New Archie Character | Exclusive

Although Archie Comics seem like the most all-American comics ever, they are incredibly popular in India as well, and the Archie characters have returned the love with frequent visits to the country. Now the Archie folks have rounded up some of those classic stories in The Archies in India, a trade paperback that’s due out in January 2023, ahead of the Netflix musical The Archies, which is set in India.

In typical Archie Comics fashion, though, the editors have snuck one new story into the book, and it introduces a new character, Bollywood teen idol Prasad Arora. GC4K readers are getting the first look at his character development art, above. Here’s the story he’ll be starring in:

In “Stars in Their Eyes,” Bollywood star Amisha Mehta has a film lined up to shoot in India and manages to get Betty and Veronica a gig as extras. The girls arrive on the set and Amisha discovers one of the biggest teen heartthrobs, Prasad Arora, is now scheduled to be in the film as well. When she hears this, she’s hopeful she will be in a scene with her crush. Betty and Veronica decide to play matchmaker to get Prasad and Amisha introduced… but will they cause more harm than good?

Truly, no matter where you take the Archie kids, the dynamic is the same!

Writer Bill Golliher and artist Dan Parent, who developed the new story and the new character, have both spent time in India. Golliher visited in 2019. “I loved the country; the people were so warm and kind,” he tells GC4k. “It was also great to see the amount of interest that everyone has in the Archie characters and the creators. I have friends I made then that I am still in touch with on social media. I can’t wait to get another chance to visit.” And he included a tuk tuk ride in the story because he had such a good time on them in India.

For his part, Parent said, “As much as India loves Archie, we love them right back! The upcoming feature film from Zoya Akhtar will be another milestone, furthering the relationship between Riverdale and India for years to come!”

“Creating new Indian characters to expand our group of friends is so much fun. In co-creating the character of Prasad with my pal Bill, we wanted a new heartthrob for the girls, and that opens the door for so many stories.”

We’ll give Archie President Mike Pellerito the last word.

“Archie has been hugely successful in India for generations. This collection showcases a lot of what makes Archie such a hit and we’re really thrilled to have an exclusive new story and a new character for this collection. Bill Golliher and Dan Parent have a long history at Archie and always know how to bring a new face to the gang in the right way. Prasad Arora has a great first appearance to build from, and I’m looking forward to more stories with him. Given Dan and Bill’s long track record of creating top notch stories and having enjoyed several trips to India themselves, this story really sings.”

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