Since 1941 , comic book fans have followed the exploits of teenaged Archie Andrews and his friends . This July , they 'll find out how he dies . `` Life With Archie '' # 36 hits stores on July 16 , and CNN can reveal exclusively that it tells the story of how Archie sacrifices himself to save a friend . Few details are known , but it seems fitting that Archie would go out a hero . The 37th issue one week later will end the series . The `` Life With Archie '' series has been telling the stories of possible future Archie scenarios for the past few years , and so Archie will continue to be alive in the comics set in the present day . CNN spoke with Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater ( son of Archie creator John Goldwater ) about the upcoming issues . CNN : Can you explain the `` Life With Archie '' series for the uninitiated ? Goldwater : `` Life With Archie '' is Archie 's future -- it gives readers a look into what his life would be like after high school and college , which has never really been explored . Most fans are familiar with Archie as a high schooler , hanging out at Pop 's Chocklit Shop with his friends . `` Life With Archie '' shows what happens when Archie becomes an adult and starts dealing with grownup issues . Each issue is normally split into two storylines -- one telling a tale of Archie married to Veronica another with him ending up with Betty . The final issue , however , will show readers Archie 's final fate in both timelines -- and they 're the same . CNN : Why kill Archie ? Goldwater : I think it 's the natural conclusion to the `` Life With Archie '' series . Archie dies as he lived -- heroically . He dies saving the life of a friend , and does it in his usual selfless way . Archie has always been a representation of us -- the best of us . Our strengths and our faults . Writer Paul Kupperberg , with input from myself , has crafted an emotional , impactful and classic story that I know will survive the test of time . This is n't a random one-off or `` what-if '' story that we 're doing as a gag . This is the story that we mapped out carefully and with much thought . This is the death of Archie as we see it , and we 're treating it with that same level of gravitas and import . It 's a once-in-a-lifetime event , and we are being very considerate about it . CNN : What are you hoping to accomplish with this storyline ? Goldwater : First and foremost , like with anything we do at Archie , we want to tell a great , memorable story . That being said , this story in particular is of the utmost importance to us as a company and as a keeper of the Archie brand . We want to not only show how Archie 's life ends , but also what he means to the world around him . We want to celebrate his life . After the events of `` Life With Archie '' # 36 , fans will leap forward a year to see the aftermath , and how his friends have moved on since his surprising death . What 's Jughead doing ? How are Betty and Veronica dealing with the loss ? It 's not about the attention-grab of the death but about telling a great , evocative story that reminds people why this character is important to the fabric of pop culture -- and showing how heroic a normal guy like Archie can be , and how important it is to realize that . This is n't a story we 're going to retcon a few weeks from now . This happened . This is the conclusion to the `` Life With Archie '' story and timeline , and it will allow us as a company and the world to take a moment to look at Archie 's life as a whole and recognize him as one of the most important characters -- not in just comics -- but in popular culture . We want people to feel the same emotional roller coaster we felt putting this story together -- to feel the range of emotions , from happiness , sadness , anger , joy and pride . We want people to react to this in a strong way because Archie is so important to them . CNN : How do you hope fans will react ultimately ? Goldwater : We expect some level of shock , outrage and surprise -- followed by understanding . As a company , we are not afraid to take risks . We 're not scared to shake things up to draw attention to the great stories we 're building here at Archie . I hope fans will be intrigued by this news , pick up the issues in July and realize they 've been given one of the best comics on the stands . They 'll be handed a piece of comic book history , featuring some of the most well-known characters in the world saying goodbye to an icon . We want fans to talk about this for years to come . We think this story is bigger than anything we 've ever done -- it 's bold , dramatic and best of all , a fitting end to the life of Archie . CNN : What do you think Archie Comics has been doing by shaking things up over the recent years ? Archie : We 're a sleeping giant . Years ago , before I stepped in as CEO , Archie was seen as a dormant , nostalgia brand stuck in amber . We were in suspended animation . People thought the stories were still set in the '50s ! Now , while the characters -- like Betty , Archie , Veronica , Jughead and Reggie -- are at their core the same , Riverdale has changed . It 's caught up with the times . The town of Riverdale you read about now is like any other in America . It 's diverse , it 's not problem-free , and it represents America in an honest way . Archie is about being welcoming , diverse and entertaining . We 've managed to strike that balance in our storytelling for the last five years and managed to not only get attention , but keep people entertained . From the introduction of Kevin Keller , the first regular gay character in comics to now , the death of Archie , we 've not been afraid to take risks . The big thing is , though , our risks pay off because the stories , art and execution are spot-on . We back up what we say . CNN : What will be the long-term impact of this story ? Goldwater : Well , this is the end . This is how Archie dies in the pages of `` Life With Archie . '' We will not be retconning , reversing or backtracking on this story in terms of `` Life With Archie . '' The main Archie line , however , telling stories of Archie in high school , will continue . `` Afterlife With Archie '' [ the `` Archie '' zombie series ] will continue , and we will keep on taking risks with different and new interpretations of our characters . But as far as we see it , this is how Archie dies . That 's how we approached this story and how we 're treating it .
Archie Andrews will die in upcoming issue of `` Life With Archie '' `` Life With Archie '' is a look at Archie 's possible future scenarios . Series will end one issue after Archie 's death .