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Graphic novelist brings autism awareness to Archie Comics Halloween special

By CNN

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    DENVER (KMGH) — Denver graphic novelist R. Alan Brooks wrote a story for the Archie Comic Digest Halloween Special featuring a new character designed to bring autism awareness to one of comics’ most beloved universes.

The story centers on Scarlett Saltee, a half-Irish, half-Filipino character with autism created by Archie Comics Co-CEO Nancy Silberkleit and her freelance team. The new issue also features Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead.

“When Scarlett was created, her platform was to represent the autistic population and to let society know that people who are on the spectrum want to be included. They want friendship,” Silberkleit said.

Silberkleit drew inspiration from her previous work as a New Jersey public school art teacher to create a character that could teach others about inclusion and autism.

“When I became a publisher, I wanted to bring that message into just not Archie Comic world, but into graphic literacy, because the power of graphic literacy is huge,” Silberkleit said.

Silberkleit said she worked on Scarlett’s story for years, taking the character with her on her travels, but couldn’t put it together until she met Brooks. She also wanted Scarlett’s story to include a message about taking care of pets and Vermont’s historic Rutland Parade — a tall order for Brooks to include in an 8-page comic.

For Brooks, the project was an opportunity to highlight the shared humanity of people with different life experiences.

“So much of what I write is about expressing the humanity of different kinds of people. It was important to me that this character Scarlett, that we could show her humanity through her autism, and it’s my hope that people who read it, whether they’re young or old, are able to connect with the humanity of that character,” Brooks said.

Brooks said honoring Archie’s 85-year legacy was a priority while writing the story. He also made a point to include two Black characters from the Archie universe.

“When you write something that’s like a legacy, like Archie, it’s more important that it is Archie than it is like Alan. But also I wanted to bring in two of the Black characters from Archie who I think came around in the 70s. The characters are named Chuck and Nancy,” Brooks said.

Brooks said his sister introduced him to Archie Comics when they were kids, and he made sure to include a nod to one fan-favorite character.

“I wanted to play with at least one of the like, legacy characters too, and there’s like a funny little gag with Jughead in it,” Brooks said.

Brooks has written several graphic novels. His work has been featured at the Denver Art Museum, he writes a comic for the Colorado Sun newspaper, and his TED Talk has nearly 3 million views.

The new story hits comic book shelves on Aug. 21. Fans can meet Brooks at Fort Collins Comic Con Aug. 14-16.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KMGH verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Nigel Farage wins election in which his main rival was a trash can

By CNN
(CNN) — When voters in the English seaside constituency of Clacton went to the polls on Thursday, they ostensibly had more choice than in any other election in British history.Thirty-four candidates stood in this by-election, the equivalent of a US special election, making the ballot paper 3 feet long. But almost all the country’s half-dozen major political parties declined to participate, with only the populist hard-right Reform UK party fielding a candidate – its leader Nigel Farage.Farage was ultimately re-elected by a substantial margin, winning 22,239 votes. He had declined to attend the results ceremony, citing a police warning about a campaign to disrupt it.His main opponent, Count Binface – a self-described intergalactic space warrior dressed as a trash can – won a creditable 9,455 votes.But this election, rather than helping to solve Farage’s problems as he perhaps hoped, has only added to them.The country’s chief anti-immigrant activist and Brexit architect, Farage was already the member of parliament (MP) for Clacton but resigned from parliament – triggering the by-election – after facing unprecedented scrutiny over his finances. Those challenging him were Binface and 32 other fringe or novelty candidates.The spectacle promptly became an object of ridicule, derided as a “circus” by commentators, while the claims over Reform’s finances refuse to go away. At the same time, Farage faces both a split in his natural coalition of voters and a more formidable opponent in Britain’s new center-left prime minister, Andy Burnham. Such headwinds are unfamiliar for Reform, which had previously been in the ascendancy, leading national opinion polls and enjoying historic gains in local elections.Novelty candidatesFarage resigned as Clacton’s MP six weeks ago, as a steady drumbeat of allegations surrounding his and his party’s financing forced him to confront questions he hadn’t previously had to answer in his political career.He has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and said: “I’ve decided the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions” when triggering the by-election.Farage sought to frame the contest as him taking on the establishment. But, said Tim Bale, a professor at Queen Mary University of London who studies right-wing politics, “it’s not worked because the other political parties … declared they wouldn’t stand, meaning the … framing has been him versus a bunch of novelty candidates.”And holding an election has opened Farage to criticism over its cost, which is expected to be around £250,000 ($338,000). The public is legally bound to pay that, despite Farage’s protestations that Reform would foot the bill.Before Farage resigned, he was facing an investigation by the parliamentary standards committee and that inquiry will resume now he has been re-elected. If it finds he breached parliamentary guidelines, that will trigger a process which could ultimately lead to another by-election. The other major parties would be expected to field candidates in that vote.Challenge from the rightWhile Farage is caught in this election spin-cycle, the grip he holds over his voter base is also faltering. Reform is now facing a challenge from its right flank as the newly established party Restore Britain – founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe – siphons off a small but significant portion of voters.Lowe, who has a longstanding feud with Farage, was forced out of the party last year and subsequently started his own, egged on by US billionaire businessman Elon Musk. Now sensing an opening, Lowe has sought to form an alliance with Farage, conditioned on Farage accepting some of Restore’s more extreme policies. Farage has not so far appeared keen to bury the hatchet.“A pact would be tricky because Restore’s policies are so extreme that adopting them would make Reform less attractive to voters who aren’t really into the whole far-right package,” Bale told CNN.All this comes against the backdrop of a new national government. Labour leader Burnham is more popular than his predecessor Keir Starmer and has already proven his ability to take on Reform during his successful return to parliament earlier this summer.In this by-election, Farage has only proven his ability to defeat an intergalactic space warrior with an upturned trash can on his head. Of course, Count Binface is not actually from space; he is a satirical character created by the comedian Jon Harvey, and has stood in several other elections.“Until August 13th, I want it to be absolutely clear that there is nowhere at all that matters to me more in the cosmos than Clacton,” he told CNN’s Max Foster from his “starship,” which he said he had transformed using a holodeck “to create the precise look of a budget hotel in Clacton.” Farage did not respond to an interview request from CNN.Binface’s manifesto is packed with national in-jokes, like promising to “cut your taxes, and raise everyone else’s,” nationalize the singer Adele and impose a “windfall tax on cosy crime novels written (or ‘written’) by celebrities.”Outlandish costumesBinface is just one in a long line of satirical candidates dating back more than six decades, who have become a unique staple of British elections. Almost anyone can run for parliament in the UK – only a £500 ($675) deposit and 10 supporters of the bid are needed – allowing for people to make their joke, or point, without too much trouble.The tradition took hold in 1963, when a young musician later known as Screaming Lord Sutch stood in a by-election. He would contest 41 parliamentary seats in all, including against three sitting prime ministers, and founded the Official Monster Raving Loony Party in 1982, according to its website.None of the party’s candidates — think Nick the Incredible Flying Brick and its current leader, Howling Laud Hope — have ever been elected to Westminster. But it inspired others to follow in its footsteps, and its three candidates in Clacton together took 61 votes.Behind the jokes, some campaigns have carried serious messages, like a man dressed as a fox advocating for animal rights who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Burnham when the former Manchester mayor returned to parliament in June.Several of the late Sutch’s policies, such as lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 and legalizing commercial radio, were eventually enacted. Still, some have derided the spectacle of novelty candidates.As for Binface, his vow to be a unity candidate was not enough to win, despite his pre-vote bravado.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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