#IReadsYou Review: BETTY & VERONICA Double Digest #306

BETTY & VERONICA (JUMBO COMICS) DOUBLE DIGEST #306
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

STORY: Tania Del Rio; Tom DeFalco; Frank Doyle; Angelo DeCesare; George Gladir and others
PENCILS: Jeff Shultz; Bill Galvan; Dan Parent; Dan DeCarlo and others
INKS: Jim Amash; Bob Smith; Rudy Lapick; Rich Koslowski and others
COLORS: Glenn Whitmore
LETTERS: Jack Morelli; Vince DeCarlo; Bill Yoshida and others
COVER: Bill Golliher with Rosario “Tito” Peña
EIC: Mike Pellerito
ISSN: 10440321; (October 2022)
192pp, Color, $8.99 U.S. (August 10, 2022 – direct market)


Rating: All-Ages

New stories: “Sunny with a Chance of Rescue!;” “Mall Madness!”

Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest is part of “The Archie Digest Library” series.  Debuting in the spring of 1987, Betty & Veronica Double Digest is a mini-trade paperback-like series that features stories reprinted from across the publishing history of Archie Comics.  The stories focus on two of Archie Comics' main characters, Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge, best friends and also rivals in their love for Archie Andrews.  Sometimes, however, these digests open with an original story.

Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #306, the latest edition, contains two brand new five -page stories.  The first is a “Betty and Veronica” tale entitled “Sunny with a Chance of Rescue!”  It is written by Tania Del Rio and is drawn by Jeff Shultz (pencils) and Jim Amash (inks).  The second is a “Pepper Smith” story entitled, “Mall Madness!”  It is written by Tom DeFalco and drawn by Bill Galvan (pencils) and Bob Smith (inks).  Both stories are colored by Glenn Whitmore and lettered by the great Jack Morelli.

Betty and Veronica in “Sunny with a Chance of Rescue!”:

It's summer, and Betty and Veronica are racing to Riverdale Beach.  It's time for their favorite summer activity – boy watching!  The summer lifeguard trials provide the perfect opportunity for the duo to check out the cute guys training to be lifeguards for the season, and their friends, Toni and Shelia, are joining in on the fun.  However, Betty and Veronica's decision to get up close and personal could lead to a need for rescuing.

Pepper Smith in “Mall Madness!”:

Pepper and Josie McCoy (of Josie and the Pussycats) are at the local mall shopping for bathing suits.  However, when word gets out that Josie's band mate, Melody Valentine, is also shopping for a bathing suit, things get hectic.  Now, Pepper and Josie have to escape … the mall madness!

THE LOWDOWN:  Betty & Veronica Double Digest #306 is a Betty & Veronica title, of course.  Thus, most of the stories feature Betty and Veronica as a duo or stories that focus on either Betty or Veronica.  This title also offers stories featuring other characters, as is the case in one of the two new stories included in this edition.

“Sunny with a Chance of Rescue!” is a Betty and Veronica story that offers the girls equal space as writer Tania Del Rio has them in a perfect partnership.  The story only works with them playing off each other's similarities.  It is one of the best new Archie Comics stories of the year, with artist Jeff Shultz perfectly capturing the classic Archie Comics vibe.

The second new story focuses on “other characters,” specifically Pepper Smith, a character from She's Josie, the precursor title to Josie and the Pussycats.  Tom DeFalco pens a surprisingly spry tale that plays of the offbeat luck of Pussycat, Melody, while using Pepper and Josie to drive the action.  Artist Bob Galvan expertly recalls the graphical style of Josie's creator, Dan DeCarlo, in this winning story.

The rest of this comic book offers one tale of Betty and/or Veronica after another, for your enjoyment.  As a Josie fan, however, I must inform you that there are three other Josie stories in Betty & Veronica Double Digest #306.  There is the two-part, “Lend Lease Part I & II,” and “Home is Where the Heart Is,” in addition to a reprint of some Josie pin-up art.

As usual, I must warn you, dear readers.  I will always recommend classic-style Archie Comics titles.  However, this 306th edition of Betty & Veronica Double Digest is a standout simply because it offers two quality new stories, so I am recommending it.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of classic-style Archie Comics will want Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #306.

A-
★★★½ out of 4 stars

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


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#IReadsYou Review: BETTY & VERONICA Double Digest #304

BETTY & VERONICA (JUMBO COMICS) DOUBLE DIGEST #304
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Tania Del Rio; Angelo DeCesare; Frank Doyle; George Gladir; Dick Malmgren; Dan Parent; Mike Pellowski; Barbara Slate; Hal Smith; Dexter Taylor; Kathleen Webb
PENCILS: Bill Golliher; Dan DeCarlo; Gus Lemoine; Stan Goldberg; Tim Kennedy; Bill Kresse; Rudy Lapick; Dan Parent; Fernando Ruiz; Jeff Shultz; Chic Stone; Dexter Taylor; Bill Vigoda
INKS: Jim Amash; Jon D'Agostino; Jim DeCarlo; Vince DeCarlo; Mike Esposito; Bill Kresse; John Lowe; Al Milgrom; Henry Scarpelli; Chic Stone
COLORS: Glenn Whitmore; Barry Grossman
LETTERS: Jack Morelli; Vince DeCarlo; Bill Kresse; Dexter Taylor; Bill Yoshida
COVER: Dan Parent with Francis Bonnet
EIC: Mike Pellerito
ISSN: 10440321; (July 2022)
192pp, Color, $8.99 U.S. (June 1, 2022 – direct market)

Rating: All-Ages

New stories: “Smells Like Teen Spirits!”

Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest is part of “The Archie Digest Library” series.  Debuting in the spring of 1987, Betty & Veronica Double Digest is a mini-trade paperback-like series that features stories reprinted from across the publishing history of Archie Comics.  The stories focus on two of Archie Comics' main characters, Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge, best friends and also rivals in their love for Archie Andrews.  Sometimes, however, these digests open with an original story.

Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #304, the latest edition, contains one brand new story, “Smells Like Teen Spirits!”  It is written by Tania Del Rio; drawn by Bill Golliher (pencils) and Jim Amash (inks); colored by Glenn Whitmore; and lettered by Jack Morelli.  It stars Sabrina Spellman with Betty and Veronica.  A teenage witch, Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appeared in Archie's Madhouse #22 (cover-dated: October 1962).  2022 is the sixtieth anniversary of the character, and Archie Comics is honoring the character with the “60 Years of Magic” celebration.

Sabrina in “Smells Like Teen Spirits!”:

The story opens at Riverdale Beach, and Sabrina is looking for a particular new pop-up shop among the beach's boardwalk shops.  Sabina hopes the new shop, “Perfume Pop-Up,” also sells empty perfume bottles.  She needs a thick new one to contain a troublesome potion she made that is about to break out of the flimsy old perfume bottle in which it is currently contained.

Unfortunately, all it takes is a moment for Betty and Veronica to expose themselves to the potion.  Now, unfortunate and unexpected things are happening to them, and Sabrina has to fix this awful situation without Betty and Veronica noticing.

THE LOWDOWN:  Although Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #304 is a Betty & Veronica title, it is also a celebration of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.  In addition to the new story, “Smell Like Teen Spirits!,” which is the story that opens this issue, the next six stories feature Sabrina as the star or co-star.

