Alternate universes in Archie Comics
This is a list of various alternate universes featuring characters from Archie Comics. Most Archie stories take place within a setting that is gradually updated over the years, and events in one stories are not commonly referenced in others, but those stories remain largely in continuity with each other. However, there have been several series of stories that take place outside of this continuity, featuring alternate versions of the characters in different settings.
A good number of these alternate universe stories — including Archie 3000, Archie's R/C Racers, Dilton's Strange Science, Explorers of the Unknown, Faculty Funnies, Jughead's Pal, Hot Dog, Jughead's Diner, Jughead's Time Police, The Mighty Archie Art Players, and The New Archies — were published in the years 1987–1991.
''Afterlife with Archie ''
Launched in the autumn of 2013 and intended for adult readers, this comic presents Riverdale as ground zero for a zombie apocalypse. Major characters die, while others are presented in ways not typical of other Archie comics.''Archie 1''
Archie 1: The Dawn of Time a.k.a. Archie B.C. — thousands of years before recorded history, the ancestors of Archie and the gang live as cavemen, interacting with dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts, à la The Flintstones. The characters generally make discoveries that will not be considered significant until centuries later, and there is often irony in the characters denouncing as impractical wheels, houses, and so forth.''Archie 3000''
Archie 3000 — the opposite of Archie 1, Archie 3000 displays the descendants of Archie and the gang living in the year 3000, which is realized as a 1950s-style art deco world of flying cars, moving sidewalks, domed houses, and gaudy "futuristic" hairstyles and clothes. Despite the many new breakthroughs in technology, life for Archie 3000 and his friends is often similar to that of their 20th Century counterparts.''Archie: The Married Life''
Archie: The Married Life — The Life with Archie comic was revived in 2011 and began telling stories that concerned the characters as young adults. Stories published in alternate months show Archie married to Veronica in one future universe and Betty in another. It is announced that Miss Grundy is deceased, albeit after she married the now-widowed and broken-hearted Mr. Weatherbee. Mr. Lodge behaves in criminally manipulative ways, unlike most Archie universes-especially the one where he supports his handicapped niece Harper Lodge and Dilton Doiley briefly appears, able to teleport between various alternate Archie universes, at one point being met by Little Archie and many other alternate Archies. Kevin Keller goes into his father's line of work by joining the US Army, and Moose Mason is a candidate for the mayoralty of Riverdale. In yet another timeline Archie marries Valerie of Josie & the Pussycats.''Archie Meets the Punisher''
Archie Meets the Punisher — In 1994, Archie was the focus of a one-shot comic book intercompany crossover published under two separate covers by Archie Comics and Marvel Comics as Archie Meets the Punisher and The Punisher Meets Archie, respectively. Written by Batton Lash, with artwork by Marvel's John Buscema and Archie's Stan Goldberg, it saw the vigilante Punisher tracking down an Archie doppelganger named "Red" to Riverdale. The comic features cameos from various teen and superhero comics published by both companies, including Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Millie the Model, Katy Keene, Hedy Wolfe, and Patsy Walker. In addition, references are made to That Wilkin Boy, and a passing comment — "So I asked the Doctor if the Hosts of Hoggoth were really hoary" — refers to the perennial catchphrase associated with Doctor Strange.''Archie's R/C Racers''
Archie's R/C Racers — two teams of Riverdale teenagers, led by Archie and Reggie, travel across the United States racing radio-controlled cars, while foiling the dastardly schemes of the villainous Babette and her bungling but likable henchmen. Archie's team included Jughead, Betty, Moose, Ethel and Dilton. Reggie's team included Veronica, Midge, Chuck, Nancy, and Leroy.''Archie's Super Teens''
Recurring feature in Life with Archie between 1965 and 1967, and subsequently revisited in Archie's Super Teens — Archie and friends become superheroes and battle a host of bizarre supervillains in a series of tongue-in-cheek adventures. The heroes include:- Pureheart the Powerful — born when Archie attempts to tap into the "PH Factor", a superpower only accessed by those pure of heart. Pureheart is super-strong, super-resilient, and can fly using his "jet-boosters". However, his powers only exist as long as his heart is pure, leading to embarrassing situations such as him losing his powers after an appreciative kiss from a damsel in distress, causing the car he was holding up to fall on him.
