Betty and Veronica Bond of Friendship Cover News 

NYCC ’19: Archie Comics to Launch YA and Middle-Grade Graphic Novel Lines

By | October 2nd, 2019
Posted in News | % Comments
Art by J. Bone

Archie Comics is joining the ranks of “traditional” comics publishers reaching out to new markets. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Archie will launch a new YA graphic novel line, Archie Blue Ribbon, and partner with Little Bee Books to produce graphic novels for middle-grade readers.

The Archie Blue Ribbon line will be headed by “Betty & Veronica: The Bond of Friendship,” by Jamie L. Rotante, Brittney Williams, Matt Herms, and Jack Morelli, and “Riverdale: The Ties That Bind,” a CW series spin-off by Micol Ostow, Thomas Pitilli, John Workman, and Andre Szymanowicz. Both titles are set to release sometime in 2020.

“In terms of [Archie Blue Ribbon], we’ve had the idea in our back pocket for some time now, and it fell into place once the talent and stories for ‘B&V’ and ‘Riverdale’ came together,” said Archie Comics co-President Alex Segura, in a statement to The Reporter. “Archie Blue Ribbon will stand for the best talent telling the best stories featuring our characters, and we’re excited to launch this imprint in such a meaningful way.”

The new middle-grade graphic novels will be released through Little Bee Books’s BuzzPop imprint, with the first release being Sarah Kuhn and J. Bone’s “The Riverdale Diaries: Hello, Betty!”

“The Little Bee partnership came together naturally, and helps us continue to reach a vitally important market,” said Segura. “We’re all extremely excited to see ‘The Riverdale Diaries’ in the hands of young readers.”

“The Riverdale Diaries” will hit bookstores in August 2020. You can learn more about all three titles, and Archie Comics’s entry into the bookstore market, over at The Hollywood Reporter.


//TAGS | NYCC '19

Matthew Ledger

Matt's a professional writer who started comics with "Batman Adventures" and now reads just about anything. You can find more of his work at Matt Reads Comics, Matt Plays Magic, and the short story collection 500 x 50. He's on Twitter as @mat_ledge.

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