The rest of the Sabrina stories include classic old-school Sabrina characters like her Aunt Hilda and Della, the Head Witch, with Archie and the gang joining the fun.  Another delight, two of the stories are drawn by Sabrina's co-creator, the late Dan DeCarlo.

As usual, I must warn you, dear readers.  I will always recommend classic-style Archie Comics titles.  And this 304th edition of Betty & Veronica Double Digest is doubly recommended because we get Betty & Veronica and the Archie Gang and Sabrina Spellman.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of classic-style Archie Comics will want Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #304.

A-
★★★½ out of 4 stars

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


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#IReadsYou Review: BETTY & VERONICA Double Digest #303

BETTY & VERONICA (JUMBO COMICS) DOUBLE DIGEST #303
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Dan Parent; Francis Bonnet with Bob Bolling; Frank Doyle; George Gladir; Bill Golliher; Mike Pellowski; Hal Smith; Dexter Taylor; Kathleen Webb
PENCILS: Dan Parent; Rex Lindsey with Bob Bolling; Doug Crane; Jon D'Agostino; Dan DeCarlo; Stan Goldberg; Tim Kennedy; Rudy Lapick; Jeff Shultz
INKS: Bob Smith; Rex Lindsey with Jim Amash; Jim DeCarlo; Vince DeCarlo; Mike Esposito; Rich Koslowski; Rudy Lapick; John Lowe; Al Milgrom; Henry Scarpelli; Ken Selig
COLORS: Glenn Whitmore with Barry Grossman
LETTERS: Jack Morelli; Rex Lindsey with Jon D'Agostino; Teresa Davidson; Vince DeCarlo; Phil Felix; Rod Ollerenshaw; Vickie Williams; Bill Yoshida
COVER: Bill Galvan and Ben Galvan with Rosario “Tito” Peña
EIC: Mike Pellerito
ISSN: 10440321; (June 2022)
192pp, Color, $8.99 U.S. (April 27, 2022 – direct market)

Rating: All-Ages

New stories: “New Trails, Trials, and Tribulations!” and “A Million Dollars Short”

Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest is part of “The Archie Digest Library” series.  Debuting in the spring of 1987, Betty & Veronica Double Digest is a mini-trade paperback-like series that features stories reprinted from across the publishing history of Archie Comics.  The stories focus on two of Archie Comics' main characters, Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge, best friends and also rivals in their love for Archie Andrews.  Sometimes, however, these digests open with an original story.

Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #303, the latest edition, contains two brand new stories.  The first is a “Betty & Veronica” story entitled “New Trails, Trials and Tribulations!”  It is written by Dan Parent; drawn by Parent (pencils) and Bob Smith (inks); colored by Glenn Whitmore; and lettered by the Great Jack Morelli.  The second original is a “Cricket O'Dell” story entitled “A Million Dollars Short!”  It is written by Francis Bonnet; drawn and lettered by Rex Lindsey; and colored by Glenn Whitmore.

“New Trails, Trials and Tribulations!”

Betty, Veronica, Archie, and Jughead are ready to do some hiking.  Then, the gang discovers that their favorite hiking trail, Pike Trail, has been washed out by a flood.  They need to find a new one, but every other trail is riddled with problems.  Will Betty and Veronica and friends be able to find the perfect trail and enjoy the great outdoors?

“A Million Dollars Short!”

Betty and Veronica are having lunch when Veronica realizes that she has misplaced her purse … which has a million-dollar gold coin in it!  Luckily, Cricket O’Dell is also having lunch and she offers to use her sense of smell for money to track down the missing purse.  With Veronica at the wheel of her car, and Betty in the backseat, Cricket shouts out directions, sending them tearing through Riverdale as Cricket follows her nose towards the scent of the missing money.  Will they be able to track down the missing coin?

THE LOWDOWN:  “New Trails, Trials and Tribulations!” and “A Million Dollars Short!” are both only five pages long, and the latter is really a “Betty & Veronica” story guest-starring Cricket O'Dell (a recurring character who is a friend of Betty and Veronica).  Still, this is a welcomed ten new pages of classic-style Archie Comics, and I had a blast reading them.

There are also two stories featuring Josie McCoy (of Josie and the Pussycats), and both are drawn by the ultimate “Josie” comic book artist and her creator, Dan DeCarlo.  The easiest way to make me like any Archie “Jumbo Comics” digest is to include Josie, and the ten-page “The Photographers” and the six-page “Forget It” make me “over the moon” about Betty & Veronica Double Digest #303.

This edition of the digest also contains multiple pin-up illustrations featuring Betty or Veronica or both of the girls.  There are also several stories that seem to predate the “Silver Age” of comic books.  So I heartily recommend this 303rd edition of this digest, but I must warn you, dear readers.  I will always recommend classic-style Archie Comics titles.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of classic-style Archie Comics will want Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #303.

A-
★★★½ out of 4 stars

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


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BETTY & VERONICA Jumbo Comics Double Digest #299

BETTY & VERONICA (JUMBO COMICS) DOUBLE DIGEST #299
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

STORY: Bill Golliher with Craig Boldman; Frank Doyle; George Gladir; Al Hartley; Sid Jacobson; Dick Malmgren; Mike Pellowski; Hal Smith; Dexter Taylor; Kathleen Webb
PENCILS: Bill Golliher with Dan DeCarlo; Holly G!; Al Hartley; Pat Kennedy; Dan Parent; Jeff Shultz; Dexter Taylor
INKS: Jim Amash with John Costanza; Jon D'Agostino; Jimmy DeCarlo; Hy Eisman; Mike Esposito; Alison Flood; Rick Koslowski; Rudy Lapick; Al Milgrom; Henry Scarpelli; Dexter Taylor
COLORS: Glenn Whitmore with Barry Grossman
LETTERS: Jack Morelli with Vince DeCarlo; Dexter Taylor; Bill Yoshida
COVER: Jeff Shultz with Rosario “Tito” Peña
192pp, Color, $7.99 U.S. (February 2022)

Rating: All-Ages

“Holiday Lights!”

Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest is part of “The Archie Digest Library” series.  Debuting in the spring of 1987, Betty & Veronica Double Digest is a mini-trade paperback-like series that features stories reprinted from across the publishing history of Archie Comics.  Sometimes, however, these digests open with an original story.

Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #299 opens with the original story, “Holiday Lights!”  It is written by Bill Golliher; drawn by Golliher (pencils) and Jim Amash (inks); colored by Glenn Whitmore; and lettered by Jack Morelli.

As “Holiday Lights!” opens, Betty and Veronica are planning their big Christmas party, which will take place at Veronica's family home, the Lodge estate.  Veronica has planned for a “killer light display” across the entire estate, and she wants it to be the biggest light display in Riverdale.  The party guests begin to arrive:  Moose & Midge, Toni & Kevin, Jughead, Dilton, Archie, and more.  Can the guests, however, discover the true spirit of Christmas beyond the light display?

THE LOWDOWN:  “Holiday Lights” is only five pages long, but it is a delightful tale.  It's easy to digest moral is a perfect fit for Christmas and for the end of the year holidays.

