ARCHIE COMICS
SCRIPT/PENCILS: Dan Parent
INKS: Rich Koslowski
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COLORS: Digikore Studios
COVER: Dan Parent
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.
Archie Marries Valerie: Part 2 of 4 – “With this Ring!”
It had been several years since I’d read an Archie comic book, but my interest was aroused when I saw the cover of Archie #631. The cover featured Archie Andrews cradling Valerie Smith of Josie and the Pussycats in his arms, as the two kissed. I am a huge fan of Josie and the Pussycats going back to the two, early 1970s Saturday morning cartoon series starring the characters.
The current storyline running in the long-running Archie comic book series is “Archie Marries Valerie.” Apparently, the two have been eyeing each other for some time, and now that Valerie and her family have moved to Archie’s hometown of Riverdale, the two have gotten closer.
As Archie #632 opens, Valerie takes a stroll down Memory Lane, the magical street that allows characters to see possible futures. Valerie sees a future in which she and Archie are going to get married, but not everyone is happy, especially long-time, off-again, on-again girlfriend, Veronica Lodge. However, Valerie’s band, Josie and the Pussycats, and Archie’s band, The Archies, have an active touring schedule. So can they unite their separate professional lives in order to make a personal life together work?
What a delightful comic book this is. I wondered if Archie the series still had its special brand of charm and magic, and it does. I could read this every day. The simplest thing that I can say is that if you ever read and liked Archie, you can still read and like Archie. Current writer/artist, Dan Parent, keeps things retro cool, while modernizing the characters, settings, and plots, and that makes Archie’s very own comic book series eternally young and fun.
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http://www.archiecomics.com/
