Talking ‘Archie Is Mr. Justice’ With Jamie L. Rotante And Mike Norton

For Superteens fans, Archie being a superhero might not be that surprising. Riverdale being a city and not Archie’s answer to Smallville, however, is unexpected and what readers can look forward to in Archie Is Mr. Justice, a four-issue limited series starting this November. With colors by Glenn Whitmore and letters by Jack Morelli, here’s what editor Jamie Lee Rotante and artist Mike Norton had to say about working on the first issue which was written by Tim Seeley:

Rachel Bellwoar: Each issue of this limited series has a different creative team. How did you decide who to assign to what, and were there certain plot points each team had to hit?

Jamie L. Rotante: That’s a great question! The editorial team had built a general framework with what we wanted to see and certain notes the overall story should hit, but the nuts and bolts and creative direction of each issue came down to the teams. I knew I wanted Tim Seeley to be our anchor, and he did a fantastic job of directing the flow of the story in not only his issue but the rest of the issues of the miniseries. I always love the pairing of Seeley and Norton, so that was an easy team-up for the first issue. From there, each issue’s team was carefully chosen based on two key factors: who could best capture the voice of each issue’s POV character and who could best represent that character visually. I give all the credit to Archie’s intrepid Art Director Vin Lovallo for eyeing the perfect artists for each issue!

Mike Norton: I didn’t know anything going in, but I like being surprised in a script. First few pages did that!

Bellwoar: Archie Andrews has developed superpowers before. How will his time as Mr. Justice be different from when he was Pureheart and part of the Superteens?

Rotante: The key thing is tone. Pureheart, while undoubtedly a hero, has his foils, and it’s precisely those foils that distinguish his adventures as Pureheart as works of comedy. In Archie is Mr. Justice, Archie is serious about saving the town he loves and those closest to him: his only problem is juggling his hero life with his human one, and navigating the delicate balancing act of maintaining his relationships while attending to his duties as a hero.

Bellwoar: Riverdale is so well known as a small town. What do think is the appeal in re-imagining Riverdale as a city?

Norton: Pretty easy. Riverdale is the ultimate blank slate when it comes to places to draw. It’s like Springfield on the Simpsons. Or Vancouver.

Rotante: Riverdale being re-imagined as a city in this limited series is a catalyst to a lot of what happens. The idea of growing it to be this huge metropolis that prioritizes industry over its citizens kickstarts Archie’s heroic endeavors. As Riverdale expands and forces many of its lower-to-middle-class citizens to the outskirts, it morphs into something unrecognizable to Archie, a town where his family and many like him won’t be able to survive. It’s this aspect of his changing hometown thanks to Lodge Industries that fills Archie with a sense of justice, leading him to action.

Bellwoar: Instead of focusing on Veronica or Betty, Jughead is really the Lois Lane or MJ of this series. Why do you think that relationship between Jughead and Archie is so integral?

Rotante: As you’ll learn in the first issue, Jughead’s the first person to learn of Archie’s powers. Historically, Jughead has always sort of acted as Archie’s conscience and voice of reason, so it only made sense that he would have this special connection to Archie/Mr. Justice. That, combined with his keen observational skills, makes him a perfect reporter-at-large to track Mr. Justice’s exploits while also keeping Archie’s secret safe.

Norton: They’re one of comics’ greatest buddy teams! All that’s left for me now is Han and Chewbacca.

Bellwoar: Jughead’s basement also makes for a great secret headquarters. Was it fun getting to fill it with long boxes and other collectibles?

Norton:Yes. I mostly just picture my friend Matt’s basement from when we were 16. I just filled it with more stuff that I couldn’t afford back then.

Rotante: I personally had the most fun seeing all the easter eggs hidden in that panel by the creative team! I’d love to know how many eagle-eyed readers can spot!

Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Jamie and Mike!

Archie Is Mr. Justice #1 is on sale now from Archie Comics.