Like the concurrently released, World of Archie Double Digest #115, Betty & Veronica Double Digest #299 offers other Christmas-themed and holiday-themed stories.  There is also a two-part, movie studio-set mystery tale, “Mystery at the Studio” by classic-style Archie Comics creative stalwarts, writer George Gladir and artists Stan Goldberg (pencils) and Rudy Lapick (inks).  This digest also has some Betty solo comics and some Veronica solo comics … for those who want to enjoy the girls apart.

I must warn you, dear readers.  I will always recommend classic-style Archie Comics titles.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of classic-style Archie Comics and of Christmas-themed comics will want Betty & Veronica Double Digest #299.

B+
7 out of 10

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


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#IReadsYou Review: WORLD OF ARCHIE Jumbo Comics Double Digest #115

WORLD OF ARCHIE (JUMBO COMICS) DOUBLE DIGEST #115
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

STORY: Ron Robbins with Frank Doyle; Craig Boldman; Bill Golliher; George Gladir; Tim Kennedy; Al Hartley; Mike Pellowski; Rich Margopoulos; J. Torres; Dexter Taylor
PENCILS: Pat & Tim Kennedy with Dan DeCarlo; Harry Lucey; Rex Lindsey; Bob Bolling; Dan Parent; Stan Goldberg; Bob White; Tim Kennedy; Al Hartley; Fernando Ruiz; Samm Schwartz; Henry Scarpelli; Dexter Taylor
INKS: Jim Amash; Bob Smith; Jon D'Agostino; Mike Esposito; Bob White; Rod Ollerenshaw; Rick Koslowski; Rudy Lapick; Samm Schwartz; Dexter Taylor; Henry Scarpelli; Joe Sinnott
COLORS: Glenn Whitmore with Barry Grossman; Rod Ollerenshaw; Digikore Studios
LETTERS: Jack Morelli with Bill Yoshida; Vickie Williams; Samm Schwartz; Dexter Taylor
COVER: Bill Golliher and Jeff Shultz with Rosario “Tito” Peña and Jack Morelli
192pp, Color, $7.99 U.S. (February 2022)

Rating: All-Ages

“Santa Con Carne”

World of Archie (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest is part of “The Archie Digest Library” series.  Debuting in late 2010, World of Archie Double Digest is a mini-trade paperback like series that features stories reprinted from across the publishing history of Archie Comics.  Sometimes, however, these digests offer original stories.

World of Archie (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #115 opens with an original story, “Santa Con Carne.”  It is written by Ron Robbins; drawn by Pat & Tim Kennedy (pencils) and Jim Amash (inks); colored by Glenn Whitmore; and lettered by Jack Morelli.

“Santa Con Carne” opens on Christmas Day.  Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Trevor are enjoying the “Christmas Day Santa Con” and are surprised to meet the real Kris Kringle.  It seems he has a problem.  Something important to jolly old St. Nick is missing, and the culprit may be someone familiar to Archie and his friends.

THE LOWDOWN:  “Santa Con Carne” is both a strange and delightful story, and I think of it that way because the second half of the story reminds me of Winsor McCay's acclaimed comic strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland.  The surreal elements in “Santa Con Carne” are also similar to the flights of fancy found in Aki Irie's magical manga, Ran and the Gray World.  This story is five pages long, and I wished it was longer because it has potential.

Meanwhile, the rest of World of Archie Double Digest #115 is comprised of other Christmas and Christmas-themed and holiday-themed comics.  There are also other winter-set tales, and it would not be Archie Comics without some high school set misadventures.

I should warn you, dear readers.  I will always recommend classic-style Archie Comics.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of classic-style Archie Comics and of Christmas-themed comic books will want World of Archie.

B+
7 out of 10

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


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#IReadsYou Review: ARCHIE & FRIENDS: SUPERHERO #1

ARCHIE & FRIENDS: SUPERHEROES No. 1
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

STORY: Ian Flynn
PENCILS: Pat & Tim Kennedy; Jeff Shultz
INKS: Jim Amash; Bob Smith
COLORS: Glenn Whitmore
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
EDITOR: Victor Gorelick
COVER: Pat & Tim Kennedy and Bob Smith with Rosario “Tito” Peña
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (July 2021)

Rating: All-Ages

M.L.J. Magazines, Inc. began in 1939 and primarily published superhero comics.  Then, a character named “Archie Andrews” and his friends made their debut in M.L.J.'s 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.”

Over time, Archie and his friends would become known as “Archie and the Gang.”  In 1992, Archie Comics began publishing the title Archie & Friends, and it would run for 159 issues, ceasing publication in 2012.  Since then, Archie has published a number of single-issue Archie & Friends titles built around a theme, such as Archie & Friends: Fall Festival, Archie & Friends: Beach Party, and Archie & Friends: Back to School.

Archie & Friends: Superheroes #1 is the newest Archie & Friends themed release.  This single-issue comic book contains four five-page stories depicting the super heroics of Archie and the Gang.  It also features some appearances by classic Archie superhero characters like Bob Phantom and Blackjack.

Bob Phantom was created by writer Harry Shorten and artist Irv Novick and is from the “Golden Age of Comics.”  Bob Phantom debuted in Blue Ribbon Comics #2 (cover dated: December 1939) and was “the Scourge of the Underworld.”  He disappeared from comics after 1942, and did not reappear again until 1964.  The Blackjack that appears in Archie & Friends: Superheroes is a modern version of the M.L.J. Character, “Black Jack,” who first appeared in the publisher's Zip Comics #20 (cover dated: November 1941).  After 1943, the character disappeared until a single appearance in the 1960s.

Bob Phantom and Blackjack are apparently among a group of MLJ/Archie Comics superhero characters that reappear from time to time.  They each appear in two stories in Archie & Friends: Superheroes #1, which is actually a reprint title.  The four stories that comprise Archie & Friends: Superheroes #1 were published or reprinted in one or two of the following titles:  Archie (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #297, Archie Giant Comics Gala 2019, Archie Giant Comics Hop 2019, World of Archie Double Digest May, and B&V Friend Jumbo Comics.

Two humorous Archie Comics superheroes also appear in this comic book.  The first is an updated version of “Powerteen,” the superhero identity of classic Archie character, Veronica Lodge, who first appeared in 2001.  The second is “Pureheart,” a modern take on Archie Andrews' superhero heroic identity, “Pureheart the Powerful,” who first appeared in 1965.

Archie & Friends: Superheroes #1 opens with “From Zero to Hero,” written by Ian Flynn; drawn by Pat & Tim Kennedy (pencils) and Bob Smith (inks); colored by Glenn Whitemore; and lettered by Jack Morelli.  Veronica has managed to snag an invitation to her father, Hiram Lodge's charity ball for Archie.  But when the guest of honor, superhero Bob Phantom, appears, Archie makes a mess of the evening's plans.

The same creative team (except for Jim Amash replacing Bob Smith on inks) returns for “Secret Identities.”  The story finds Archie and his pal, Jughead Jones, at the “Riverdale Comic Expo,” where Archie becomes confused about Bob Phantom's identity.

