Paul Stanley

Paul Stanley is the real-life KISS guitarist and vocalist appearing as a fictionalized version of himself in an Archie Comics crossover, where the rock band KISS teamed up with Archie and his Riverdale friends for a musical adventure.

Debuting in 1979 courtesy of the legendary Sergio Aragonés, Paul Stanley is a Bronze Age creation who has kept some genuinely remarkable company across the decades — sharing pages with the likes of Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss, as well as Archie stalwarts Jughead Jones and Reggie Mantle. That eclectic mix tells you everything about the wonderfully offbeat corner of Archie Comics this character inhabits. Appearing across beloved Archie titles including the Archie Giant Series Magazine and various Double Digest editions, Paul Stanley's catalog footprint stretches an impressive 44 years, a quiet testament to the enduring charm of the world Archie built. A modest but genuinely fun find for collectors who love the unexpected intersections that make Bronze Age comics such a joy to dig through.