5 facts about Katy Keene you should know before watching the show

Katy Keene is heading to the CW this fall. The fashion queen has been away from the public icon for too long, so we’ll catch you up on what to expect from this character.

Katy Keene — the fashion queen — is the newest Riverdale spin-off, premiering this fall on the CW. Season 1 was officially picked up on May 7, and the cast has been celebrating all week on social media. Starring Lucy Hale as the iconic Katy, and Ashleigh Murray as an older Josie McCoy, the story will follow Katy as she attempts to become a fashion designer in New York City, while Josie is chasing her dreams of being a famous singer. There’s no word yet if the series will have any other Riverdale (or Sabrina) connections outside of Josie — but you never know.

Katy’s been through a lot over the last 70 years, so let’s fill you in on what you may have missed.

Katy Keene was introduced in 1945

Katy Keene was created by Bill Woggon, and appeared as a backup story in Wilbur Comics #5. We’re introduced to the talented Katy, and her lovable sister, Sis. She proved to be a hit, and landed her first (of many) comics in 1949.

She’s had over 5 different comics

There was no stopping the pin-up queen, who was popular enough to warrant over five different comics at one time. And with that came thousands of different fashion looks — which were all designed by her readers. While the TV show will likely not copy that, I hope they keep her sense of fashion.

The Katy Keene Fan Magazine helped bring her back

Katy’s initial run ended in the 1960s, but her impact on people lasted. Fans Craig Leavitt and John S. Lucas launched the Katy Keene Fan Magazine in 1979, which persuaded Archie to revive the character in 1983. Her new comics kept the same camp and charm, and even stayed with keeping fan submitted fashion.

Katy and the regular Archie cast never really crossed paths

Katy was an affluent model living in the big city, while Archie and the gang were still high school kids in Riverdale. The two interacting was scarce, at best. With the casting news we know of,  it doesn’t look like there will be any crossovers… yet.

Katy hasn’t had a new comic since 2008

In 2008, Model Behavior was released by Andrew Pepoy. The comic was a modern take on Katy, and was pretty enjoyable for comic readers to dive into. As for television though, Katy’s never been on TV (animated or otherwise) either. SinCe 2008, she’s been hanging out in her dressing room, just waiting for her time to shine.

Katy Keene debuts this fall on the CW. Are you excited to finally see Katy Keene on TV?