The third story is “Hidden Agenda!”  It is written by Ian Flynn; drawn by Jeff Shultz (pencils) and Jim Amash (inks); colored by Glen Whitmore; and lettered by Jack Morelli.  Veronica's Powerteen joins Blackjack in order to find out who is stealing from her father, Hiram's secret wall safe.  But a hidden agenda may complicate solving this mystery.

The creative team returns (with Bob Smith replacing Jim Amash on inks) for this comic book's final story, “Pureheart Rescue!”  Blackjack and Powerteen have to rescue Archie who has been kidnapped by “goons” working for Lucky Lavitto (an adversary of the original 1940s Black Jack).  So Blackjack and Powerteen are wondering why Archie doesn't simply become his superhero identity, Pureheart” and save himself.  Yeah, why is that?

THE LOWDOWN:   Archie & Friends: Superheroes #1 is a classic-style Archie Comics titles.  That means the cover and interior comic book art are drawn in a style that is similar to the classic Archie Comics house style.  This style was based on the art of beloved Archie artist, the late Dan DeCarlo (1919-2001), who was fired from Archie Comics shortly before his death.

Over the last decade, Archie Comics has adopted new art styles and graphic presentations for its comics publications, as it has sought to attract, young adult, teen, and older readers with new publications and updated and modernized versions of its its characters.  I have enjoyed what little of the modern Archie Comics that I have read, but I grew up on classic-style Archie Comics.

I am happy with Archie & Friends: Superheroes #1.  These stories aren't great, but I enjoyed them anyway.  In fact, I would like to see more stories of MLJ/Archie superheroes presented in this humorous fashion.

I also want to give a shout out to the creative teams, especially Jack Morelli, who is one of my favorite comic book letterers.  I also have to acknowledge colorist Glenn Whitmore, whose colors make the art by the Kennedys and Jeff Shultz seem to pop off the page.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of classic-style Archie Comics and of MLJ/Archie Comics superheroes will want to find a copy of  Archie & Friends: Superheroes #1.

B
6 out of 10

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


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Review: THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS Volume 3 #1

THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS, VOLUME 3 No. 1 (2018)
ARCHIE COMICS/Dark Circle Comics – @ArchieComics @DrkCircleComics

[This review was originally published on Patreon.]

STORY: Ian Flynn
ART: Kelsey Shannon
COLORS: Matt Herms
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
EDITORS: Alex Segura and Vincent Lovallo
COVER: Kelsey Shannon
VARIANT COVER: Matthew Dow Smith
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2018)

Rated Teen

“Heroes for Today”

The Mighty Crusaders is a superhero team from Archie Comic Publications, Inc.  The team debuted in the 1960s, apparently as an answer to DC Comics' Justice League of America and Marvel Comics' The Avengers.  Sporadically over the next 50 years, various Archie Comics and DC Comics imprints published comics titles featuring The Mighty Crusaders.

Under Archie Comics' Dark Circle Comics, there is a new title, The Mighty Crusaders (Vol. 3), that recently debuted.  It is written by Ian Flynn; drawn by Kelsey Shannon; colored by Matt Herms; and lettered by Jack Morelli.

The Mighty Crusaders, Vol. 3 #1 opens in Washington D.C. where the latest incarnation of The Crusaders is in a furious battle royale slash throw-down with the furious prehistoric terror, Dino Rex.  The current team is a mixture of veteran and new heroes sworn to be peacekeepers of the world.  They are The Shield (Victoria Adams); The Comet (Greg Reeves); Steel Sterling (Jack Sterling); Firefly (Kelly Brand); Jaguar (Ivette Velez); and Darkling.

But is this new team up to the task?  Team leader, The Shield, has her doubts.  Meanwhile, a sinister plan begins with the awakening with an ancient evil.

I cannot remember if I have ever read a comic book starring The Mighty Crusaders, and if I have, it was sooooooo long time ago.  This new Mighty Crusaders #1 is truly a teen superhero comic book.  It is not as intense or as big (in terms of scope or action) as current superhero comic books like The Avengers and Justice League are.  The character drama is the kind readers might encounter when watching an animated superhero television series like the various Justice League and Avengers animated TV series of the last two decades.  That means character drama that involves conflicts between teammates and certainly not the kind of dark interpersonal melodrama found in The Amazing Spider-Man as written by Dan Slott.

The art by Kelsey Shannon is mostly like the clear-line style, with the coloring by Matt Herms playing a big part in the composition.  It reminds me of the Disney animation-style comic book art found in IDW Publishing's recent Star Wars comic books.

That said:  I don't know if readers who gravitate towards Marvel and DC Comics' big superhero titles will care for this.  I don't think so, but I find myself a little intrigued by this.  I think there is probably an audience for The Mighty Crusaders, Vol. 3, but it might be outside the confines of the Direct Market.  I plan to take a look at future issues.  The Mighty Crusaders #1 is not great, but it looks like it could be a fun superhero comic book.

B+
7 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: JUGHEAD: The Hunger #1

JUGHEAD: THE HUNGER No. 1
ARCHIE COMICS – @ArchieComics @ArchieHorror

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Frank Tieri
PENCILS: Pat and Tim Kennedy
INKS: Bob Smith and Jim Amash
COLORS: Matt Herms
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER: Robert Hack; Michael Walsh
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2017)

Rated Teen+ for Violence and Mature Content

“Run Like the Wolf” Part One

Over the past four years, Archie Comics has gone about modernizing its characters and comic books in terms of stories, characters, and plots, as well as in visuals and graphics.  This is a publishing initiative that can be called the “new look Archie.”

The first phase of the new Archie Comics was the  the “Archie Horror” line, in which Archie Comics characters were re-imagined in a darker world, filled with the supernatural – from forbidden magic to bloodthirsty creatures.  Writer Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa and artist Francesco Francavilla took Archie Comics to the dark side in Afterlife with Archie, placing Archie and his pals in the middle of a “zombie apocalypse.”

Earlier this year, Jughead Jones went to the dark and hungry side in Jughead: The Hunger, a one-shot comic book that revealed that classic pal of Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, was descended from a line of werewolves.  He started killing, and Betty Cooper, one of Archie's girlfriends and a werewolf hunter, started hunting him.  Archie and Betty could not save Jughead, and he skipped town after killing Reggie Mantle.

Jughead: The Hunter is now an ongoing series.  It is written by Frank Tieri; drawn by Pat & Tim Kennedy (pencils) and Bob Smith and Jim Amash (inks); colored by Matt Herms; and lettered by Jack Morelli.

Jughead: The Hunger #1 opens three week earlier at Riverdale Hospital where Reggie Mantle is declared dead... or not.  Moving forward, Jughead has run away and joined the circus.  He has found some sense of peace, although the circus' animals avoid him.  Meanwhile, Betty and Archie continue to follow Jughead's trail, but someone new is about to join their little hunt.

I think the original Jughead: The Hunger was published at a time when I was too busy to track the coming and goings of one-shot comic books.  However, because I really love Afterlife with Archie and also the second “Archie Horror” title, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, I was determined to get a copy of Jughead: The Hunger #1, and it is worth the effort and the decision to continue it as an ongoing series.

