CBO Chats With Bill Galvan

 

(c) 2025 respective copyright owner

Comic Bits Online:What is Freshman Year about?

Bill Galvan: Archie: Freshman Year is about Archie and the gang’s first year in high school, how he meets some of his teachers and friends for the first time and adjusts to high school life.

Comic Bits Online:How did you and Batton Lash get involved with Freshman Year?

Bill Galvan: I wanted to draw a story about Archie’s first year in high school, and I pitched it to Batton, who is really good at being able to blend humor and drama into a script. He also understands the characters really well, and had written one of my favorite books, “<b>Archie meets the Punisher</b>” back in the ‘90s. We then took our idea and pitched it to Archie Comics last year at the San Diego Comic Con, and they really liked the idea. I did some sketches of the characters with a “freshman year” look, and we were on our way.

Comic Bits Online How much of Freshman Year was your idea and how much was editorial?

Bill Galvan: I came up with the concept of chronicling their first year of high school, and Batton came up with the 5 issue outline and scripts for the story. The editors at Archie were really enthusiastic about our ideas, and conferred with Batton and I about the story format and the look and feel.

Comic Bits Online: Pureheart and The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.  appear in the first issue, what other surprises do you have for the fans?

Bill Galvan: We’ve got some new characters coming in, that fans are really going to like. We’ve also got some more special cameos by other characters and old favorites as well.

Comic Bits Online: In real life aren't the girls taller then the boys in the freshman year of High School?

Bill Galvan: Sometimes- certainly in Big Ethel’s case!

Comic Bits Online: What was the reason for replacing Jughead with Pencilneck G?

Bill Galvan: Pencilneck G is one of the new characters that Batton has created but certainly is not meant as a replacement for Jug (as if anyone could replace him!). Jughead’s presence is very important to the “Archie-verse” and Pencilneck G is a great way of pointing that out, as readers will see!

Comic Bits Online: There is a bully at Riverdale High, Jared McGerk, how does that play into the story?

Bill Galvan:Archie runs afoul of Jared McGerk on his first day of school, among other mishaps of the day. The first day of high school for Archie is definitely full of surprises for poor ol’ carrot-top!

Comic Bits Online What supporting characters will we be seeing in Freshman Year?

Bill Galvan: We’ll see the usual gang, Betty, Jughead, Veronica and Reggie will all be looking ahead to starting the new school year. It’s a big step for them, they’ll be in high school forever! We’ll also be introducing the usual cast, but showing how they met and came to be Archie’s friend.

Comic Bits Online: Will the Freshman Year story impact the continuity of the ongoing series set in the Junior Year?

Bill Galvan:The Freshman Year stories complement the ongoing series of Archie books. All the stories fans love are still happening, we’re really just chronicling their first year in high school. Batton did a great job of keeping the characters true to their original incarnations. The biggest difference is that the storylines feature more drama mixed with the comedy, but the characters are still drawn in the same traditional style.

Comic Bits Online: What's next after Freshman Year?

Bill Galvan: Hopefully something just as fun! Freshman Year has been a blast!

Comic Bits Chats to Dan Parent

 Another long forgotten interview with Dan Parent. I did interview Holly Golightly and Tanya Del Rio also (those are in the book)

Dan Parent speaking at the 2018 Phoenix Comic Fest in Phoenix, Arizona. (c)2025Gage Skidmore

Comic Bits Online: Let’s start with the biggest question. Comics are a celebrative effort. The editor approves the story; they are written and drawn, go to the colorist, letterer, and printer before they get to the customer. How is there time for fans to read Betty & Veronica Double Digest #164 and vote before you write the story and draw Betty & Veronica Double Digest #165?

Dan Parent: The whole story is complete, except for the last page which reveals the winner.  We'll have time to rush that page into production without any problems.

Comic Bits Online: Cheryl has been out of the limelight for a while, how did her big resurgence come about?

Dan Parent: She's always been a fan favorite.  She was hugely popular when she returned during the love showdown storyline in the 90's.  Even when her popularity wanes a bit and she goes away, she always comes back with a vengeance!

Comic Bits Online: Has Cheryl found a permanent home in the Betty & Veronica Digest comics?

