The world of horror - in particular zombies and the undead - takes hold of the small, sleepy place. Yet Archie still takes centre stage, along with his girlfriends Betty and Veronica, Sabrina the Witch, and Jughead, Archie's lanky, ever-hungry friend.
The new series hopes to attract an older audience; Jon Goldwater, the publisher and co-chief executive, describes the stories as "Archie's Walking Dead" - a reference to the hit horror comic book series and TV show created by Robert Kirkman. The new book even has a "Teen" rating: a first for an Archie book.
Afterlife is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who has written for Marvel Comics, Glee and, more relevantly, wrote the upcoming remake of Stephen King's Carrie.
The artwork by Francesco Francavilla (Black Beetle, Batman) abandons the vibrant colours usually seen in Archie, replacing them with a Gothic style reminiscent of Tales of the Crypt, but with the modern stylings of Hellboy.
Afterlife with Archie is now on sale, but only at comic-book shops, and sadly not at your local equivalent of the Malt Shop.