After a car driven by Reggie kills Hot Dog, Jughead asks Sabrina to bring his beloved pet back to life.

Some of the characters who are either deceased or part of the zombie horde include Hot Dog, Jughead Jones (classified as Patient Zero), Principal Weatherbee, Ms. Grundy, Ethel Muggs, Terry “Pop” Tate, Coach Kleates, Fred Andrews, Archie's dog Vegas, Mayor Martinez, Forsythe and Gladys Jones, Moose Mason, Midge Klump and Jason Blossom.

In issue #8 it was revealed that the souls of the dead citizens of Riverdale still roam the Earth as ghosts while their bodies are zombified, implying some greater force - who turns out to be Cthulhu - is controlling their corpses.

Some other characters who have died before the events of the series include Hermione Lodge, Jellybean Jones, Cheryl's dog Sugar, and General Keller.

[6] In reviewing the first issue, Lonnie Nadler of Bloody Disgusting wrote, "With its balance of real dread and sugary teen drama, Afterlife with Archie captures the spirit of the best horror flicks of the late 70s.