Sandy Jarrell

The big news for Archie this week is, of course, the launch of Riverdale as a prime-time TV drama that's already garnering interest by building its first storyline not around a botched double-date or a milkshake with too many straws, but the discovery of a dead body that may or may not have been murdered by one or more members of the cast. Really, though, dead bodies? That's small potatoes compared to the shocking and tragic events that are going to be playing out in the comics next month: There's just so much Reggie Mantle.

You know those superhero stories like "Must There Be a Superman" where the main character is abducted by aliens and put on trial for crimes --- intentional or otherwise --- against humanity? Well, before it hit shelves, I was really hoping that's what the rebooted Reggie And Me was going to be about. I mean, honestly, there is no other character in comics who represents cosmic evil as much as that guy, and if Archie and the Gang won't hold him responsible for his terrible, terrible ways, then perhaps some Elder of the Universe should? Alas, that's not what we got. But we are creeping a little closer in the pages of Reggie and Me #2, which not only features a superheroic fantasy sequence, but delves into the long and hateful history between Reggie Mantle and his eternal rival, Archie Andrews. Check out an exclusive preview below!

The Holidays are upon as, and the year is basically gone. And as you know by now, that mean that here at ComicsAlliance, we're looking back at the best that comics had to offer in 2016. So here, to give you warm feeling as you head into your holiday weekend, are the best Archie Comics covers of the year.

Reggie Mantle is a menace. I mean, we've all known that for years --- even Archie's official Twitter account spends most of its time dragging him for being Literally The Worst --- but now, his unchecked terribleness has gotten way worse. Not only is he starring in his own ongoing series with its second issue hitting shelves on January 11, but he's also got a starring role in Jughead #12, out the same day, where he somehow becomes actual, literal King of Riverdale (or at least of Riverdale's Teens) for a day.

Reggie Mantle is the absolute worst. But since he's starring in a comic called Reggie and Me, who could possibly stand being around him long enough to be the "and Me" in that equation? Well, as it turns out, the series is narrated by Reggie's beloved dog, bringing the number of dog-narrated 2016 Archie comics to a surprising "two." Check out a preview of the first issue from Tom DeFalco and Sandy Jarrell to see what else is in store for Riverdale's (least) favorite prankster.

Reggie Mantle is the worst, but for some reason he has a following, so Archie Comics has added a new title to its beloved reboot line of comics; a new ongoing featuring Riverdale's resident creeper. Written by industry legend Tom DeFalco, with art by Sandy Jarrell, Reggie and Me launches this December and promises to give readers an inside look at the most "loved, revered, admired and adored" teen in Riverdale. Those are their words, not mine.

Ever since the first issue of DC's Batman '66 comic climaxed with an honest-to-Gotham airplane chase scene that ended in a fiery explosion, it's been pretty obvious that one of the goals of that book is to do things that they never could have done on the TV show. As much as the comic has captured the tone of the series, it's also made it a point to go bigger, throwing in bigger set pieces for the action, exotic locations and stories that literally go to new places that we never saw on the show. But there's one other way that the comic has been expanding on the show that's even more interesting than just pitting Gotham City's arch-criminals against a giant crime-fighting robot. Over the past two years, writer Jeff Parker and a rotating cast of artists that includes Joe Quinones, Jonathan Case, Rubén Procopio, Sandy Jarrell and Giancarlo Caracuzzo have been introducing villains that never appeared on the show to the world of Batman '66, bringing pop-art takes of characters like Harley Quinn and Killer Croc to the comics. And they've been doing it in a way that's absolutely fascinating.

If you've been wondering why I've been a little more excited lately, why bird songs are a little sweeter or why food tastes a little better, it's because the latest storyline of DC's digital-first Batman '66 comic has involved Batman and Batgirl heading to Japan to take on Lord Death Man. Jeff Parker, Sandy Jarrell and Jordie Bellaire have done a pretty amazing job creating story that I wish would've happened on television, but giving it the unlimited budget for stuff like a new Japanese Batmobile and an army of ninjas, and it's pretty great. To get some insight into just how it all happened, I spoke to Parker for his thoughts on bringing in other period-specific villains, why Lord Death Man is so much more exciting than his original American counterpart, and ideas for other non-Gotham location that could use a visit from the Caped Crusaders!

This week marks the release of Prince Valiant #1, and with it, the final building block in the foundation of Dynamite's increasingly weird "King" universe. Built around the King Features characters that are best known as newspaper strips --- and in the case of The Phantom, a Billy Zane movie that invited viewers to 'slam evil!' --- the line got its start in the Kings Watch crossover in 2013. While Flash Gordon has stuck around and been pretty fantastic, it's only in the last month that the rest of the characters have rolled out into their own books to flesh out the world. Now, with everything in place, the King line has pulpy sci-fi, mystic adventure, superhero action and swords and sorcery from the days of King Arthur all jockeying for position and trying to come together as a cohesive unit. And to be honest, it's actually pretty awesome to see.

Back when I was a kid, my single favorite episode of Batman '66, the one that I liked even more than the one where the Joker tried to conquer Gotham City by winning a surfing competition and becoming "King of the Surf and All The Surfers," was the one where Batman, Robin and Batgirl took a trip to Londinium in order to fight Lord Ffogg and his small army of mod pickpockets. Something about getting those characters out of that version of Gotham City is always interesting to me. So you can imagine how excited I was when opened up this week's issue of Batman '66 and found out that Jeff Parker, Sandy Jarrell, and Jordie Bellaire had taken Batman and Batgirl on an international trip to Japan to battle it out with Lord Death Man. I'll admit that I'm predisposed to like this stuff, but trust me: It is basically perfect.