Tuesday, September 19, 2023

#IReadsYou Review: ARCHIE & FRIENDS Hot Summer Movies #1

ARCHIE & FRIENDS HOT SUMMER MOVIES #1 (#16)
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

STORY: Adrian Ropp; Rich Margopoulos; George Gladir; Dan Parent
PENCILS: Bill Galvan; Gene Colan; Dan DeCarlo: Dan Parent
INKS: Ben Galvan; Rudy Lapick; Jim DeCarlo; Dan Parent
COLORS: Glenn Whitmore; Dan Parent
LETTERS: Jack Morelli; Bill Yoshida
EDITORS: Jamie Lee Rotante; Vincent Lovallo; Stephen Oswald
EiC: Mike Pellerito
COVER: Bill and Ben Galvan
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2023); on sale in comic book shops June 7, 2023

Rating: All-Ages

“Riverdale Jones and the Burger of Density”

Eternal high school student and teenage boy, Archie Andrews, and his friends made their debut in M.L.J. Magazines' Pep Comics #22 (cover dated: December 1941), and before long, Archie was the publisher's headliner character.  In 1946, the company changed its named to Archie Comic Publications, also known as “Archie Comics.”

Archie Comics published the series, Archie & Friends, from 1992 to 2012 for 159 issues.  Since 2019, Archie has been publishing a new iteration of Archie & Friends as a series of themed one-shot comic books.  The latest is Archie & Friends Hot Summer Movies No.1, the sixteenth issue in the series.  It features one new five-page story, two reprint stories, and gallery of humorous illustrated cards.  Entitled “Riverdale Jones and the Burger of Density,” the new story is written by Adrian Ropp; drawn by Bill Galvan (pencils) and Ben Galvan (inks); colored by Glenn Whitmore; and lettered by the great Jack Morelli.

“Riverdale Jones and the Burger of Density”:
The story opens in Riverdale, specifically Pop's Diner.  Archie and Betty are concerned about the state of Jughead Jones, who has just devoured Pop's thickest and juiciest burger creation yet.  However, Jughead's mind is far away.  He is once again the hero burgerologist, Riverdale Jones, and he is deep in the heart of the rain forest, where he hopes to find the most delicious, exotic burger.  With his faithful pet, Hot Dog, by his side, can Riverdale find a legendary hamburger that may be every bit as formidable as the one Jughead already ate?

THE LOWDOWN:   Over the last few years, Archie's marketing department has been sending PDF copies of some of their titles for review.  One of the most recent is Archie & Friends Hot Summer Movies No. 1, (which is titled Archie & Friends #1 (#16), in the indicia).

“Riverdale Jones and the Burger of Density” is a nice, short send-up and tribute to Indiana Jones.  With the impending arrival of the film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, this is the perfect time for Archie Comics to spoof the beloved movie adventurer and archaeologist.  If I understand correctly, Jughead has been “Riverdale Jones” in the past, but if that is the case, I have not been able to discover the specific issue or issues in which Riverdale appeared.

Anyway, writer Adrian Ropp and artists Bill Galvan and his son, Ben Galvan, have created a sweet comics confection that alone is worth the price of admission.  Plus, as a bonus, this comic book offers “E.T. Travesty,” a tale drawn by the classic Archie Comics artist, Dan DeCarlo.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of classic-style Archie Comics will want to find a copy of Archie & Friends Hot Summer Movies No. 1.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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