- Superteen is created by Betty merely twisting her "magic ponytail". Superteen's powers are roughly similar to Pureheart's.
- Captain Hero appears when Jughead recites a magic incantation : "Teeny weeny magic beanie, / Pointing toward the sky; / Give me muscle, vigor, strength, / Form a super guy!" Unlike Pureheart and Superteen, Captain Hero has an arsenal of bizarre weaponry, and demonstrates other powers, such as "super-breath" and transforming his head into a steel drill.
- Evilheart the Mighty is Reggie using a variation of the PH Factor, instead using his villainous half to transform into a superhero with Pureheart's powers. So great is Evilheart's villainy that it actually proves a strain to revert to the lesser evil of Reggie Mantle. While Evilheart antagonizes the other superheroes, he will team up with them to battle a common foe.
- Miss Vanity is Veronica, who gained her powers through unknown means. Her powers are roughly similar to Superteen's, although her outfit is more provocative. She appears to have a "super-sonic" scream, à la the Black Canary.
- Mighty Moose is, naturally, Moose with the gift of flight and augmentations to his already formidable strength.
''Archie's Weird Mysteries''
Archie's Weird Mysteries – A tie-in to the animated series of the same name. It is centered on Archie and the gang engaging in their usual antics, but with a dash of supernatural elements. The first issue is notable for establishing the premise behind both it and the show, showcasing the lab incident that turned Riverdale into a monster haven, and the origin of Archie's Weird Mystery column. Certain characters who did not make an appearance in the show appear here, such as Mr. Svenson and Cheryl Blossom. A few of the stories even have direct ties to episodes of the show.Starting with issue #25, the series was renamed Archie's Mysteries, severing its ties to the cartoon. In addition to switching its focus to more grounded mysteries, it also depicted the Archie gang as a detective group called the "Teen Scene Investigators" alongside Chuck Clayton, complete with an origin story. The rebranded series was ultimately canceled after nine more issues.
The Archies
Starting in c. 1967, the band The Archies occasionally appeared in madcap adventures seemingly modeled on the popular television show The Monkees. The stories were notable for puns and slapstick humor, which often broke the fourth wall. Followed by The New Archies.''Betty Cooper, Betty Cooper''
Betty and Me #79–86 — A satire of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, this multi-issue epic placed Archie and the gang in one outlandish, tragic situation after another. The characters spoke in hesitant, over-dramatic tones, and the issues had narrations, unlike previous spinoffs. Notable subplots included Jughead being stalked by a homicidal "limping man", Betty being possessed by a Puritan witch named Felicity Goodbody, and Betty's uncle Draco, a vampire being hunted by a count. A running gag involved the mysterious "gypsy lady" who apparently would be able to explain everything, but she failed to show up until the final story and in truth proved to be no help at all. In typical Archie fashion, the entire story wrapped itself up neatly in the final story, with a happy ending and everything returning to the status quo.''The Death of Archie''
In July 2014, Archie was shot dead while saving the life of longtime friend and newly elected U.S. Senator Kevin Keller in the penultimate issue of the alternate future series Life with Archie.''Dilton's Strange Science''
Dilton's Strange Science — Dilton Doiley's solo comic, as he travels through a series of bizarre locales and encounters with alien creatures and monsters. A supporting character in this series was Danni Malloy, a female teen genius serving as both best friend and love interest to Dilton.''Explorers of the Unknown''
Explorers of the Unknown — a parody of Jack Kirby's Challengers of the Unknown, the series cast Archie and friends as an elite group of adventurers who were dispatched to combat mad villains and explore uncharted areas. The characters were:- Red Andrews, Soldier of Fortune
- Wheels Cooper, Mechanic and Pilot
- Nitro Mantle, Explosives and Demolition Expert
- Angel Lodge, Martial Arts Expert
- Squint Jones, Daredevil and Escape Artist
- Spike Mason, Stuntman
- Gizmo Doiley, Inventor
- F/X Clayton, Illusionist
- Blaze Blossom, the team's Washington contact