Archie & Friends

Archie Comics is pleased to announce author Alex Simmons’ first ARCHIE & FRIENDS story. Alex's work has been seen throughout many comics, such as Blackjack, Batman, Tarzan, Superman, Race Against Time, all the way to Scooby Doo. He has enjoyed a diverse romp through the world of comics.

Over the past 11 years, he's written fascinating stories that have spanned the genres of high adventure, sci-fi, and mystery. Now he's taking a walk down the streets of Riverdale as he pens his first Archie story in an adventurous tale that is so big, it spans 4 issues.

"This is a real kick for me," Simmons says. "In my career I have been fortunate enough to write stories for several of the fictional characters I grew up with, including a modern play and two books involving Sherlock Holmes. Writing for Archie just raised the enjoyment bar another level."

Simmons continues, "Rex Lindsey is the man!!! His artwork on "Double-A Seven" is fantastic! I especially love the view from the London Eye observation wheel. What a shot. Rex's art will definitely pull our readers into the exotic settings of our story, and that's a big part of this wild ride."

Simmons’ “ARCHIE WORLD TOUR” will begin its globetrotting tale in ARCHIE & FRIENDS #117 on sale March 13, 2007 and continue through ARCHIE & FRIENDS #120. "ARCHIE & FRIENDS #117 will be available at the March 29th KIDS' COMIC CON, where I will be happy to sign free copies for the first 300 fans at the Archie booth," Simmons says.

ARCHIE & FRIENDS #117"Archie World Tour Part 1 of 4: Double-A Seven" When Archie and friends embark on a whirlwind world tour, their first stop is London, where they soon find themselves embroiled in an international spy mystery! This is the first Archie Comics story by acclaimed writer and children’s art advocate Alex Simmons. In a distinguished career spanning 20 years, Alex has written juvenile mystery novels, stage plays, documentaries, biographies and more. In addition to writing, he travels across the country as a guest speaker and a teaching artist conducting creative writing workshops, and is also the Educational Outreach Director for New York City’s Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. In the midst of all this, he somehow finds the time to be a voice-over artist for commercials and podcasts, AND runs a family-friendly kids comic convention each year!

SCRIPT: Alex Simmons. ART: Rex Lindsey.

Shipping Date: March 5th, 2008

On Sale at Comic Specialty Shops: March 12th, 2008

On Sale on Newsstands: March 25th, 2008

32-page, full color comic

$2.25 US

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED WRITER AND CHILDREN’S ART ADVOCATE ALEX SIMMONS IS BACK WITH ANOTHER THRILLING ARCHIE & FRIENDS MYSTERY!

In the last two issues of ARCHIE & FRIENDS, Archie and his friends were taken on a journey reminiscent of the classic LIFE WITH ARCHIE and AROUND THE WORLD WITH ARCHIE tales of yore. Epic in scope, these stories often involved the gang getting involved in some sort of intrigue that needed to be solved before they could return home to good ‘ol Riverdale U.S.A. Famed writer Alex Simmons has brought the mystery back to the pages of Archie Comics, and this month, in ARCHIE & FRIENDS #119 the teens’ whirlwind adventure continues with a trip to Nairobi!

In “Archie World Tour Part 2 of 4,” Archie and his friends continue their quest to see five cities in ten days. They barely have time to reminisce about London and Madrid before arriving in Nairobi, Kenya! Everyone is excited as they visit one local landmark after another, including the state museum and zoo. Of course, no trip would be complete without some suspenseful intrigue, and this one is no different as Archie and Jughead find themselves being trailed by two mysterious men. Who are they, and what are they up to? It all adds up to one world tour you won’t want to miss!

In a career spanning over 20 years, Alex Simmons has proven himself to be a real renaissance man. With a particular love for children’s literature, Simmons has taken on several projects for the younger set. Among them are several juvenile mystery novels for a variety of well-known publishers (and in the great tradition of children’s mysteries, keeps his real name mysterious by using a pseudonym).

But he doesn’t just write mysteries for children. He’s also a playwright. His “Sherlock Holmes & the Hands of Othello” received critical praise and was published in Black Thunder: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Drama, published by Signet/Mentor Books. And that’s just one of several plays Simmons has written.

From fiction to fact, Simmons has also made major contributions by penning two educational documentaries and three biographies for Steck-Vaughn. Among these biographies is a look at the life and career of Oscar® winning movie actor Denzel Washington.

Speaking of movies and other similar forms of entertainment arena, Simmons has had a hand there as well. To date, he’s written three movie novelizations for Disney. And as a voiceover talent, Simmons can be heard on a wide range of projects from O'Henry candy bars to financial podcasts for DeLoitte and Touche.

With all of his accomplishments, educating children remains Simmons’ #1 passion. As a guest speaking and teaching artist, he travels the country conducting creative writing workshops, and is also the Educational Outreach Director for New York City’s Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. In 2007, he launched the now-annual family-friendly Kids Comic Con, a celebration of children’s comics and their creators that is both entertaining and educational. He is also a board member on the New York State Alliance for Arts and Education, and a member of the New York Writer's Workshop.

In addition to Simmons’ crackling script, fan-favorite Rex Lindsey is back with some of the best art of his career. It all adds up to one world tour you won’t want to miss!

ARCHIE & FRIENDS #119
“Archie World Tour Part 3 of 4
SCRIPT: Alex Simmons. ART: Rex Lindsey.
Shipping Date: May 7th, 2008
On Sale at Comic Specialty Shops: May 14th, 2008
On Sale on Newsstands: May 27th, 2008
32-page, full color comic
$2.25 US.