Sabrina Returns And Grubhead Makes His Dynamic Debut In ‘Jughead’ #9

Listen: I love Archie Comics. I love them. But as much as I've been enjoying the relaunch, there's one thing that's really been missing: The weird stuff. I mean, yes, we did eventually get Pureheart the Powerful and the soul-sizzling return of the Time Police, but those were limited to fantasies and dream sequences, and they just left me wondering where all that goofy stuff went. Where's Jingles, the Christmas Elf? Where's Cricket O'Dell, the girl who can smell money? Where, where, I ask you, is Sabrina the Teenage Witch?!

Well, as far as that last one goes, it turns out she's in Jughead #9, coming next week by Ryan North and Derek Charm --- and she's sharing pages with Grubhead, who might just be the sensational character find of 2016. Trust me, you are not ready for him, but if you want to tempt fate, check out a preview along with a few words from North and Charm, below!

Here's what North and Charm have to say about the issue. Says North:

Even Derek's pencils have such life and charm to them, so it's always a thrill to see his artwork come in.  He has pulled off the trick of taking a joke in the script and elevating it, so that when I get his artwork back the joke's better than what I wrote, so much so that often I'll laugh at a joke whose punchline I already know.  Plus it's bonus points for me, because people still often assume the writer of the comic does 100% of the writing, so I get to take all the credit for Derek's contributions there.  THANKS DEREK, I'M SORRY BUT NOT THAT SORRY.

Jughead has always struck me as the most competent of the Riverdale gang.  Everyone else is running around, boy/girl/whatever crazy, and in contrast Jughead is this level-headed guy who knows what he wants and then gets it.  Sabrina's the same way, to me: she's super competent, and she has ACTUAL MAGIC POWERS, which just raises the threat of her if you're in her way.  I thought it'd be a lot of fun to throw these two characters together and see how they play off each other - especially if things DON'T go well at first.

Jughead's a really easy character to relate to because he is a guy who doesn't want to kiss anyone and just wants to eat a bunch of burgers.  As a former teen who was terrified of kissing anyone and still really just wants to eat a bunch of burgers, it felt natural.  I HAVE LIVED IT.  IT FELT... RIGHT.

And quoth Charm:

With the design of Sabrina, I definitely wanted to stay true to the original Dan DeCarlo look, but play up a darker, slightly goth-y style of clothes—something that hints to her being a witch while still fitting into the New Riverdale aesthetic. I’m also playing up that this story is taking place in the Fall, so all the trees are turning orange throughout to match Sabrina’s spooky vibes.

It’s cool when you’re deep into working on a book and it starts to feel real and alive in ways you didn’t intend. I remember looking at the lettered pages for this issue and thinking “there is DEFINITELY something going on between Reggie and Betty” IS THERE? We may never know, but it’s nice to feel like these characters have lives beyond what we see.

Working with Ryan is so great. The scripts are always hilarious. One thing that started to stick out as I was drawing issue 9 is that his Riverdale gang seems slightly unhinged and all have their own bizarre outlooks. I like that we’re seeing the world from Jughead’s perspective, and everyone else seems dialed-up a little to match. At first I was just giving Jughead the crazy expressions, but after realizing everyone else can snap into those too, it became a lot of fun.

And the solicitation!

JUGHEAD #9

(It’s kind of like a) BRAND NEW #1… except it’s issue #9! SABRINA makes her debut in the NEW RIVERDALE and things are about to get INSANE! New story!  New arc!  New creative team! Pop Tate's has a new mascot: it's a lady in a burger costume with a giant burger for a head!  And she never takes off that giant burger head!  And she and Jughead really hit it off, probably for that very reason! But is it possible Burger Lady is MORE than she appears? Find out what happens when Jughead meets a burger he REALLY likes—and a POWERFUL and unexpected new force in Riverdale is revealed!! P.S.: that powerful and unexpected new force is SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH!  SHE'S the Burger Lady! 

Script: Ryan North
Art: Derek Charm, Jack Morelli
Cover: Derek Charm
Variant: Covers Veronica Fish, Audrey Mok
On Sale Date: 9/7
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.