Comic book character Archie to be killed off

CEBU, Philippines - Not even Archie Andrews is immortal in the world of comics.

Archie Comics announced Tuesday that the famous comic book character will heroically sacrifice himself while saving the life of a friend in a July installment of “Life with Archie,” a comic book series that tells the story of grown-up renditions of Archie and his Riverdale gang.

“We’ve been building up to this moment since we launched ‘Life with Archie’ five years ago and knew that any book that was telling the story of Archie’s life as an adult had to also show his final moment,” Archie Comics publisher and co-chief executive officer Jon Goldwater said in a statement.

Archie’s final moments will be detailed in “Life with Archie” No. 36, while issue No. 37 will jump forward a year and focus on his friends Jughead, Betty, Veronica and Reggie honoring the legacy of their red-headed pal.

Archie first appeared in comics in 1941 and went on to become a colorful icon of wholesomeness.

In recent years, Archie Comics has tackled such issues as gay characters and the zombie apocalypse in Archie’s fictional hometown of Riverdale. However, Archie himself won’t need to rise from the grave. The freckle-faced character will still be alive and well in other series. (AP)(FREEMAN)