Tom DeFalco and Victor Gorelick Make a Spy out of Archie in ‘The Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.’

What does Riverdale's purehearted Archie Andrews have in common with NBC's affable Chuck Bartowski? That's what writer Tom DeFalco and artist Fernando Ruiz intend to answer for fans on June 23 in "Archie" #610's "The Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E."

The story sees Archie's daring cousin Andy pulling the gang into a covert group of high-tech spies known as Protect Our Planet (P.O.P.) who are battling the evil C.R.U.S.H. organization over the volatile Formula Z. If playing spy games wasn't dangerous enough, Archie will have to contend with a femme fatale by the name of Sharry the Spy Girl, who intends to exploit Archie's weakness for the fairer sex at every turn.

DeFalco summed up his writing task thusly in an official press release:

"In bringing back 'The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.,' my question was: if spies actually existed in the Archie world, how could they be seamlessly integrated into Archie's continuity while still being true to his universe?" remarks Archie Comics alum and writer, Tom DeFalco. "That is my creative challenge – to create a realistic and dangerous situation for the characters to act in, kind of like mashing up '24' and 'The Bourne Identity' with 'Chuck' and 'Get Smart.'"

You can check out our exclusive preview page from "Archie" #610 after the jump.