Talking ‘Welcome To Riverdale’ With Amy Chase And Liana Kangas

As  tourist destinations go, Riverdale isn’t a big city like LA or New York, but there’s no place Ginger Snapp would rather be in writer, Amy Chase, and artist, Liana Kangas‘, upcoming oneshot, Welcome to Riverdale. There’s a chance “the town with pep” might not be as peppy as Ginger Snapp expected, however. For the full story, check out this interview with Chase and Kangas below:

Rachel Bellwoar: Ginger Snapp isn’t necessarily a well-known character in the Archie universe. What do you think makes her the best person to lead this story?

Amy Chase: I think being a less known character is exactly what makes her the best lead for this. In her own stories, Ginger is nice, has lots of friends, and is from scenic Hilldale. So, when we take her away from her friends and her hometown to welcome her to Riverdale, she’s suddenly an outsider eager to fit in. A lot of readers probably think they know what to expect from the iconic town, so I think having a visiting protagonist allows us to play with those expectations through fresh eyes.

Bellwoar: Riverdale already has one famous female redhead in Cheryl Blossom. How did you approach Ginger’s character design to ensure she looked different?

Liana Kangas: Ginger is the ideal crossover character for Welcome to Riverdale. I was able to experiment and develop a really interesting design utilizing an outsider like her to explore what Hilldale looks like while in Riverdale, rather than trying to have her look compete against the legendary Cheryl. Being inspired by her more retro character designs, especially incorporating my distinctive pink into the red of her hair, I believe was essential for this particular story! It was exciting to give her a more fashion “decade cycled” focused makeover that has a special hook to the story.

Bellwoar:  Can you share anything about the other two characters who appear on Marguerite Sauvage’s variant cover?

Chase: These are definitely not the first Riverdale residents to come to anyone’s mind when they think of Archie Comics. The gentleman in the hat is Mayor Glibb, who is infrequently seen throughout the years, but a town needs a mayor to run properly! And the stylish girl to the right is Carla Teal, first introduced in the 2010s. She adds an interesting dimension to this story. Carla is blind, so people’s words and actions matter much more to her than how everything looks on the outside. Readers will have to wait and see how they both play into Ginger’s big welcome!

Bellwoar: It’s not like there aren’t other towns (Sabrina’s from Greendale and Ginger used to reside in Hilldale), but why do you think so many Archie stories take place in Riverdale?

Chase: Riverdale has almost a mythic place in comics history. It’s small-town America at its finest and it feels so familiar no matter where you grew up. No matter the story, Riverdale has everything anyone could ever need. A beach? Sure! The local diner hangout? Check! And when the story calls for it, there are zombies, monsters, and witches around the corner. The possibilities are truly endless!

Kangas: I’d like to think that Riverdale is the Bermuda Triangle of everything happening in that universe, which is why we all naturally gravitate toward it! (Insert evil laugh here!!)

Bellwoar: Toxic positivity sounds like it would be a lot harder to convey, visually, than something that’s overtly sinister. Was that the case, and how did you tackle the challenge of creating the right horror tone for this issue?

Chase: Liana did such a great job creating the visual language of this particular world – so I’ll let them speak to that. But for the script, I got to play with the characters in dialogue. What does the nicest version of Veronica Lodge or Reggie Mantle sound like? Is it weird to see them be polite no matter what? So much in this one is psychological, but there will be some more traditional Archie Horror moments, too – I just can’t say what!

Kangas: Amy and I had a really fun conversation while discussing the tone and vibe of the book before diving in to draw it. It was nice to be on the same page, we wanted to make sure to skate the line between extremely unsettling and still approachable (with the intention to stay extremely memorable for Archie Horror fans for years to come!).

Bellwoar: If Riverdale was a real town, where would be the first place you’d want to visit?

Chase: Is it a cliché to say Pop’s? You know I have to try one of those milkshakes! But knowing me, I’d probably wind up hanging out at Betty Cooper’s house for a study session or movie night.

Kangas: Veronica’s mansion, (that thing has to be haunted right?) where ELSE?!

Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Amy and Liana!

With colors by Ellie Wright and letters by Jack Morelli, Welcome to Riverdale goes on sale October 11th from Archie Comics. FOC date is September 18th.