Archie Comics Kickstarter Cancelled: Project ‘Was No Longer About The Books’

The Kickstarter that was looking to help with funding for three new Archie Comics’ series has been cancelled less than a week after it started.

According to the description on the project’s Kickstarter page, Archie Comics has plans to launch an updated version of Archie #1 in honor of the company’s 75th anniversary. The company also announced that it will launch three new comic series in addition to the new Archie. They are Jughead, Betty and Veronica, and Life with Kevin.

The Kickstarter campaign was looking to seek $350,000 as a way to speed up the process and get these new series out to the fans as soon as possible. After launching just this past Monday, May 11, an update posted on Friday stated that the company has decided to end the campaign. By the time of the cancellation, 642 people had donated a combined total of $34,506 to the Kickstarter.

The reason behind Archie Comics ending the Kickstarter was because the company felt that it “became another conversation” and diverted them from their original goal.

“While we fully expected our goal to be funded, it was no longer about the books and how amazing they will be. We don’t want that. This is why we’re shutting this Kickstarter down today.”

The Hollywood Reporter states that while there were fans excited about the project, some had raised “suspicion” about it. One of the major concerns was why a successful company such as Archie Comics would be turning to Kickstarter for funding on new comics.

While the Kickstarter has officially ended, that doesn’t mean the new comics won’t be released. The statement from Archie Comics continued by saying it still has plans to move forward with the project, but it won’t be getting any support from a Kickstarter or other crowdfunding source.

“We believe in these books and know they’ll find an audience in comic shops, fueled by great stories and amazing creators.”

The 642 people who contributed to the Kickstarter are not going to be left out. Archie Comics said it has plans to give the contributors “thank you gifts.”

Last year, the Inquisitr reported that Archie Comics killed off its iconic character, Archie Andrews. The Life with Archie issue explained that the character died after taking a bullet for Kevin Keller, the first openly gay character to be featured in the comics. After its release, there was an announcement that Dark Horse would be doing an Archie Meets Predator crossover series.

[Image via Kickstarter video screengrab]