From its relaunch last year, Archie Comics have made history a major factor in their promotion of the Red Circle line of comics and its flagship "New Crusaders" title. With digital versions of classic Crusaders stories from the '60s to the '80s online and flashback back-up tales in print, the comic chronicling the life of teen heroes under the tutelage of The Shield has never lost sight of where it came from.

Now as Red Circle gets ready for its next wave of projects -including this year's "The Fox" series by Mark Waid and Dean Haspiel and next year's launch of "New Crusaders: Dark Tomorrow" -the publisher is reassembling some more classic Crusader tales with "New Crusaders: Legacy." The July-shipping trade includes new story sequences by "New Crusaders" writer Ian Flynn which will set up some reprints of old school stories with the original generation of Crusaders by the likes of Alex Toth, Steve Ditko, Gray Morrow and more.

In anticipation of the release, Archie shared with CBR an exclusive first look at the cover for the project by legendary artist Jerry Ordway:

"It will include a new story that will wrap around some reprints of classic 'Mighty Crusaders' comics to give readers a clearer picture of the history and legacy of these characters," Editor Paul Kaminski told CBR recently. "It'll give us more info on where the kids came from to see where they're going and why this tomorrow will be so dark -- and why it could also prove to be very hopeful in the end. These stories are from creators like Steve Ditko, Gray Morrow, Alex Toth, Carmine Infantino and more. There's a ton of really, really legendary creators from the Red Circle pantheon over the years."

Check out the full solicitation for "Legacy" below, and stay tuned for more on Red Circle Comics on CBR.

NEW CRUSADERS: LEGACY

A SUPER HERO LEGACY IS BORN! In one of history's greatest battles against the forces of evil, The Mighty Crusaders did the impossible: they won. Now, for the first time ever, witness their heroic battle for the fate of the world like never before in this unique graphic novel collection from Red Circle Comics! Using an innovative blend of NEW and CLASSIC material, New Crusaders: Legacy takes readers on a tour of the Red Circle universe, guided by the characters themselves! Picking up directly following the events of New Crusaders: Rise of the Heroes, our new team of young heroes struggle under the tutelage of the world's first patriotic super hero: the Shield. The Shield teaches these New Crusaders about the early history of their parents, the Mighty Crusaders, seen by the reader in the form of some of the best classic tales from the 1980s Red Circle super hero titles. Featuring legendary comic artists such as Steve Ditko and Alex Toth!

Script (new): Ian Flynn

Script (classic): Robert Kanigher, Marty Greim, Chas Ward, Stan Timmons, Bill Dubay, Rich Margopoulos, and David Singer

Art (new): Jerry Gaylord, Kent Archer, John Workman, and Evan Stanley

Art (classic): Steve Ditko, Gray Morrow, Alex Toth, Carmine Infantino, Eduardo Barreto, Dick Ayers, Chic Stone, Rich Buckler, Frank Giacoia, Vicatan, Lou Manna, Rex Lindsey, Alex Nino, Alan Kupperberg, Adrian Gonzales, and Ricardo Villagran

Cover: Ben Bates

978-1-936975-22-8

$16.99/$19.99CAN

6 5/8 x 10 3/16"

Trade Paperback

192pp, Full Color

Direct Market On-sale: 7/10