When New Zealander KJ Apa was cast as Archie Andrews in Riverdale, people were alarmed that a man with distinctly not red hair would play one of the most iconic red-haired characters in comic books. Never fear—the first pictures from Riverdale have hit the web, and Archie looks great.
https://gizmodo.com/the-cws-archie-show-has-found-its-archie-1761233186
Obviously what you see above is actually the rebooted Archie from the excellent Mark Waid/Fiona Staples run of Archie that began last year. But honestly? Apa has been transformed into pretty much exactly that panel above, red hair and all:
Hey @kj_apa, we're digging the hair color! 👀 #Riverdale https://t.co/3wUzkdZcxf pic.twitter.com/6Btvh4RRYh
— Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) March 20, 2016
(Also, it’s really weird that even the official Archie Comics Twitter account has to post paparazzi pictures rather than an official still or something.)
But hey! Apa’s Archie Andrews is looking fantastic. While fans of the character’s classic look might be a little irked at the hip-and-handsome modernized appearance, this is so spot-on to the fantastic comic reboot (which you should absolutely read) that now I’m looking forward to Riverdale even more than I previously was.