“Archie Horror” titles are steeped in the tradition of the best American horror comic books, from EC Comics and Warren Publications to DC Comics “Bronze and Copper Ages” titles and its Vertigo imprint.  Sometimes, it is in the tone of the narrative; other times “Archie Horror” comic books capture the spirit of classic horror comic books.  Jughead: The Hunger #1 has it all, and it is also an engaging supernatural teen soap opera, presenting scares and scary teens.

Of course, we are early in this series, but I see teen melodrama playing a big part in Jughead: The Hunger, probably as much as the monster side of the story.  Matt Herms' gorgeous colors capture and heighten all this story's moods – from the intensity of the emergency room to the loneliness of Jughead's secretive circus life.  Jack Morelli's clean lettering fits in like a perfect storyteller, knowing that it is all about the story.

I must say that I am surprised.  I did not expect Jughead: The Hunger #1 to grab me as the earlier “Archie Horror” comics had.  I ask myself, “Are these horror titles really as good as I think they are?”  Find out for yourself, dear readers.

8.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA #7

CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA No. 7
ARCHIE COMICS – @ArchieComics @ArchieHorror

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
ART: Robert Hack
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER: Robert Hack
VARIANT COVER: Moritat
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2017)

“Witch-War” Chapter One: “The Truth About Demonology”

Rated Teen + (Violence and mature content)

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is one of two Archie Comics series that were re-imagined as horror comic books and and published under the “Archie Horror” imprint.  [The other is the zombie apocalypse series, Afterlife with Archie, a play on the title Life with Archie.]  Chilling Adventures of Sabrina takes the traditionally lighthearted Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch and re-imagines Sabrina's four-color world as a place of witchcraft, Satanism, and murder-most-foul.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa; drawn by Robert Hack; and lettered by Jack Morelli.  The story is set in the 1960s, with the current story line largely taking place in 1967.  Sabrina Victoria Spellman is a 16-year-old who lives in Greendale with her aunts, Hilda and Zelda (two witches of the Satan-serving variety); her cousin, Ambrose (a warlock); and her familiar, a cat named Salem (once a human).

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #7 (“The Truth About Demonology”) opens at midnight, the “Witching Hour.”  Harvey Kinkle, Sabrina's boyfriend, is back... or is he?  Harvey was murdered by the coven because he innocently interrupted Sabrina's initiation ceremony into the Church of Night.  Sabrina had help bringing Harvey back to life, but that “help,” Madame Satan, has other plans.  Now, Edward Spellman, Sabrina's long-missing father, is back, and he has an origin story to tell.

I recently discovered that a close friend of mine is also a big fan of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.  Anyone who reads this comic book will find it hard not to love this chilling, occult series.  It is one of the darkest, most Satanic-skewing comic book that I have ever read.  Writer Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa writes that he is a fan of and has been influenced by writers such as Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, and Clive Barker and comic book writers like Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman.  Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a work worthy of being influenced by these greats.

Artist Robert Hack's work here is a creepy sight to behold.  It is also supreme horror comics storytelling, truly brilliant, atmospheric, (dare I say) chilling work.  The process of reading these stories feels sinister against my eyes.  Yes, I am recommending this series.

[This issue includes the classic Sabrina story, “Castle Hassle” by writer George Gladir, artists Bob Bolling (pencils) and Rudy Lapick (inks); colorist Barry Grossman; and letterer Bill Yoshida.]

A+
10 out of 10

http://archiehorror.com/

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------------------------

Review: JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS #1

JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS VOL. 2 No. 1 (2016)
ARCHIE COMICS – @ArchieComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Marguerite Bennett and Cameron Deordio
ART: Audrey Mok
COLORS: Andre Szymanowicz
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER: Audrey Mok
VARIANT COVERS: Derek Charm, Colleen Coover, Veronica Fish, Francesco Francavilla, Robert Hack, Gisele Legace, Alitha Martinez, Marguerite Sauvage,
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2016)

Josie and the Pussycats began as a 1963 teen-humor comic book entitled She's Josie (cover date:  February 1963).  Published by Archie Comics, it was created by Dan DeCarlo and focused on the fanciful life and times of a teenager, the sweet and level-headed redhead, Josie.  The title was renamed Josie with issue #17 (cover dated:  December 1965).

It became Josie and the Pussycats with issue #45 (cover date:  December 1969), in which Josie and her friend, Melody, formed a band called the Pussycats.  The two friends added bassist Valerie Smith, the new girl in school and one of the first major African-American comic book characters.  The trio donned leopard print band uniforms that came with long tails and cat-ear headbands.  Hanna-Barbera adapted this new-look Josie into the Saturday morning animated television series, “Josie and the Pussycats,” which ran for two seasons.

The comic book ran until Josie and the Pussycats #106 (cover date:  October 1982), but the characters made appearances in other Archie Comics after that and was even the subject of an American manga makeover about a decade ago.  Josie and the Pussycats are remade, redesigned, and re-imagined again, this time as part of Archie Comics new-look line of comic books.  This new Josie and the Pussycats is written by Marguerite Bennett and Cameron Deordio; drawn by Audrey Mok; colored by Andre Szymanowicz, and lettered by Jack Morelli.

Josie and the Pussycats #1 opens in the bar, “Win Some Booze Some,” in Riverdale.  The owner, Pepper, has allowed her pal, Josie, to try out her folksy vocals, but customers are not interested, and even Josie's frenemy, Alexandra, stops by to rub it in.  Josie would so like to perform at the charity benefit concert for the Riverdale Animal Shelter, but it is for bands only.  Despondent, Josie does not realize how close she is to having a band, but will she know how work it when she gets one?

I have to keep it real.  I only have a passing interest in the new-look Archie Comics, and that interest is not strong enough to make me read even the review PDFs I get from Archie Comics.  However, I have been in love with Josie and the Pussycats since I was a tyke, so I gave this new look a look.

It isn't bad.  Actually, this first issue is average, at best.  Honestly, my Josie is drawn by Dan DeCarlo and the other Archie Comics artists who mimicked DeCarlo's style for four decades of Josie comics.  New-look Josie artist, Audrey Mok, draws beautiful covers, but her interior art for Josie and the Pussycats #1 but does not rise to the level of her cover art for issue #1.  The story is OK, and I might come back for the second issue and maybe a third issue if the second issue entices me.

But this ain't my Josie.  This really isn't Josie, but to be fair, I won't grade this series, yet.

[This issue reprints the Josie and the Pussycats story, “Pussy Footing,” which was written by Dick Malmgren; drawn by Dan DeCarlo (pencils) and Rudy Lapick (inks); and lettered by Bill Yoshida.]

Now, these are my girls.  I think “Pussy Footing” was one of two Josie chapters in Josie and the Pussycats #45.  I love it.  Now, I need to get to eBay.

