Talking ‘Archie Is Mr. Justice’ With Kenny Porter And Maria Laura Sanapo

Investigative journalists don’t wear capes, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t superheros. Issue three of Archie Is Mr. Justice is all about Betty and here’s what writer Kenny Porter and artist Maria Laura Sanapo had to say about Riverdale’s favorite ponytail-wearing reporter:

Rachel Bellwoar: I know you’ve done some covers for Archie, Maria (including covers for last year’s Darkling and Jaguar one-shots), but is this both of your first times writing and drawing a story for Archie Comics?

Maria Laura Sanapo: Yes, this is my first time. I had only drawn covers for Archie Comics, and I was over the moon when I was asked to do it by [Senior Director of Editorial] Jamie L. Rotante and [Art Director] Vincent Lovallo. It was something new for me and I’ll always be thankful for the opportunity. But another thing I loved was working with Kenny; while reading his script, each scene came to me panel by panel, page by page. It was a true pleasure.

Kenny Porter: Yes! It is my first time writing a story for Archie Comics. I was thrilled when Jamie reached out to me and asked if I was interested in the project. I’ve grown up with the Archie characters (Archie, Sabrina, Josie and the Pussycats), so being able to play with some of those characters is a dream come true.

Bellwoar: What was it like getting to operate in Archie’s superhero universe and do you prefer Archie’s genre mashups or would you love to work on a classic Archie story set in high school someday, too?

Porter: It was so much fun to re-imagine these characters in a superhero-style universe. And I do love the genre mashups. I remember when Afterlife with Archie first came out and how excited I was to read it. I think that the Archie characters, similar to Batman, are so iconic that they can be put through the lens of different genres. That being said, I do love classic Archie stories, and I would love to work on a classic high school Archie story someday. Which would also be a great excuse to team up with Maria again!

Sanapo: It was fantastic! I love superhero stories, and I had so much fun drawing the classic Archie characters in that role. I mean … Archie flying and saving the world? That’s definitely for me! But I also love the strong tradition behind every Archie character; I would like to draw classic stories. You can’t help but fall in love with each character, portraying their feelings and emotions. For this reason, I can’t wait to tell their stories again and with Kenny writing the script, it would be even better!

Bellwoar: Your issue of Archie Is Mr. Justice is the Betty issue. How is Betty as a point-of-view character and were the Lois Lane parallels fun to play with?

Porter: Betty is a fantastic POV character. I thought a lot about her in the classic Lois Lane role, as well as the Mary Jane Watson role in the original Ultimate Spider-Man. That was kind of my approach when I was scripting; taking a character who is really smart, young, and has the burden of being close to a superhero who she wants to help while struggling to be her own person. It was really important to me that Betty got to have her big moment in this issue, and I feel like Maria pulled that off flawlessly.

Sanapo: Betty is the POV of everyone who wants to protect the people they love no matter what, and this pops out immediately reading Kenny‘s words, which describe her beautifully. She loves deeply and her feelings are pure and sincere. Exactly like Lois Lane, she knows she doesn’t have any superpowers but she chooses to help anyway. That is what I consider the real superpower.

Bellwoar: Unlike Archie and Veronica, Betty doesn’t have a superhero alter ego but we do get to see her as an adult looking back at her relationship with Mr. Justice. Did you enjoy the chance to show Betty at different ages?

Porter: Absolutely! I think it’s a huge benefit for a story like this to have a character reflect back on their youth, especially in fantastical circumstances.

Sanapo: I loved the fact that an older Betty is telling her story. I loved the use of flashbacks here because we see a younger enthusiastic Betty determined to help Archie/Mr. Justice and an older one, more mature and aware. I chose to underline the difference visually by keeping her iconic hairstyle in the flashbacks and drawing her tufts longer in the present. This thing immediately suggests to the reader that some time has passed.

Bellwoar: At this point in the story, the public is starting to turn on Mr. Justice and the property damage his efforts are causing. Riverdale might not be pleased, but are those action sequences fun to design?

Porter: I had a blast writing those action sequences, and I think that Maria knocked it out of the park when it comes to the action and the emotional moments with the characters. I always try to make any action scene or violence have emotional consequences, and Maria sold both of those in the finished pages.

Sanapo: Those action sequences were fun to draw! Reading the script and imagining the scenes was like watching an action movie, thanks to Kenny’s talent, and it was a true pleasure to translate them into panels!

Bellwoar: Is there anything you can tease about the antagonists Mr. Justice will be going up against in this issue?

Sanapo: We tried to portray the antagonists in a way that they could be considered worthy of Mr. Justice. They’re smart and strong and hard to beat. And they also have a story behind them!

Porter: Much like an old Jack Kirby comic, we tried to give people their money’s worth when it comes to action, emotion, and antagonists. The main thing to tease, for me, would be that internal battles are sometimes just as powerful as external forces. And Maria drew both of those battles flawlessly!

Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Kenny and Maria!

With colors by Glenn Whitmore and letters by Jack Morelli, Archie Is Mr. Justice #3 goes on sale March 19th from Archie Comics.