Rob Liefeld to reboot Archie Comics' Shield and Mighty Crusaders in 2021

Mighty Crusaders
(Image credit: Rob Liefeld (Archie Comics))

Rob Liefeld has signed on to "reimagine" Archie Comics' superhero universe in a new 2021 event series titled Mighty Crusaders.

(Image credit: Rob Liefeld (Archie Comics))

"I've been chomping at the bit to work with the folks at Archie and do something with these legendary characters," Liefeld says in the announcement. "The Shield is the first patriotic comic book icon, pre-dating Captain America. These are the original comic book superheroes, with a glorious history behind them. I'm so psyched to tell this story and turn my fans on to these characters!"

Liefeld's Mighty Crusaders will include the Shield, as well as the Comet, the Jaguar, Fly-Girl, and more. He has a bit of history in revamping comic book characters, including the New Mutants, Captain America, and Snake-Eyes.

Archie Comics is framing Liefeld's Mighty Crusaders project as "an important, vital first step toward reintroducing Archie's essential superhero IP to a modern readership and viewership."

"Rob's work has always been dynamic, in terms of storytelling, action, character, and style. One of my earliest comic book memories was picking up a copy of X-Force #1 and being completely enamored," Archie Comics' co-president Alex Segura says. 

"To have Rob bring that same energy and fearless creativity to Archie's stable of superhero characters is a dream come true. I'm so excited for people to read these stories, and to show everyone why heroes like the Shield, Jaguar, Comet, Fly-Girl, and others matter more today than ever before."

Archie Comics hasn't shared any details on Mighty Crusaders' story or release date.

Check out Newsarama's list of the best non-Marvel and DC superheroes in comic books.

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)

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