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


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------

Review: CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA #5

CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA No. 5
ARCHIE COMICS – @ArchieComics @ArchieHorror

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
ART: Robert Hack
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER/VARIANT COVER: Robert Hack
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2016)

“The Crucible” Chapter Five: “The Trial”

Rated Teen + (Violence and mature content)

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is one of two Archie Comics series that were re-imagined as horror comic books.  The other is the zombie apocalypse series, Afterlife with Archie (a play on the title Life with Archie).  Published under the “Archie Horror” imprint, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina takes the traditionally lighthearted Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch and re-imagines Sabrina's four-color world as darkly-hued place of witchcraft, Satanism, and murder-most-foul.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa; drawn by Robert Hack; and lettered by Jack Morelli.  The story is set in the 1960s, with the current story line largely taking place in 1967.  Sabrina Victoria Spellman is a 16-year-old who lives in Greendale with her aunts, Hilda and Zelda (two witches of the Satan-serving variety); her cousin, Ambrose (a warlock); and her familiar, a cat named Salem.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #5 (“The Trial”) finds Sabrina facing the judgment of the Witches' Council for the sin of cavorting with a mortal.  On the eve of her 16th birthday, Sabrina was to be baptized a full member of the Church of Night.  However, her boyfriend, Harvey Kinkle, was tricked into interrupting the ceremony, which cost him his life.  Now, Sabrina must prove that the incident was not directly her fault, or she will face unending torment.

Meanwhile, Madame Satan, the mastermind behind the disaster with Harvey, drafts two Riverdale high school witches, Betty and Veronica (yes, that Betty and Veronica), into her plot.  Together, this trio will attempt to ensnare Sabrina into a dangerous ritual.

Way back in the early years of Image Comics, one of the “Image guys” explained why fans should accept that many Image Comics titles arrived in comic book shops way past their initial date of publication.  It takes a long time to grow roses was basically what that Image guy said.  So Image Comics were like roses, which to many are the epitome of flowers.  Thus, it took a long time to draw Image Comics, those roses of American comic book publishing.

Well, quite a few of those early Image Comics were roses to some, but they were weeds to others – weeds that eventually nearly choked the life out of the U.S. comic book market.  Also, I think it was the seminal hip-hop duo, OutKast, that sang that roses really smell like shit.

Anyway, it has been nearly a year since the publication of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #4, and, if I remember correctly, there was a long wait between the publication of the first two issues of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and the third and fourth issues.  All four issues were like roses, for the sake of the metaphor, so the length of time to grow Chilling Adventures of Sabrina installments were worth the wait.  They are flowers from a garden of unearthly delights, and when they finally bloom, they are a creepy sight to behold.

Seriously, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #5 is so good that I can't be mad.  It is certainly worth the wait.  Yeah, I'd like to read it more often, but while reading issue #5, the long delay between it and the fourth issue was the last thing on my mind.

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Robert Hack have created a horror comic book for the ages.  They are not defiling all-things Archie; rather, they are expanding the possibilities of the world of Archie Comics.  I think that the possibilities for expanding that world into multiple genres are limitless, but that has rarely been tested.  I also think writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's work is the vanguard that led to the recent new-look Archie Comics.

With artist Robert Hack, Aguirre-Sacasa will remain at the forefront of a revolution.  Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #5, a helluva occult comic, proves that.

[This issue includes a preview of Afterlife with Archie #9.]

A

http://archiehorror.com/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------------

Review: CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA #4

CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA #4
ARCHIE COMICS – @ArchieComics @ArchieHorror

STORY: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
ART: Robert Hack
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER/VARIANT COVER: Robert Hack
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (September 2015)

“The Crucible” Chapter Four: “Harvey Horrors”

Rated Teen + (Violence and mature content)

When writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo created Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch and her world in the early 1960s, did they imagine or could they have imagined how much it would all change decades later?  It's a chilling thought.

The comic book series, Afterlife with Archie, is a re-imagining of the world of Archie Comics as a zombie apocalypse, and it is a hit with readers.  Last year, Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch, a traditionally lighthearted, Archie Comics publication, also received a horror comics makeover.  Now, we have Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, drawn by Robert Hack, and lettered by Jack Morelli.  It is a genuine and genuinely good horror comic book.  Say what!

This darker series is set in the 1960s, with the current story line largely taking place in 1967.  Sabrina Spellman is a 15-year-old who lives in Greendale with her aunts, Hilda and Zelda (two witches of the Satan-serving variety), and her cousin, Ambrose (a warlock).

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #4 (“The Crucible” Chapter Four: “Harvey Horrors”) opens after Sabrina's interrupted “Unholy Baptism,” in which she was preparing to accept the life of a witch.  Now, Sabrina's boyfriend, Harvey Kinkle, a fellow student and football stud at Greendale High School, is running for his life.

In the tragic aftermath, Sabrina struggles to accept what seems like fate.  In the meantime, her aunts warn her that she must face the coven.  However, a sympathetic teacher at Greendale High, Evangeline Porter a.k.a. Madam Satan, may have a way to make things better for Sabrina.

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Robert Hack have created a horror comic book that it is so good that they could make it work without using a well-known Archie Comics character.  That they have re-imagined Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch simply makes the book that much more wickedly divine and salacious.

The bucolic 1960s setting is appropriate as this comic book has the occult and ominous vibe of such 1970s occult films like Carrie, The Omen, Race the Devil, and Rosemary's Baby, among others.  Every time I read this comic book, I also think about Rob Zombie's recent half-ridiculous/half-brilliant, Satanic art movie, The Lords of Salem.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is mad and brilliant.  If EC Comics and the 1950s copy-cat horror comics that the publisher influenced had created graphic novels, they would look like this first story arc of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, “The Crucible.”  Sometimes, the witchery is so shocking in this comic book, I think that Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Robert Hack might need some inquisition face-time, or perhaps to be dunked a time or two.

[This issue includes a bonus Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch story, “Double Date,” from writer by Dick Malmgren and artist Dan DeCarlo.]

A

http://archiehorror.com/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA #1

CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA #1
ARCHIE COMICS

STORY: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
ART: Robert Hack
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER/VARIANT COVER: Robert Hack
40pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

“The Crucible” Chapter One: “Something Wicked”

Rated Teen + (Violence and mature content)

I first became a fan of Archie Comics character, Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch, when I was a small child and saw the old Filmation animated series starring Sabrina, which aired under different titles.  I think Sabrina was the first fictional white woman with whom I fell in love, and probably started me on the road to loving fictional white chicks, especially, for a long time, blondes.  For a few years, I was a regular viewer of the ABC (and later, The WB) live-action series, “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” (1996-2003), which starred Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina.

It was some years after first discovering Sabrina that I learned that she was an actual comic book character, although I have rarely ever read a Sabrina comic book.  Now, there is a new Sabrina comic book series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, drawn by Robert Hack, and lettered by Jack Morelli.  It is also a genuine horror comic book.  Say what!

Late in 2013, Archie Comics began publishing a sort of alternate version of its world of Archie Andrews, his friends, and the bucolic town of Riverdale.  Afterlife with Archie found Riverdale and the surrounding area caught in a zombie apocalypse, with many beloved Archie characters transformed into flesh-eating ghouls or becoming the victims of those flesh-eating ghouls.  Created by Aguirre-Sacasa and drawn by Francesco Francavilla, Afterlife with Archie was a hit.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is not about zombies.  It is a re-imagination of Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch, not as a cartoonish witch like the kind found in the old television series, “Bewitched.”  Sabrina is a witch with an occult, even satanic, origin.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #1 (“The Crucible” Chapter One: “Something Wicked”) opens in Westbridge, Massachusetts on October 31, 1951.   It is a year after the birth of Sabrina Spellman, a child born of a “mortal woman” (Diana) and a “diabolical father” (Edward Theodore Spellman).  Diana and Edward's union is a crime against “witch law,” but the marriage yields young Sabrina, a beautiful child with much potential.  The occasion of her first birthday, however, is a time of change and tragedy.

