This ain’t your grandpappy’s funny book. Afterlife with Archie No. 1. Art by Francesco Francavilla

Earlier this year I was wandering around a comic book shop looking for something scary to read. I asked a clerk for a recommendation.

“Have you seen ‘Afterlife with Archie’?” the clerk asked me. “It’s really good.”

I scoffed. “Archie?” I said. “Like Betty and Veronica ‘Archie’?”

“That’s the one,” he responded.

“No thanks,” I smiled, figuring that he was leading me towards some 1950s throwback, full of innocent clean-cut teenagers and some cheesy surface-level horror.

“Those aren’t the scares I’m looking for,” I told him. “I want something good.”

“Suit yourself,” he shrugged, and stepped away.

I left empty-handed that day, figuring I’d seek my scares from a more serious title.

And I held onto this belief for a while. “Archie”, I figured, didn’t have anything new to show me.

However, earlier this month, when Vulture.com ran a piece on the resurgence of “Archie”, reporting on a new #1 issue of the series, crafted by two heavyweights in the industry, Mark Waid and Fiona Staples, my interest piqued. I went back to the store that evening and bought it.

That’s Archie!? Archie #1. Art by Fiona Staples

“Archie #1” was excellent.

Part of what made the comic so good was that I already had a passing familiarity with the “Archie” universe.

I haven’t picked up an “Archie” comic in years, probably not since childhood, but I know the basic gist: Clean cut All-American teenager Archie Andrews and his eternal struggle between choosing good girl Betty or rich girl Veronica. His best friend, the crown-wearing Jughead, always was nearby waiting to crack some sarcastic joke and eat a plate full of hamburgers. Something like that, right?

So after reading (and re-reading) “Archie #1”, utterly floored with how much I enjoyed this modern-day take on a character that was first introduced back in 1941, I decided to take the dive into “Afterlife with Archie”. Maybe that comic book clerk knew what he was talking about.

“If they can modernize the story so well,” I figured, “Why not see what they can do with horror?”

And I’m happy I gave it a shot.

“Afterlife with Archie” takes those same characters from Riverdale and throws them into a zombie apocalypse. They aren’t all “golly” and “shucks” as the shit hits the fan. They are well-written and illustrated, in a book that firmly stands in the horror genre.

Make no mistake: they still inhabit the same “Archie” universe, but this one is replete with death, destruction, gore and horror. Sexuality, always so innocent and simple in the “Archie” comics of yore, is replaced with complex relationships, unrequited sexual desires, and confusing feelings about self and the struggle between doing what’s right and doing what’s needed.

In other words: this ain’t your grandparents’ “Archie” comic book.

The story begins with Jughead’s dog, Hot Dog (Oh yeah! The dog!) getting hit by a car. Jughead races over to Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s house (Right! I remember her!) to try to bring him back to life.

Sabrina’s aunts (Yes! From the TV show!) tell Jughead that his poor pal is too far gone, but when the aunts aren’t looking Sabrina takes pity on Jughead and helps him resurrect his dog from the dead.

And so it begins.

Dog bites Jughead, Jughead bites his parents, and you know how the story goes.

Archie and his friends, smart enough to know a zombie apocalypse when they see it (a subplot involves minor characters debating which are the best sequels of the “Halloween” series) try to defend themselves against the ensuring hordes.

Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (who also wrote 2013’s “Carrie” movie remake) and drawn by Francesco Francavilla (2012 Eisner Award winner for his cover art) the series pulls no punches. Blood, gore and violence abound.

At one point in the story Archie kills his father, now zombified. Aguirre-Sacasa and Francavilla craft this moment beautifully, contrasting tender moments of Archie being raised by his father to him now being forced to bash his skull in.

Shortly after Archie beats his father to death with a baseball bat. Next week, Archie and the gang take up windsurfing! Art by Francesco Francavilla

The hits are powerful. The horror digs deep.

While I was slow to jump on the “Afterlife with Archie” train (the first printing of the series sold out from stores almost immediately) I am happy to say that I threw my skepticism aside and was well rewarded.

“Afterlife with Archie” is a fantastic zombie story, told with characters that may be familiar, but are anything but tired.

Now, if only I can find that comic book clerk and tell him that he knew what he was talking about…