As soon as I heard that KISS was making an appearance in Archie Comics, I wanted to get all the details right away. I am a huge fan of KISS and a huge fan of comic books, so you can understand my curiosity. I had a chance to interview Archie Comics writer Alex Segura about the upcoming “Archie Meets KISS” issue that is being released in comic specialty shops on December 28, 2011.
Talk to us about the concept of putting KISS in the world of Archie comics. How did it come about?
It was remarkably easy, actually. Gene Simmons gave Jon Goldwater, our Co-CEO, a call and said, “I want to do an Archie and KISS comic.” Jon was all for it. I got wind of the project through my meetings with Jon and our President Mike Pellerito and put together a pitch. They liked it, and here we are! Plus, Dan Parent is drawing it. What could be cooler?
Are you a KISS fan? If so, what does the band mean to you?
Definitely a fan. I love, love, love music. So yeah, I listen to KISS and they’re a big part of that. They’re really bigger than music, though. What I tell people is that Archie Meets KISS is the crossing over of two key parts of Americana. One of my earliest comic reading memories actually involve KISS, but not in the way you’d expect. I remember ads for KISS’s “Revenge” album and just wondering who the heck these guys were. If you’d told me then I’d be writing about them and Archie in a comic, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.
Describe what readers can expect from this issue of “Archie” featuring KISS?
Its mystery, comedy, fun, music, and adventure all in one. A magic spell gone wrong brings the KISS gang to Riverdale – but that’s not all. Can the Archies and the rock legends join forces to stop a gang of monsters from turning Riverdale residents into brainless zombies? I can’t say. But it’s drawn by Dan Parent… and has zombies.
What sort of challenges arose when putting the worlds of KISS and Archie together?
I think the initial question, at least for me when writing the story was just that. How can these two things cross over and still work? Once I realized Sabrina had to be in the mix, it fell into place, because she becomes the doorway to KISS and all their mystical and supernatural elements. She’s literally the key to the whole thing, and adds an interesting and fun element all her own.
How would you convince a skeptical KISS fan who feels like his favorite rock group is being wrongly characterized as a kiddie group again by being in Archie Comics?
I’m hesitant to characterize the book as anything aside from fun – it’s the KISS characters, as you know them, meeting the Archies and punching out monsters and zombies while rocking out. What more do you need from a comic series?
For more articles by Eric Shirey, check out:
Dallas Gives Key to the City to KISS Co-Founder Gene Simmons
Rock’N the Park with KISS Concert Review
Justice League #1 Comic Book Review
Eric Shirey is the founder and editor of Rondo Award nominated movie and comic book news websites MovieGeekFeed.com and TheSpectralRealm.com. He also served as a news reporter for the award winning movie website GordonandtheWhale.com. His work has been featured on Yahoo! Movies, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! TV, Associated Content from Yahoo!, DC Comics, StarWars.com, and other national entertainment websites. Besides his three decades long obsession with everything sci-fi, horror, and fantasy related in TV and movies, Eric has what some would call an unhealthy love for comic books. This has led him to interviewing and covering legendary writers and artists in the medium like Scott Snyder, Steve Niles, Bernie Wrightson, and Howard Chaykin. His personal website is www.ersink.com.