
Archie Is Mr. Justice is nothing short of a watershed moment for Archie Comics, and the industry in general. Stay tuned for more updates as we approach the book’s release date on November 20th, and if you haven’t pre-ordered your copy of the first issue, do so now, and you can get a subscription for all four issues.
This is storytelling at it’s most urgent and evocative, and you won’t want to miss a moment of it.

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