Archie #1 Review: Oni Press and Archie Comics Reintroduce Riverdale for a New Generation
Archie Andrews begins a bold new era as Oni Press and Archie Comics unite writer Ben H. Winters and artist Fábio Moon for a fresh, ambitious, and surprisingly mysterious return to Riverdale.
Being young never gets old.
For more than eight decades, Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones, and the residents of Riverdale have endured because the core ideas behind Archie Comics are remarkably universal: friendship, first loves, mistakes, rivalry, growing up, and trying to understand where you belong.
With Archie #1, that familiar world gets another beginning.
The new ongoing series from Oni Press and Archie Comics pairs award-winning writer Ben H. Winters with multiple Eisner Award-winning artist Fábio Moon, beginning a major publishing initiative leading toward Archie’s 85th anniversary.
Rather than throwing away what generations of readers know about Riverdale, this new #1 uses that history as part of its foundation. Seventeen-year-old Archie Andrews remains charming, optimistic, occasionally overwhelmed, and surrounded by one of comics’ most recognizable supporting casts.
But something unusual is happening beneath the surface.
A local film festival is about to shake up Riverdale, the story stretches across the town’s past, present, and future, and Jughead Jones may be the only person capable of understanding the strange paradox connecting everything together.
That makes this much more than another straightforward Archie relaunch.
It is a celebration of the past that also wants to find out what Riverdale can become next.
Readers can explore the larger initiative through Oni Press’ official Archie hub, while Comic Book Addicts has also covered the new era in our previous Archie #1 coverage.
Archie Andrews Gets a 21st-Century Introduction
One of the smartest choices behind Archie #1 is keeping Archie recognizable.
He is still 17.
He still has his friends.
He still has a natural ability to become the center of whatever is happening around him.
And Riverdale remains populated by popular kids, oddballs, rivals, friends, families, and characters whose personalities have been built across generations of comics.
That familiarity matters.
A modernization of Archie does not need to rebuild the character from nothing. Archie works because readers understand him almost immediately. He is the well-meaning teenager who somehow finds himself caught between conflicting plans, competing relationships, and increasingly complicated situations.
What changes is the world around him.
This new series approaches Riverdale as a place with history. The town has a past, a present, and apparently a future that are becoming increasingly interconnected.
That allows Winters to approach Archie mythology from a wider perspective.
Instead of merely asking, “What is Archie doing today?” the book can explore a much bigger question:
What does Archie mean after nearly 85 years of stories?
Ben H. Winters Finds Something Strange Beneath Riverdale
Writer Ben H. Winters arrives with an intriguing assignment.
The book has to feel welcoming enough for someone buying their first Archie comic while still giving longtime readers a reason to care about another #1.
The solution appears to be mystery.
A film festival provides the immediate catalyst, but underneath that story sits an enigmatic paradox connected to Riverdale itself.
That is where Jughead becomes particularly important.
Jughead has always been one of Archie Comics’ most flexible characters. He can be Archie’s sarcastic best friend, the smartest person in the room, the strangest person in Riverdale, or the character who understands that something about the situation simply does not make sense.
Making him central to the larger mystery is a strong choice.
Archie may be our emotional entry point into Riverdale.
Jughead may be the one capable of seeing what is actually happening.
That relationship gives the new series a potentially compelling engine beyond the traditional romantic complications surrounding Archie, Betty, and Veronica.
Fábio Moon Is an Inspired Choice for Riverdale
Pairing Winters with Fábio Moon immediately gives this relaunch a distinct identity.
Moon is best known for character-focused storytelling, and Archie Comics depends heavily on exactly that quality.
Riverdale is not compelling because of elaborate mythology alone.
It works because readers want to spend time with these characters.
Archie needs to feel approachable. Jughead needs personality. Betty and Veronica need to feel like individuals rather than simply opposite corners of a love triangle. Riverdale itself has to feel like a community rather than a collection of backgrounds.
Moon’s involvement signals that the human side of the book matters just as much as its high-concept mystery.
That is especially important for a series being positioned as both a new beginning and a celebration of Archie history.
Riverdale Becomes the Real Co-Star
One particularly interesting element of the premise is the emphasis on Riverdale itself.
Archie embarks on what Oni Press describes as an adventure across the town’s past, present, and future.
That gives the creative team an enormous amount of material to explore.
Riverdale has existed through countless versions, artistic interpretations, cultural eras, and publishing styles.
Archie Comics has moved from traditional humor stories into romance, horror, superheroes, mysteries, alternate realities, and experimental reinterpretations while repeatedly returning to the same basic cast.
This new series has an opportunity to treat that publication history as part of Riverdale’s identity without requiring readers to know every previous incarnation.
That balance could become the defining strength of the run.
The Film Festival Could Change Everything
Every Archie story needs something that disrupts the normal rhythm of Riverdale.
Here, it begins with a local film festival.
On the surface, that sounds like exactly the kind of community event around which a classic Archie story could revolve.
Archie gets involved.
His friends have competing plans.
Something goes wrong.
Chaos follows.
