On a scale from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Meet Archie to the CW’s Riverdale, Archie Meets Jay and Silent Bob barely registers as an odd entry in the Archie comic canon.

The upcoming Kevin Smith-penned double issue puts Archie Andrews into the Clerks View Askewniverse in the period following the events of Clerks III, in which Dante (Brian O’Halloran), a mainstay in the franchise, passed away. Smith told the Hollywood Reporter that Archie gets a summer job at the Quick Stop where he helps Dante’s friend and co-worker Randal (Jeff Anderson) come to terms with his loss.

“Archie plays a role in the healing,” Smith told HR. He added, “not only is this my stab at a classic American franchise that existed long before me that I read as a kid… It’s a midlife crisis project about death and learning to deal.”

This is just one in a series of comic crossovers between the Riverdale gang and characters from other universes. In previous comics, Archie has had encounters with Predator, the Punisher, a Sharknado, the rock band KISS, and Barack Obama and Sarah Palin, to name but a few.

Smith is a lifelong fan of the Archie comics, and has referenced the characters in his work. In Chasing Amy two characters debate whether Archie and Jughead were romantically involved, and in Clerks, there’s a character named Veronica who embodies the comic character, a permanent rival (with Betty) for Archie’s affections.

Smith said in the interview that he wrote his first draft in just one day after Archie creative executive Jesse Goldwater approached him with the idea.

“Kevin has always been one of my creative heroes, and seeing him bring his unique voice and vision to the page with all of these iconic characters truly feels like a once in a lifetime moment,” Goldwater said in a statement. 

Fernando Ruiz and Rich Koslowski drew the comic, Matt Herms provided the color, Jack Morelli did the lettering, and the cover was drawn by Ruiz, Koslowski and Rosario “Tito” Peña. It is a partnership between Archie and Smith’s Secret Stash Press.

The comic will be available in your favorite comic shop on July 9th.