Nearly 13 years later, in September of 1964, Sabrina is a new high school student, living with her spinster aunts, Hilda and Zelda, in the town of Greendale.  Her only friends are her familiar, the talking cat Salem, and her cousin, the boy-warlock, Ambrose.  Sabrina is ready to be a normal high school girl, although she does not realize that even in “normal” Greendale, there is darkness.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina recalls the kind of hoary and gruesome horror and weird fiction that the late publisher, Warren, did so well in horror comics magazines like Eerie and Creepy.  This comic book has similarities to or at least a creepy vibe reminiscent of 1970s occult films like Carrie, The Omen, Race the Devil, and Rosemary's Baby, among others.  This comic book even reminds me of Rob Zombie's recent half-ridiculous/half-brilliant, Satanic art movie, The Lords of Salem.  I also keep waiting for Hammer Films-era Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee to show up in this new Sabrina.

I like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina because I'm impressed that Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has the gall to do this to Sabrina the Teenaged Witch and that Archie Comics has the balls to publish it.  However, it is taking me a while to warm to Robert Hack's drawing style, although his storytelling is good.  I am ready for more of this.

[This comic book reprints “Presenting Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch,” which was first published in Archie's Madhouse #22 (October 1962).  The story is written by George Gladir, pencilled by Dan DeCarlo, inked by Rudy Lapick, and lettered by Vincent DeCarlo.]

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #1 reprints the story in which Sabrina first appeared.  The best part of this story is the art by Sabrina's co-creator, cartoonist Dan DeCarlo, a consummate stylist and one of the best graphic designers ever to work in American comics.  His impeccable compositions, especially in his work of the 1950s and 60s, reflect the skills of a talented draftsman.

One thing that did surprise me was that this debut-version of Sabrina is impish and a bit salacious, not at all as I remember her in the cartoon TV series.  That original Sabrina could still be a comic book star today.

ArchieHorror.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #3

AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #3
ARCHIE COMICS – @archiecomics and @AfterlifeArchie

STORY: Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa
ART: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER: Tim Seeley
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (February 2014)

Rated Teen+ for Violence and Mature Content

Escape from Riverdale:  Chapter Three – “Sleepover”

Writer Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa and artist Francesco Francavilla have taken Archie Comics to the dark side – the classic horror comics dark side – with Afterlife with Archie.  It’s the hot “zombie apocalypse” genre come to Archie Comics.

The end of Archie Andrews’ beloved hometown of Riverdale begins when Forsythe P. “Jughead” Jones shows up at the door of Sabrina (the Teenaged Witch).  Jughead is holding the mangled body of his beloved pooch, Hot Dog.  Sabrina helps her friend, but her use of forbidden magic has dire consequences for her, Jughead, and the rest of Riverdale.  Hot Dog returns from the dead and bites Jughead, and the flesh-eating fever spreads like wildfire.

Afterlife with Archie #3 finds Archie and friends finding refuge in Lodge Manor, the stately mansion home of Hiram Lodge, the father of Archie’s sometimes girlfriend, Veronica.  Mr. Lodge believes that the high-tech security his money bought him will protect everyone inside, but they cannot protect him from his memories… or bad dreams.

However, Archie is not content with staying within the safety of Lodge Manor.  He is determined to check on everyone’s parents.  Meanwhile, the surviving members of the Archie gang are enjoying the amenities of Hiram’s Lodge’s estate, without realizing that one among them is already infected.

After three issues, I can safely say that Afterlife with Archie is no fluke.  This is a genuinely good comic book.  It is also a sincerely terrifying horror comic book.  It’s like a classic scary movie, recalling George Romero, The Walking Dead, EC Comics, and other zombie horror fiction in general.

Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla come together to present a different take on the world of Archie Comics.  Yes, it is dark and thrilling, but besides the horror elements, Afterlife with Archie bears more than a passing resemblance to a television teen soap opera.  The typical “young love” of comic book romance is replaced by young love just a little more complicated.  There is desire, jealousy, want, and even (gasp) the threat of sex.  Take Afterlife with Archie for what it is – something different and exciting.

As an extra, Afterlife with Archie #3 reprints the comic book short story, “Horripilate Host” written and drawn by Dick Giordano, the late artist, editor, and DC Comics executive.  This story was originally published in the comic book series, Chilling Adventures in Sorcery (which was part of Archie Comics’ Red Circle Comics imprint), in the mid-1970s.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #2

AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #2
ARCHIE COMICS – @archiecomics and @AfterlifeArchie

STORY: Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa
ART: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER: Tim Seeley
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (January 2014)

Rated Teen+ for Violence and Mature Content

Escape from Riverdale:  Chapter Two – “Dance of the Dead”

I am captivated by the surprising new Archie comics series (that I assume it is going to be a miniseries or limited series of some kind).  Entitled Afterlife with Archie, this Archie comics horror series is written by Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa and drawn by Francesco Francavilla.  Afterlife with Archie pits Archie Andrews and the other beloved Archie comics characters against a zombie horde – led by their pal, Jughead.

What may be the end of the world begins when Forsythe P. “Jughead” Jones shows up at the door of Sabrina (the Teenaged Witch).  Jughead is holding the mangled body of his beloved pooch, Hot Dog.  Sabrina helps her friend, but her use of forbidden magic has dire consequences for her, Jughead, and the rest of Riverdale.

Afterlife with Archie #2 is mostly told in flashback from Lodge Mansion.  There, Veronica Lodge tells her father, Mr. Lodge, about the terror that occurred at the annual Halloween dance and about the unfolding horror that is heading their way.  The familiar has now turned very hungry, and Mr. Lodge may have to accept Archie as he never believed he would ever have to do.

Recalling George Romero, The Walking Dead, EC Comics, and other like zombie horror fiction in general, Afterlife with Archie is the real deal.  It is really an excellent and hugely entertaining horror comic book.  Writer Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa has simply turned Archie dark, and he retains what is familiar about the characters.  I think Aquirre-Sacasa is depicting their characteristics and quirks as if they were characters in a nighttime teen soap opera, rather than as in the usual Archie stories.

Certainly, what Afterlife with Archie artist, Francesco Francavilla, is doing is creating a true horror comic book.  It may not look like Dan DeCarlo’s classic Archie, but the spirit of the classic is there, somewhere behind the mood and the dark.

As an extra, Afterlife with Archie #2 reprints the comic book short story, “…Cat!” written and drawn by the late Gray Morrow, a story originally published in Chilling Adventures in Sorcery in the mid-1970s.  Morrow also edited Chilling Adventures in Sorcery, which was part of Archie Comics’ Red Circle Comics imprint.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: ARCHIE #634

ARCHIE #634
ARCHIE COMICS – @archiecomics

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 4 of 4 – “Here and Now!”