Dan Parent: For the next year or so, there will be a lot of Cheryl in B&V Double Digest.  It's a good place to do a continuing storyline since the book comes out so frequently.  But you never know where she'll appear next.

Comic Bits Online: Why were some of the Cheryl Blossom stories reprinted as Ginger Lopez stories?

Dan Parent: There was a period where we didn't know what to do with Cheryl, so Cheryl stories were altered to fit in Ginger, who we introduced earlier this decade.  It wasn't a very good idea, since the fans (myself included) didn't like the altering of classic stories. Plus, Ginger and Cheryl have totally different personalities, so the stories didn't make much sense.

Comic Bits Online: What does Cheryl add to the cast that makes her a unique addition to the cast?

Dan Parent: Everybody loves a good villain. And veronica is too complex to be a totally bad girl, so Cheryl fits that bill.

Comic Bits Online: Getting back to the Game Show, who are each of the dates and what makes them unique?

Dan Parent: Austin is an eco-friendly jock, but shows Cheryl a side of life she's not used to.  Brandon is a techno-geek who is Cheryl’s total opposite, but is intrigued by him.  George is a no-nonsense chef, who speaks his mind and won't put up with Cheryl’s antics.  She's attracted to him because he's one guy who stands up to her.

Comic Bits Online: Will the winner be featured prominently as a supporting character in the Cheryl Blossom stories going forward?

Dan Parent: That's the idea!

Comic Bits Online: With the stories focusing more on Pembrooke, will we be seeing less of the Riverdale characters in up coming Cheryl stories?

Dan Parent: I like the classic Riverdale vs. Pembrooke battles.  So I don't think we'll be seeing less of the characters, just in different settings.

Comic Bits Online: After the "You Pick Cheryl's Date" storyline what is planned next?

Dan Parent: We want to use that character, plus continue with the storyline planned for Cheryl in 2009.  But we don't want to give away that scoop just yet!

Comic Bits Online: Is there any chance for Cheryl to get her own comic back?

Dan Parent: That would be great.  It all depends on response to these current books.  She did support her own books for awhile back in the nineties, so you never know.

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Comic Bits Online Q&A Paul Kupperberg:

 I was checking old documents in my email folders and came across some from Archie Comics that I did in the early 200s. They were posted on the old site that vanished in 2011 so I thought why lose them forever!

To be honest I have done so many interviews that a few I found I could not even remember!!

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.Attribution: Luigi Novi

Paul Kupperberg, a long time DC editor, has put on his freelancer hat and headed to Riverdale to spend time with Archie & Friends. In between assignments Paul had time for an international chat with his UK fans at Comic Bits Online.

Comic Bits Online: I have to ask, do you prefer Betty or Veronica?

Paul Kupperberg: Betty. Veronica reminds me too much of my first wife.

Comic Bits Online: What's it like helping Archie live with that choice?

Paul Kupperberg: It’s great! It’s been a long time since I wrote an extended melodrama like this... really, the last time I had this much emotional intensity writing a character was during my run on Vigilante for DC in the mid-1980s... I have gotten choked up writing certain scenes. Being involved with these guys at this level—especially seeing as I’ve been reading them for almost half a century—there’s a real emotional involvement that develops. Vigilante was a lot more intense for different reasons, obviously. I mean, there’s hardly any gunfire in the LIFE WITH ARCHIE series. Anyway, I really enjoy getting this deep into the characters and their lives.

Comic Bits Online: Ultimately, do you think this series shows that either Betty or Veronica would have been a good choice for Archie, or does it show that either way Archie would face struggles and challenges?

Paul Kupperberg: It shows both, really. Ultimately, they really ARE a love triangle because the feelings are genuine all around. Archie does love both of them, depending on which one he happens to be with, and Betty and Veronica are able to stay friends in spite of the competition over Archie because they truly are BFFs. And every couple faces challenges and struggles, even the ones who are perfectly matched. Relationships are complicated and I’m trying to show that, but the very loose themes I’ve been keeping in mind writing these series are, for the Veronica story line, “Money can’t buy happiness,” and for Betty’s, “Love conquers all.” I guess they’re really the same thing, when you get right down to it, just approached from different directions.

