Posted By Dan Greenfield on Dec 17, 2025 | 4 comments

EXCLUSIVE: Timed to the Riverdale crew’s 85th anniversary year…

March 2026 will be a big vintage month for Archie Comics, with three publications that are all about the retro. Each deserves its own story, so you can read about the other two here and here.

The biggest news, literally, is the debut of a new quarterly: Archie Jumbo Comic Magazine. The first issue, due March 18, is dubbed an “85th Anniversary Celebration,” and will be a 112-page, full-color mag collecting some of the greatest stories in Archie Comics history.

Dig the solicitation info, which will be released officially by the publisher later this week:

ARCHIE JUMBO COMIC MAGAZINE: 85TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

And now for something completely different! Archie Comics is proud to present a JUMBO-SIZED MAGAZINE celebrating 85 years of heart, humor, and hijinks! This must-have magazine will collect some of the most important (and hilarious!) stories in Archie’s history, featuring your favorite characters from the worlds of Archie, Sabrina, Josie & the Pussycats, and more! This is a collector’s edition you can’t miss!

Script: Various
Art: Various

Cover: Dan DeCarlo, Rosario “Tito” Peña

On Sale Date: 3/18
112-page, full color magazine
$14.99 U.S.

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A few thoughts:

— This is a sight for sore eyes. Really. I’m happy that Archie is still doing a version of its classic digests, but this young man finds them hard to read. Heck, even when I was a much younger man, I found them difficult. So, magazine size? Excellent. (8″ x 10.875″ to be exact.)

— Great way to start, with an 85th anniversary edition. To be clear, MLJ Magazines, Archie Comics’ forerunner, was founded in 1939. But Archie and pals — Betty and Jughead, to be precise — debuted in Pep Comics #22, which was released Oct. 15, 1941.

— A Dan DeCarlo cover? Perfect.

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MORE

— BETTY AND VERONICA PIN-UP SPECIAL — With Classic Art — Set for March 2026. Click here.

— 1965’s BETTY AND ME #1 to Get FACSIMILE EDITION Release. Click here.