Archie’s most spellbinding hero returns in a new DARKLING one-shot!

DARKLING variant cover by David Mack

The classic superhero stars in a magic-shrouded “dark academia” thriller written by Sarah Kuhn this November!

Darla Lang, a.k.a. the magical superhero DARKLING, returns to Archie Comics after a decades-long absence in a new “dark academia” thriller this November! The new one-shot, written by noted YA author Sarah Kuhn (Heroine Complex) with art by Carola Borelli (Gambit & Rogue), explores the character’s origins and her mysterious powers of teleportation in the sinister halls of Ivy Hollow University.

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“Sarah Kuhn’s impressive work on Shadow of the Batgirl and Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story made her a perfect choice to tell the story of Darla Lang,” said Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante. “This one-shot explores more of her life, demystifying the character who was once defined by being cloaked in shadows. And we’re excited to work once again with artist Carola Borelli, who has a wonderful grasp of character designs and setting the right mood to tell a story.”

DARKLING development art by Carola Borelli

Darkling first appeared in 1983’s MIGHTY CRUSADERS #4, as part of Archie’s “Red Circle” line of superhero comics. She fought alongside heroes like The Web and The Shield and stood out for her unique design and unusual power set: teleporting evildoers to another dimension through her cloak. The character has recently reappeared in new issues of Archie’s digest comic magazines in the “classic” Archie style. The new DARKLING one-shot will be her first solo adventure for older readers since the ’80s, and sets her alongside other dark academia stalwarts like the Netflix series Wednesday and Lev Grossman’s The Magicians book series.

“Darkling’s been popping up recently in some of our classic-style titles as Riverdale’s resident goth queen—who just so happens to have powers that often put her at odds with supernatural entities and monsters. We wanted to take that energy and bring it to a new audience,” Rotante added.

DARKLING, with a cover by Maria Sanapo, an open-to-order variant cover by David Mack, colors by Ellie Wright, and lettering by Jack Morelli, releases November 22 in comic shops nationwide and will be available for pre-order in comics shops starting Friday, August 25.