Katy Keene Is Heading to Riverdale This January In “Archie and Katy Keene” [Exclusive]

Archie Andrews sure does get around, whether it’s on TV, or in the comics. The Town With Pep’s earnest playboy has been declared “endgame” with Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) on The CW’s Riverdale, dated Betty Cooper in comics, and more recently had a fling with the witchy Sabrina Spellman. But there’s one woman in the Archie-verse who won’t be swayed by Archie’s redheaded appeal, and that’s none other than Katy Keene.

Archie Comics’ most fashion-forward character will be heading to The CW in a new TV series starring Lucy Hale — but first, as exclusively revealed to Decider, she’ll be popping up in Archie and Katy Keene #1, a brand new mini-series/arc that continues the adventures that began in Archie by Nick Spencer, and continued in Archie & Sabrina by Nick Spencer and Mariko Tamaki.

The new title will debut in January, 2020, and be written by Mariko Tamaki and Kevin Panetta, with art by Laura Braga. In it, the town of Riverdale is sent reeling after the “insta-famous” and ultra-fashionable Katy Keene shows up, and nobody is more competitive with her than Archie Andrews.

“Katy Keene is an incredibly talented, smart, fashionable, and cool character,” co-writer Mariko Tamaki said via statement. “We’re adding a few modern twists, of course. There is very little more fun than writing Archie comics!”

Though Katy Keene was first introduced in 1945 and gathered an avid cult following, the character has mostly disappeared from the comics in recent years. After a revival in the ’80s and another in 2005-2008, Katy has mostly been taken out of the Archie Comics stable, until the 2018 announcement that Katy Keene was being developed by Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The TV series is as of yet unscheduled, though it will debut midseason on The CW.

“I can’t even express how totally excited I am to be writing an Archie comic and working with Mariko Tamaki,” added co-writer Kevin Panetta. “I’m a lifelong Archie fan and getting a chance to incorporate a classic character like Katy Keene into the modern Archie universe has been a great experience. I think readers will really enjoy reading our arc about the multi-talented Katy and her big introduction to life in Riverdale. Katy really holds her own with the big Archie characters and she already feels like one of the gang. I can’t wait for the world to meet Katy Keene!”

Fans eager to find out more about Archie and Katy Keene will probably want to head to this weekend’s New York Comic Con, and be sure to check out some gorgeous development art for Katy Keene via Laura Braga — as well as the main cover and variant covers for the first issue, below:

…and here’s the solicitation text, info sent in advance to comic book shops to help them order titles:

ARCHIE AND KATY KEENE #1 (of 5)

There’s a new girl in Riverdale and she’s turning everyone’s heads—and NOT everyone is happy about that! Who is Katy Keene and why is she so Insta-famous and beloved in Riverdale? And, moreover, why is she quickly becoming Archie’s biggest competition? Find out in this brand new story arc from the creative team of writers Mariko Tamaki and Kevin Panetta and artist Laura Braga—just in time for the brand new CW series Katy Keene!
Script: Mariko Tamaki and Kevin Panetta

Art: Laura Braga, Matt Herms, Jack Morelli
ARCHIE AND KATY KEENE #1 CVR A Reg: Laura Braga
ARCHIE AND KATY KEENE #1 CVR B Var: Francesco Francavilla
ARCHIE AND KATY KEENE #1 CVR C Var: Emanuela Lupacchino
ARCHIE AND KATY KEENE #1 CVR D Var: Paul Renaud
ARCHIE AND KATY KEENE #1 CVR E Var: Billy Tucci, Wes Hartman

On Sale Date: 1/8
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.