A classic Archie Comics' character is making her return in a groundbreaking new one-shot for the publisher. Chilling Adventures Presents...Strange Science #1 sees the return of Danni Malloy, reinterpreted as Archie's first trans character.

In an exclusive with a classic Archie title, Dilton's Strange Science, and brings back one of its featured characters, Danni Malloy. In a major first for the company, Danni is being reinterpreted as a trans woman. The comic will showcase the versatility of horror by blending elements of horror with sci-fi. Visaggio expresses excitement at writing Danni and hopes that she'll find a permanent place in Archie canon.

Archie Comics Brings Back Danni Malloy as its First Trans Character

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Danni's reintroduction to the Archie Universe comes hot on the heels of her recent appearance in Archie's Free Comic Book Day offering, Archie Horror Presents: The Cursed Library. Danni is shown to be the best friend of Jinx Holliday, another classic Archie character that was also recently brought back into the modern-day Archie Comics. Chilling Adventures Presents...Strange Science #1 follows the publisher's recent attempts to modernize many of its older properties with a more mature and darker bend. The Archie Horror brand began with books like Afterlife with Archie and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina before digging into deeper chapters of Archie history, like bringing Jughead's cousin back for The Cult of That Wilkin Boy.

But the latest addition to the Archie Horror line isn't just about resurrecting a title that hasn't been seen in years. It's giving a character from Archie's large roster an update that adds to the brand's growing diverse roster. Archie Comics has done exceptionally well at providing good LGBTQ+ representation in its books, adding in openly gay characters like Kevin Keller and officially confirming Jughead as asexual. But until now, the publisher had yet to introduce an openly trans character to Riverdale. With Danni's return to Archie Comics, the brand is giving a voice to a severely underserved part of the comic book community.

Danni Malloy Proves Archie Comics Are For Everyone

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Not only has Archie Comics pumped new life into the brand with its many different spins on the horror genre, but the publisher has also made a concentrated effort to bring Riverdale into the 21st century with characters that better reflect a more modern population. Trans characters have slowly been introduced into several mainline books, but Archie is doing a real service by putting Danni Malloy front and center in her own one-shot. It gives fans a chance to see what Danni is all about and puts a spotlight on Archie's groundbreaking new character. Fans can see Archie's first trans character in her one-shot special when Chilling Adventures Presents...Strange Science #1 releases July 17th.

Source: io9