Tegan and Sara Join The Archies in This Exclusive Preview—But is the Band Calling it Quits?

For a struggling up-and-coming band, the Archies sure have brushed elbows with music royalty, from CHVRCHES to Blondie to Tegan and Sara, the Canadian pop duo who join the festivities in next week’s fifth issue. While each band has imparted crucial touring wisdom on Archie Andrews, Jughead, Veronica and the rest of the gang, the exclusive preview below spells trouble for the Archies’ future ambitions.

“The fun part about The Archies book is that in addition to having these amazing cameos, we also have an ongoing, serialized story going on—and that story reaches a major breaking point in this issue,” co-writer and Archie Comics co-president Alex Segura said in a statement. “Can the band recover from a key member quitting? How do Tegan and Sara help fix the problem? And what does this mean for the tour that’s been propelling the Archies across the country? This issue answers all those questions—but not in exactly the way you’d expect.”

Readers have just three issues left to find out if the Archies will strike it big, as Paste can now share that May’s issue #7 will be the series conclusion—at least for now.

The Archies #5 Variant Cover Art by Thomas Pitilli

“I can’t say enough good things about working on this book,” Segura said. “It’s been a dream to collaborate with Matt [Rosenberg], who’s been a close friend for years, and to see our stories brought to life by Joe [Eisma] and colorist Matt Herms, with amazing letters by Jack Morelli—[it] has been a wonder to experience. This was my first chance to work on an ongoing series and it was a definite learning experience, but I’m supremely proud of the work we put into this book—it’s a fun, rocking comic that doesn’t lack heart and real emotional weight.”

The Archies represents one of the publisher’s efforts to expand and modernize a brand once known purely for nostalgia. With Riverdale introducing wider audiences to a darker iteration of the gang and horror titles like Vampironica breaching new genre territories, The Archies brought a new sonic dimension to Archie Andrews’ musical ambitions, aided by guest appearances from real-life bands.

“Archie and his friends have been around for 75 years, so it’s a challenge to carve out your own place in the tapestry of the characters’ publishing history, but I think we did,” Segura added. “I grew up on comics like Love & Rockets, Box Office Poison and Clumsy, and this was, in some ways, a love letter to those books and to all the great bands and music that kept inspiring me and continue to inspire me. The Archies is the kind of comic I’ve always dreamed I’d get the chance to work on, and while I’m bummed it’s ending, I’m glad we’re able to put a bow on it and close out the story we’ve been building toward. Trust me, you won’t want to miss out on the last two issues—because the curtain will drop after a really jaw-dropping surprise and twist that’ll change the dynamic for the group forever.”

The Archies #5 Variant Cover Art by Joe Eisma

Check out farewell statements from Eisma and Rosenberg below, and scroll down for an exclusive first look at Tegan and Sara’s appearance in issue #5, as well as the debut of issue #7’s cover and finale solicitation.

Artist Joe Eisma: “The Archies has been nothing short of an absolute dream book to work on. I still can’t believe we got to do a book like this—full of humor, drama, heart and music. To get to work with the amazing bands we had on this book was nothing short of incredible. My eternal thanks to Alex Segura and Matthew Rosenberg for giving me some of the most fun scripts I’ve ever gotten to work on, to Matt Herms for making me look my absolute best, to Jack Morelli for being the perfect complement to the art with his stellar letters and to the amazing editorial and administration team at Archie, who pulled out the stops on this one! Most of all, though, thank you to the readers who supported the book and allowed us to tell this once-in-a-lifetime story!”

Co-Writer Matt Rosenberg: “To be honest, I’m sad to see The Archies come to and end. But I’m so happy we got to tell the story we all wanted to tell. I’m blown away that we got the opportunity to send the gang on the road, put them in situations you’ve never seen them in before, introduce them to a few of their idols and just make a fun comic about life on the road for one of comics’ most famous bands. And I’m happy Jughead got to try all those hamburgers in all those different cities.”

The Archies #5 Main Cover Art by Greg Smallwood

The Archies #5
Writers: Alex Segura & Matt Rosenberg
Artists: Joe Eisma with Matt Herms & Jack Morelli
Publisher: Archie Comics
Release Date: February 21, 2018
Featuring guest stars TEGAN AND SARA! After a wild, trippy ride to the 60s, the Archies find themselves back in the present day—and facing a major meltdown as one of the members quits. Can indie pop sirens TEGAN AND SARA help the band through the crisis, or has the tour gone kaput?

The Archies #5 Interior Art by Joe Eisma, Matt Herms & Jack Morelli

The Archies #5 Interior Art by Joe Eisma, Matt Herms & Jack Morelli

The Archies #5 Interior Art by Joe Eisma, Matt Herms & Jack Morelli

The Archies #5 Interior Art by Joe Eisma, Matt Herms & Jack Morelli

The Archies #5 Interior Art by Joe Eisma, Matt Herms & Jack Morelli

The Archies #7 Main Cover Art by Greg Smallwood

The Archies #7
Writers: Alex Segura & Matt Rosenberg
Artists: Joe Eisma with Matt Herms & Jack Morelli
Publisher: Archie Comics
Release Date: May 2, 2018
This is it! The band has reached the end of their tour. Are they ready to play the show Veronica booked for them way back in THE ARCHIES #1? Have they learned enough to open up for JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS? The hard rockin’ conclusion to the beloved rock ‘n’ roll comic is here! FINAL ISSUE.

The Archies #7 Variant Cover Art by Fiona Staples

The Archies #5 Variant Cover Art by Cliff Chiang