Comic Bits Online: You are following Michael Uslan on the series; what were you told you had to do with the characters?

Paul Kupperberg: Only in a broad-strokes kind of way, in that Michael laid out the overall stories of Archie’s marriages in the miniseries. He also wrote an overview for the first six-issue story arcs, which he launched in the first issue of LIFE WITH ARCHIE. But it was left to me to break down the overview and work out the HOW and WHY of the actions. Michael left me a remarkably rich source of ideas to springboard off of, and I hope I’ve been able to keep faithful to those ideas while running with them in my own way.

Comic Bits Online: What were you told you couldn't do?

Paul Kupperberg: There were no restrictions placed on me. So far, Victor and everyone have been pretty pleased with everything I’ve thrown their way.

Comic Bits Online: What do you think it is that has made Archie so popular for 70 years?

Paul Kupperberg: Because for all the goofiness, Archie and the gang are based in reality. For all the outlandishness, readers have always been able to relate to them—I was 13 or so in the 1960s when I went through a really intense period of reading and collecting Archie comics. Aside from them always being well written and drawn, I think I read Archie because he was an inspirational character...just a few years older than me, but a cool kid among the cool kids in high school, where I was soon going to be. Girls read Archie because they wanted to be Veronica or Betty. Not that we’re conscious of any of this at the time, but Archie always stayed true to that point of view.

Comic Bits Online: How do you capture that magic and make it fresh and exciting for a new audience?

Paul Kupperberg: Fortunately, I’m working on a project that’s a fresh take on the old magic, so it starts off exciting. I mean, just the idea that THE QUESTION you asked me right at the top of the interview, “Betty or Veronica?”, is finally answered, even if the answer is “Both!” You actually get to see what life WILL be like for them when they get married...whichever one he marries! And, unless I’m mistaken, this is also the first time in Archie’s history that a title has ever been continuity driven. Plus, there’s the magazine format... and Norm Breyfogle’s art! Look, you know his straight superhero stuff, but he has so nailed the Archie look without losing his own very distinctive style. He’s a superhero artist! He’s cartoonish! Fortunately, he’s both. Yeah, the more I think about it, the more there is to be excited about!

Comic Bits Online: LIFE WITH ARCHIE is in Magazine format instead of comic size; does this attract a different age group?

Paul Kupperberg: Man, I hope so! I understand LIFE WITH ARCHIE is going to be available in a lot of different outlets, over and above the usual comic shops... places like Toys R Us and Walmart, where they’ll be accessible to readers who don’t frequent comic shops.

Comic Bits Online: As a result, do you adjust your storytelling?

Paul Kupperberg: No, not too much. On the one hand, I try to keep the vocabulary relatively simple, but on the other, I’m telling the stories I’m telling. I think there’s plenty enough depth there to keep the older readers interested, but nothing that interferes with an adolescent’s understanding of the story.

Comic Bits Online: Archie has been the perennial teenager, giving generations a look at what the perfect High School experience would look like. What does the twenty-something Archie show his readers?

Paul Kupperberg: Twenty-something Archie shows his readers that everybody has to grow up sooner or later, but it’s all going to be okay with a little help from your friends.