But this time the event appears tied to something considerably larger.
The synopsis promises a whirlwind adventure through Riverdale’s history and future, suggesting that whatever begins during the festival may expose something fundamental about the town.
That gives the series room to maintain the energy and humor expected from Archie while introducing a serialized mystery capable of pulling readers into subsequent issues.
Jughead Jones May Hold the Key
Archie is the title character.
But Jughead Jones could be the secret weapon of this new series.
The official premise specifically identifies Jughead as the person who may be able to unravel the mysterious paradox at the center of the story.
That immediately changes his role.
Instead of simply reacting to Archie’s latest problems, Jughead becomes potentially essential to understanding Riverdale itself.
That is an exciting direction because Jughead has always existed slightly outside the normal rhythms of the rest of the cast.
Archie frequently gets swept into the situation.
Jughead observes it.
If reality itself is behaving strangely, he may be exactly the character who notices first.
More Than Just the Main Story
Archie #1 also leans into the celebratory nature of the relaunch.
The issue includes puzzles, pin-ups, and additional surprises, with the promotional material teasing that these extras somehow connect to the larger mystery.
That is a clever use of the comic-book format.
Rather than treating supplemental material as disposable extras, the series appears interested in making the entire package part of the experience.
For a milestone relaunch leading toward Archie’s 85th anniversary, that approach makes sense.
This should feel like more than another monthly issue.
It should feel like an event.
Collector Spotlight: Archie #1 Covers
Collectors have plenty of choices.
The primary lineup includes:
- Cover A – Stuart Immonen
- Cover B – Fábio Moon
- Cover C – Karl Kerschl
- Cover D – Khary Randolph
- Cover E – Blank Sketch Cover
There are also two $8.99 foil variants, featuring artwork from Stuart Immonen and Fábio Moon.
The incentive lineup expands considerably:
- 1:10 Teaser Variant – Kano
- 1:20 Legacy Variant – Dan Parent
- 1:50 Variant – Elsa Charretier
- 1:100 Variant – Mahmud Asrar
- 1:250 B&W Variant – Stuart Immonen
There is also an FOC Variant by Travis Charest.
That is an unusually deep lineup, but it reflects the significance publishers are placing on this new beginning.
Collectors interested in comparing editions can also see a selection through Stadium Comics’ Archie #1 cover offering.
Archie #1 Review Verdict
Archie #1 represents an intriguing way to begin the countdown toward one of comics’ biggest anniversaries.
Instead of relying exclusively on nostalgia, Oni Press and Archie Comics are using Riverdale’s history as material for something new.
Ben H. Winters brings a mystery-driven structure to the familiar world.
Fábio Moon gives the relaunch a strong creator-driven identity.
The film festival supplies an accessible starting point, while the mysterious paradox surrounding Riverdale gives the series somewhere much bigger to go.
Most importantly, the concept does not lose sight of what makes Archie work.
The friendships matter.
The community matters.
And underneath all the high-concept possibilities is still a 17-year-old teenager trying to navigate a world that constantly becomes more complicated than he expected.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Why You Should Pick It Up
Archie #1 offers several reasons for both returning and new readers to take a look:
- A completely new ongoing Archie series
- A fresh jumping-on point for Riverdale
- Ben H. Winters writing the series
- Fábio Moon handling interior artwork
- A mystery involving Riverdale’s past, present, and future
- A potentially major role for Jughead Jones
- The beginning of the countdown toward Archie’s 85th anniversary
- Puzzles, pin-ups, and mystery-connected extras
- An extensive lineup of collectible covers
This is not Archie abandoning his past.
It is Archie discovering that his past might be much stranger than anyone realized.
Book Details
Title: Archie #1
Publishers: Oni Press / Archie Comics
Writer: Ben H. Winters
Artist: Fábio Moon
Cover A: Stuart Immonen
Cover B: Fábio Moon
Cover C: Karl Kerschl
Cover D: Khary Randolph
Cover E: Blank Sketch
Foil Variants: Stuart Immonen, Fábio Moon
1:10 Teaser Variant: Kano
1:20 Legacy Variant: Dan Parent
1:50 Variant: Elsa Charretier
1:100 Variant: Mahmud Asrar
1:250 B&W Variant: Stuart Immonen
FOC Variant: Travis Charest
Pages: 32
Format: Full Color
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: September 2, 2026
Final Thoughts
There is something fitting about launching a new Archie series by looking simultaneously backward and forward.
The character has survived because every generation can recognize something familiar in Riverdale.
The clothes change.
The culture changes.
The storytelling changes.
Archie remains Archie.
Archie #1 embraces that history while introducing enough mystery to suggest this new era will not simply repeat what came before.
Riverdale is still the place everyone remembers.
But something inside it does not quite add up.
And Jughead might be the first person to figure out why.
Join the Discussion
Are you picking up Archie #1 on September 2?
What do you think about Ben H. Winters and Fábio Moon launching this new Riverdale era?
Which cover are you adding to your collection?
And what do you think the mysterious Riverdale paradox could mean?
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