The CW's Riverdale Is Coming to Comics, Completing the Circle [Exclusive]

Are you ready for the comic book adaptation of the TV adaptation of the Archie comic books? Or, in case you couldn't parse that sentence: TVGuide.com is exclusively revealing that Archie Comics will be launching a comic book series based on Riverdale, The CW's upcoming dark reinvention of Archie, Jughead and the rest of the gang.

The CW and Warner Bros. television adaptation Riverdale takes a more noir, slightly more Twin Peaks-ish look at the usually squeaky-clean adventures of Archie Andrews (K.J. Apa) and his friends... But when the series launches next year, things are already well in motion with a murder, a scandalous affair and most shocking of all: Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) is allergic to hamburgers.

Kidding about the hamburgers thing, but you get the gist: showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who has written equally dark comic books Afterlife with Archie (Riverdale gets invaded by zombies!) and Sabrina's Chilling Adventures (what if Sabrina the Teenage Witch was the bride of Cthulu?), and mega-producer Greg Berlanti aren't holding back on reinventing Veronica (Camila Mendes), Betty (Lili Reinhart) et al.

But because things are already rolling, Aguirre-Sacasa -- as well as artist Alitha Martinez and a good chunk of the Riverdale writing staff -- will be taking a look at what happened before the premiere with a special one-shot, which will then aim to spin off into an ongoing comic book series of its own.

"We're excited to expand on the amazing work being done by WB, The CW and the entire team to bring fans a Riverdale comic book, set in the same universe as the upcoming TV series," said Archie Comics Publisher/Co-CEO and Riverdale Executive Producer Jon Goldwater via statement. "The comic book is the ideal companion piece to the TV series, expertly written by showrunner and Archie Comics Chief Creative Officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and key members of the show's writers room, the comic promises to give fans a look at what happened before the first episode and beyond. We couldn't be more excited about the show and are eager to give fans additional peeks into the stories being created for this must-see event."

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Though Riverdale doesn't have a premiere date yet, the comic will be a nice companion piece to the main series when it does hit screens, even for those who haven't read Archie Comics for years. And though we'll have to stay tuned (literally) to see how the comic continues to weave in and out of the TV series, the writing staff of the show is heavily involved in making sure the comic isn't just a simple side project.

"The chance to explore the world of Riverdale in a comic book -- the form that first introduced the world to Archie, the love triangle, his hometown -- was something we couldn't pass up," said Archie Comics Chief Creative Officer and Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, also via statement. "Believe me, these stories matter. If you're a fan of the show, you'll find that the comics add another layer of conflict and drama. If you're an Archie Comics fan, this series will serve as a great set of standalone stories in the universe of the TV series. We -- myself and the show's writers -- are treating the comics with the same care and attention to detail fans will see on the screen as we weave one, large unforgettable narrative."

Check out 10 (!!!) different covers for the one-shot, below. And in the meantime, let's all look forward to the inevitable movie version of this comic book, just so we can get real meta about it.

RIVERDALE #1 (ONE-SHOT)
Script: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art: Alitha Martinez
Cover: Alitha Martinez with Steve Downer
Variant Covers: Derek Charm, Adam Gorham, Robert Hack, Sandra Lanz, Moritat, Dan Parent, Thomas Pitilli, Matthew Dow Smith, Cory Smith
Blank Sketch Cover Also Available
48-page, full color comic
$4.99 U.S.