In Spring 2014, I started reading the Archie comic book series for the first time in years.  Archie #631 began a storyline that focused on a hypothetical romantic relationship between Archie Andrews and Valerie Smith of Josie and the Pussycats.  Apparently, the two characters had been paying special attention to one another for some time.

After Valerie and her family move to Archie’s hometown of Riverdale, the two become closer.  When the relationship takes a turn towards the really serious, Valerie goes for a walk down Memory Lane.  This is a magical street somewhere in Riverdale that allows characters to see possible futures.

Archie #634 (“Here and Now”) concludes the “Archie Marries Valerie” story arc.  The issue opens to find Archie and Valerie quite happy and touring as a musical act.  Things change dramatically when the two introduce their young daughter, Star, into their act.  Suddenly, the family finds itself getting unwanted attention.  Also, Memory Lane shows Valerie other possible futures.

When Archie #634 was originally published last year, it sold out before I could get to the comic book shop.  A year and a half later, I took advantage of a Mile High Comics sale to finally get a copy.  I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the story now as much as I did last year.  I wish that it would run longer, if for no other reason than to have regular Josie and the Pussycats, a childhood favorite about which I am still crazy in love.

Cheers to Dan Parent, the writer and lead artist behind this comic book.  As a big Josie and the Pussycats fan, I appreciate this story, but, in general, this is also a fun Archie comic book to read.

I’ll repeat myself:   if you ever read and liked Archie, you will read and like Archie again with this storyline.

A

www.archiecomics.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #1

AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #1
ARCHIE COMICS – @archiecomics

STORY: Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa
ART: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVERS: Francesco Francavilla, Tim Seeley, Andrew Pepoy
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Rated Teen+ for Violence and Mature Content

There is a rather surprising new Archie comics series, so surprising that I assume it is going to be a miniseries or limited series of some kind.  Written by Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa and drawn by Francesco Francavilla, Afterlife with Archie pits the beloved Archie comics characters against a zombie horde – led by their pal, Jughead.

Afterlife with Archie #l begins with how the world will end.  When Jughead shows up at her door, holding the mangled body of his beloved pooch, Hot Dog, Sabrina (the Teenaged Witch) wants to help him.  But her forbidden magic will have dire consequences for her, Jughead, and the rest of Riverdale.  Meanwhile, Betty and Veronica squabble over which of them Archie will escort to the big Halloween dance.  At the same time, Archie is trying to figure out why Reggie is down-in-the-dumps.

When I think of an Archie comic book, I think of a kind of pop culture firmly rooted in the first two decades of post-World War II America.  An Archie comic book is also something rooted in sameness – same characters, familiar themes, constancy in plots, etc.  I also see it as Americana, possessing a timeless quality; no matter where and when you are, this is still Archie.  For me, these are the impressions, ideas, structures, and especially that delightful timeless quality that also permeate Afterlife with Archie #l.

Although the influences are obvious, Afterlife with Archie isn’t necessarily George Romero, The Walking Dead, EC Comics, or like zombie horror fiction in general.  It is like a ghost story told around a campfire – scary, but age appropriate even for grade school age children.  It’s scary, ominous, and creepy, but fun and exciting to read.

Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla form an excellent creative team.  Aquirre-Sacasa writes an Archie comic book that is true to the characters, but puts them in the horror genre that reads as genuine.  Francavilla has the ability to match pulp art with high-end graphic design to create visually striking comics, which is what makes him one of the best comic book artists working today.  In Afterlife with Archie, Francavilla eschews the splashy graphics of his Black Beetle comics for straight-forward, moody storytelling that recalls early Mike Mignola Hellboy.

This is good stuff.  It is an Archie comic book that is as good as any dark fantasy and horror comics being published by Vertigo or Dark Horse Comics.  I want to live a long Afterlife with Archie, so more please.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: ARCHIE #633

ARCHIE #633
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 3 of 4 – “A Star is Born”

Readers who have been following the Archie comic book series know that a recent storyline has Archie Andrews dating Valerie Smith of Josie and the Pussycats. Apparently, the two have been paying special attention to each other for some time, and now that Valerie and her family have moved to Archie’s hometown of Riverdale, the two have gotten even closer. When the relationship takes a turn towards the really serious, Valerie goes for a walk down Memory Lane, a magical street somewhere in Riverdale that allows characters to see possible futures.

Archie #633 has Part 3 of the story (“A Star is Born”), and it finds Archie and Valerie married. To better focus on their new life together, Archie has quit his band, The Archies, and Valerie has also left Josie and the Pussycats. Now, the two bands have to find new members, but tensions rise when the new lineups don’t necessarily work out for the best. Meanwhile, things are also a little bumpy for the newlyweds, but Archie and Valerie are also in for some big changes in their lineup.

I pretty much can repeat what I said in my review of Archie #632: What a delightful comic book this is! I read it in a few minutes in one sitting. I tore through Archie #633 as if it held some great secret. I can’t remember the last time I read a comic book as fast as I read this one. Hooray for Dan Parent, the writer and lead artist behind this comic book. As a big Josie and the Pussycats fan, I appreciate his work.

I’ll say it again: if you ever read and liked Archie, you will read and like Archie again with this storyline.

A

http://www.archiecomics.com/

I Reads You Review: ARCHIE #632

ARCHIE #632
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.

A-

http://www.archiecomics.com/

I Reads You Review: ARCHIE #631

"Jungle Fever"
ARCHIE #631
ARCHIE COMICS

SCRIPT/PENCILS: Dan Parent
INKS: Rich Koslowski
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COLORS: Digikore Studios
COVER: Dan Parent
32pp, Color, $2.99

The CBS Saturday morning animated series, Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space (originally broadcast during the 1972-73 television season), was very important to me. It was the singular work that introduced me to and got me interested in comic books, science fiction, and all-things-fantasy. By the time I discovered that there was such a thing as a Josie and the Pussycats comic book, the title had been discontinued.

During a recent infrequent visit to a comic book shop in the region, I was scanning the shelves for a copy of Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2 #1, when I spotted the cover of Archie #631. I saw its depiction of Archie Andrews cradling Pussycat Valerie Smith as the two kissed, and I quickly snatched the comic off the shelf.

Apparently, Archie and Valerie have been eyeing each other for some time, much to the chagrin of Archie’s longtime, dual love interests, Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge. Now, Valerie, her parents, and her little, brother Trevor AKA “Trev,” are moving to Archie and gang’s hometown of Riverdale. Now, that Archie and Valerie are closer, their fledgling romance takes flight. Not everyone is happy, but maybe Archie’s friends and Valerie’s band mates will just have to deal.

The Archie Comics creator of which I’m most acquainted is Dan DeCarlo, and I think of him when I think of Archie Comics. I can, however, learn to really like Dan Parent, who scripts and pencils Archie #631. He modernizes the characters and settings, but retains the eternally retro charm that is inherently Archie. The story moves at a lively pace and the dialogue and characterizations are funny and even a bit peppery, while staying in the zone that is Archie Comics’ version of “all ages.”

I bought Archie #631 because Josie and the Pussycats are in it, but I didn’t plan on really liking it. Dan Parent makes me want more.

http://www.archiecomics.com/