Archie Comics: Judgment Day #3

History

The series was conceived as a deliberate escalation of the Archie Horror imprint, which had existed since 2015 largely through one-shots and anthologies; editor Jamie L. Rotante and senior editorial leadership greenlit a longer-form 'Premium Event' model specifically because the Judgment Day story was too expansive for a single issue. Writer Aubrey Sitterson, who had previously contributed the post-apocalyptic one-shot Archie vs. the World, was brought back for what was described as his first horror writing experience in comics; artist Megan Hutchison, known for her work on Rockstars, joined as series artist and collaborated closely with Sitterson on creature and character design throughout production. The full creative team for issue #3 consisted of Sitterson (script), Hutchison (art), Matt Herms (colors), and Jack Morelli (letters), with variant covers by Francesco Francavilla, Reiko Murakami, and Luana Vecchio — a roster of variant cover artists that was announced months in advance via an exclusive reveal at Women Write About Comics in April 2024.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Final issue of the three-part Archie Comics: Judgment Day miniseries (issues #1–3, May–July 2024), published under the Archie Horror imprint.
• Designated as the first-ever 'Archie Premium Event,' a new publishing format for stories too large for a single one-shot, featuring upgraded cardstock covers, improved interior paper stock, and specialized print finishes.
• Archie Comics: Judgment Day is the Archie Horror imprint's first three-issue miniseries, as confirmed by editor Jamie L. Rotante — prior Archie Horror output had been limited to one-shots and anthology collections.
• Central narrative conflict: Archie must decide whether to give himself over entirely to the captive demon Alistair — whose power he has been wielding throughout the series — or reclaim his own identity, with Jughead serving as his last human tether.
• The issue ends Archie's arc as a demon-hunter in a demon-overrun alternate Riverdale and teases the next Premium Event, The Cursed Library, establishing Judgment Day as the foundation of a larger Archie Horror continuity.
• Writer Aubrey Sitterson (Archie vs. the World, No One Left to Fight) and artist Megan Hutchison (Rockstars) served as the core creative team across all three issues, with Hutchison's creature designs drawing on horror influences she cited including Slender Man and Pumpkinhead aesthetics.
• Judgment Day #3 carried a T+ (Teen Plus) content rating — consistent with Archie Horror's mature-audience positioning — and was released on July 31, 2024.
• The issue was made available simultaneously as a print comic with multiple variant covers and as a digital Kindle Edition under the 'Archie Horror Presents' banner, with the Archie characters credited as originally created by John L. Goldwater, with likenesses by Bob Montana.

Full credits

Variants (3)