Image: Archie Comics. Art by Pete Woods.

Who’s to say big events and hyped-up character deaths are strictly the purview of superhero comics? Marvel might have Secret Empire on the way, DC has Dark Days ahead, and now Archie is getting in on the excitement with something called Over the Edge. A Riverdale favorite won’t make it out alive.




Announced today, this three-part story—penned by Archie writer Mark Waid with art by Pete Woods—across Archie #20, #21, and #22 will see Archie’s ongoing rivalry with Reggie Mantle culminate in a dangerous street race at Dead Man’s Curve. Naturally, a big event at a place called Dead Man’s Curve will lead to tragedy, and an as-yet-unrevealed Archie favorite will lose his or her life. It’s going to be a major character, considering the press release provided by Archie Comics states that the death will set up “years of new and undiscovered destinies for the entire cast.”



Variant Cover art by Elliot Fernandez with Joey Vazquez


So who does the bell toll for? Well, it’s not going to be Archie—after all, he’s the guy in the title of the book (that’s not stopped Archie Comics from killing off Archie in a series before—but that death was the end of a book altogether, and I doubt Waid is closing the book on the popular Archie reboot just yet). Reggie seems like an obvious candidate, to evoke some drama and consequences for his feud with Archie. But it seems like the real answer will be someone else who gets caught up in their bitter rivalry, a person whose death will have big ramifications on both characters.



Could it be Jughead? Betty, Veronica? Ms. Grundy? Sound off in the comments for who it could be. Over the Edge is set to begin in May.