Cinebook Newsletter 213 - September 2025

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Dear Reader, This month, we’re delighted to see some old friends return, each with their dash of novelty added to absolute classics. Take the latest Blake & Mortimer, for example. A classic series, and a plot that’s anchored in one of the most timeless classics of all – Arthurian legends! Don’t worry, though. There’s nothing hackneyed about this adventure, and the authors find a way to deliver something that feels comfortably familiar AND fresh and original at the same time. Not an easy task! This is also your chance to enjoy the wonderful art of the late, lamented André Juillard, as this was his last book before he passed last year. Our other offering is a new edition of Volume 4 of the Lucky Luke Complete Collection. You’ll find it augmented with 48 pages – a whole comic’s worth! – of bonus material: interviews, essays, illustrations, historical and biographical notes … Everything a true fan needs to improve their knowledge of one of the most seminal comic series in the world. Plus, of course, three titles collected in one hardback volume – two of them penned by the legendary René Goscinny himself! September with Cinebook – the Classical Age! Blake & Mortimer 30 André Juillard & Yves Sente Signed: Olrik A group demanding the independence of Cornwall has committed several attacks in Britain. Captain Blake, tasked with securing the site of an official visit by Prince Charles in Cornwall, must contend with the locals’ sympathies towards the secessionists and their leader, a mysterious High Druid … Read more Lucky Luke Morris & René Goscinny The Complete Collection 4 – New Edition This new edition of the fourth volume of the ‘Complete Collection’ now includes 48 pages of extra material – articles, interviews and illustrations – as well as 12 pages of short stories. A true gold mine for fans of the Lonesome Cowboy! … Read more No new titles available in Previews in October. North-American readers, to locate a comic book shop near you that stocks or can order these titles and many more, use this handy Read more   Or, if you're a retailer yourself, please go to: Read more Blake & Mortimer 30 Signed: Olrik Lucky Luke The Complete Collection 4 – New Edition Saturday and Sunday, 27 & 28 September, 2025: Cinebook will exhibit at the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival in Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria; table 1 of the Lakeside Comics Marketplace. Lakeside Comics Marketplace 2025 | Lakes International Comic Art Festival

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How Many Panels? How Many Pages?

 

 In the last post I showed how I draw panels "off page" so to speak.

14 panels for the start of the story make up 4 pages -though I may add an extra panel or two.  The end sequence consists of 10 panels and make 4 pages. Again an extra one or two panels may be added but there was a reason for drawing this end sequence quickly.

The story I had set out in my head to end this Earth Strike story (published in 1987) was a simple out-and-out fight against the villains and their hordes. However, I then realised I had a change to make to add a twist to that. 

Whoa! Not done yet.  You see at about 0400hrs one morning this week I was trying to numb my brain with You Tube when a whole new ending/explanation came into my head (as usual a fully drawn concept in my head). Now there are a couple twists and turns but this new ending added a slightly darker and more complicated slant.

I pencilled the panels roughly and added in the unedited dialogue because if I did not this supposed 20 pager might end up like The Green Skies where there was a mapped out but unwritten story that went into notes that eventually fell aside as I realised that changes to changes were a waste of time as when I started drawing things changed from panel to panel and page to page so that even the end was not one of the original three endings I had mapped out -in fact I did not really want the ending that happened because of what it meant for a character I really grew attached to.

At least with the end sequence of the SGG story roughly laid out I can try to make it the real final ending so it isn't just another super villain versus super hero end. 

I ought to add that this is the page count IF I work on A3 sheets. If I work (paste up) on A4 you can double the page count.

Draw, Cut, Paste

 

If people have seen past posts on how I work they will know that, due to the eye problem, I moved to drawing from A3 paper to A4.  I also like drawing panels and then then cutting and pasting them onto A3 which gives you a lot of opportunity to design a page.  

Sales being what they are my cranky old Mustek A3 scanner cannot be replaced but that does not mean I cannot draw, cut and paste to A4 instead. Currently drawing panels on A4 copier paper to cut and paste onto A4 (unless I can repair the A3 scanner).  

My intention is to paste the panels on a page with background of some type and these unfinished SGG Earth Strike part 2 panels should work well with that and, no, I do not use a computer for art and so, especially as I do not have Adobe, I do not scan and paste to a page on that.

 I like the feel and look of the ink on paper and how the mind (I still about have one) can design a page "as you go along" and as an Independent publisher you can experiment. It is what I miss about the seat-of-your-pants 1980s where people like Myra Hancock produced lino cut art zines or Ben Dilworth experimenting with different paper types, printing on acetate or even using templates and auto car spray paint to put covers together.  I'm getting old and I have a HUGE box of 1980s zines that can still inspire since the 1980s were the Small Press Golden Age.

Is There A Story Here?

 

Wave....please?

Hey, kids -look!

It's the Iron Warrior with his enormous chopper!

Wait...who is that waving at us? 

Why -it's Rodney Dearth the creator and builder of the Iron Warrior!

Wave back, kids.  Please. He has a hug mech  with an enormous Thing (people seem to have a problem with me writing that he has a big chopper??) that can cut you up into mince.

Kids....wave.....

 

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