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.

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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.

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 15, 2015

MARVEL COMICS

MAR150801     ALL NEW X-MEN PREM HC VOL 07 UTOPIANS     $24.99
MAY150795     ANT-MAN ANNUAL #1     $4.99
MAY150728     ARMOR WARS #3 SWA     $3.99
MAY150714     CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MIGHTY DEFENDERS #1 SWA     $3.99
MAY150744     CAPTAIN MARVEL AND CAROL CORPS #2 SWA     $3.99
MAY150798     DARK TOWER DRAWING THREE HOUSE CARDS #5 (MR)     $3.99
APR150938     FANTASTIC FOUR BY AGUIRRE-SACASA AND MCNIVEN TP     $24.99
APR150830     GUARDIANS OF KNOWHERE #1 SWA     $3.99
MAY150699     HAIL HYDRA #1 SWA     $3.99
AUG140839     HAWKEYE #22     $4.99
APR158743     INFINITY GAUNTLET #1 WEAVER 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
MAY150672     INHUMANS ATTILAN RISING #3 SWA     $3.99
MAY150746     KORVAC SAGA #2 SWA     $3.99
APR150909     MARVELS ANT-MAN ART OF MOVIE SLIPCASE HC     $49.99
FEB150856     MMW MIGHTY THOR HC VOL 14     $75.00
MAY150808     MOON KNIGHT #17     $3.99
APR158744     PLANET HULK #1 DEL MUNDO 2ND PTG VAR     $4.99
MAY150758     PLANET HULK #3 SWA     $3.99
APR158712     PRINCESS LEIA #2 DODSON 3RD PTG VAR     $3.99
APR158747     SECRET WARS #3 ROSS 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
APR158713     SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD #2 MURRAY 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
MAY150670     SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD #3 SWA     $3.99
MAY150675     SIEGE #1 SWA     $3.99
APR150704     SILVER SURFER #13 SWA     $3.99
APR150935     SPIDER-MAN 2099 TP VOL 02 SPIDER-VERSE     $19.99
APR158714     STAR WARS #4 CASSADAY 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
APR150922     THOR GOD OF THUNDER TP VOL 04 LAST DAYS OF MIDGARD     $19.99
APR158745     ULTIMATE END #1 BAGLEY 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
APR158746     ULTIMATE END #2 BAGLEY 2ND PTG VAR     $3.99
MAY150757     WHERE MONSTERS DWELL #3 SWA     $3.99
APR150936     WOLVERINES TP VOL 03 LIVING AND THE DEAD     $15.99
APR150931     X-MEN TP VOL 05 BURNING EARTH     $12.99
MAY150734     YEARS OF FUTURE PAST #3 SWA     $3.99

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.

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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: 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.