It has been 45 years since the release of John Carpenter’s Halloween. And while there are so many unique approaches to celebrating the occasion – killing your babysitter, purchasing Laurie Strode’s house, etc. – there is now yet another way. Debuting at the H45: 45 Years of Terror convention, new prints that bring Michael Myers to Riverdale (or is it Archie to Haddonfield?) is the crossover you had no idea had been inked into existence.
The Halloween / Archie crossover is part of the Archie Horror line, which launched in 2015. While there won’t be a run of comic books themselves, the great Matt Talbot has designed two special prints that will be featured at the aforementioned con. On the work, Talbot said, “Every so often, if you’re really fortunate, a dream project comes along—and this was one of those times. The Archie gang… meeting up with Michael Myers? When I was asked if I was up for drawing what that might look like, I couldn’t say ‘yes’ fast enough…Archie Horror and Halloween are two of my very favorite spooky things—and the chance to not only see them together, but draw them together? It doesn’t get any better than that!”
Adding to the excitement, Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater stated, “When we launched the Archie Horror line of comics ten years ago, we knew there was a strong bond between Archie fans and horror fans — both are such integral parts of American pop culture, with beloved tropes and iconic characters. And it’s hard to think of a more iconic character in horror than The Shape himself, Michael Myers.”
The Halloween celebration takes place from September 29th to October 1st in Pasadena, California. Special guests include a numerous of familiar faces – and shapes – throughout the Halloween series, including Nick Castle, PJ Soles, Tom Atkins, Anthony Michael Hall, and many more.
Archie Comics first launched in 1939, seeing a new level of popularity with the live-action series Riverdale, which concluded just last month. Halloween, meanwhile, has stood the test of time better than nearly any other slasher film, consistently ranking as one of the greatest horror movies ever.
How do you feel about the Halloween and Archie crossover? Would you hang one of the Matt Talbot prints in your home?