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Review: Archie #17

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archie17coverWhile the TV show Riverdale is all about the dark, sexy side of the iconic Archie Comics character, Archie #17 goes the quirky route like the old school comics with a shinier visual presentation courtesy of artist Joe Eisma (Morning Glories) and colorist Andre Szymanowicz. Mark Waid‘s script is silly in all the best ways with Cheryl Blossom trying to seduce Archie and get revenge on Veronica because Mr. Lodge bought her father’s company, and she had to move from an exclusive boarding school in Switzerland to plain ol’ Riverdale. She is truly a terrible person as evidenced by a scene where she and Jason push over a homeless person during a walk and talk.

Waid and Eisma’s take on Archie Andrews himself is much clumsier and definitely less sexy than KJ Apa’s portrayal in the Riverdale show or the previous artwork of Fiona Staples and Veronica Fish. He has a nice jawline, but the old crosshatching and freckles are back, and most of the issue is spent with him being a general idiot and somehow ending up rolling down the road in a barrel molasses. Archie #17 is at its finest when Waid goes for screwball comedy, and characters not named Archie sigh and snark about his ridiculousness. For example, Cheryl Blossom has been building our favorite redhead as some kind of hybrid of a male model, guitar god, archie17interiorand with overdramatic dialogue and ends up being very disappointed by the end of the issue.

The comedic tone of Archie #17 extends to a zippy B-plot featuring Veronica, who uses her father’s influence at her school to be able to leave town as soon as she does all her work/finals. It’s amusing to see Veronica’s single-minded focus applied to academic work, and Eisma lays on the speed lines with papers and books flying everywhere until she finally gets to leave town. Not even Mr. Collier, the man who was humiliated by her father in a mayoral election and his draconian final project, can get in the way of her skill with fashion. Like seriously, why would making a simple man’s suit be a challenge for Riverdale’s and maybe comics’ best dressed character? It’s also nice to have Veronica be back with Archie and the gang, and her feud with Cheryl Blossom will be even more fun on Veronica’s home turf.

Even though it occasionally hits on some real teen/young people concerns, like how long is too long to wait to text someone back if you’re romantically interested in them, Archie #17 is mostly stylized wackiness from Mark Waid, Joe Eisma, and Andre Szymanowicz, who uses some overpowering reds in Cheryl Blossom’s scenes. It’s pure comedic melodramatic fun.

Story: Mark Waid Art: Joe Eisma Colors: Andre Szymanowicz
Story: 8 Art: 9 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Archie Comics  provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Archie Gets Hot in Riverdale S1E1 “The River’s Edge”

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In its pilot, ” The River’s Edge”, Riverdale wholeheartedly embraces the fact that it’s the part of the teen soap opera genre and kind of becomes the CW’s spiritual successor to the WB’s Dawson’s Creek.  There are cheerleading/football tryouts, queen bees, teacher/student affairs, love triangles, school dances and of course, existential crises. But writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who penned the excellent Afterlife with Archie comic, adds an extra layer with what looks to be a season-long mystery plot centered around the death of Jason Blossom, who died while on a boat trip with his sister and “soulmate” Cheryl Blossom. Yes, the incest vibes from Aguirre-Sacasa’s Afterlife with Archie series are intact, and Cheryl makes an excellent manipulative villain, but with an otherworldly gaze and speaking voice from Madelaine Petsch.

Aguirre-Sacasa and director Lee Toland Frieger are totally cool with Riverdale being a stylized teen drama. That’s what Archie Comics have been for years, a closed off fictional universe where the choices of “cool teens” (As described by Jughead writer Ryan North.) have the most important bearing. It’s a world where a ginger teenager’s choice between two girls, or in this case, balancing school, writing his own angsty, yet pretty good music, playing varsity football, and working at his dad’s construction business is the center of the universe. Seemingly mundane things are so epic in this universe and adding a dead student and a literally steamy affair between Archie and his music teacher (The extremely de-aged.) Ms. Grundy adds a touch of darkness behind the bright high school tropes, the small town setting, and loads of comic book Easter Eggs. There are obvious ones like Jughead’s crown hat and also more erudite ones, like MLJ Comics, or the original name for Archie Comics, being the name of the comic book store in town.

The best character in Riverdale is easily the timely film reference dropping, impeccably dressed Veronica Lodge, played by Camila Mendes. Aguirre-Sacasa doesn’t set Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Veronica up as rivals just yet as Veronica doesn’t want to be a vengeful ice queen like she was in New York and become a better person. The scene at the cheerleading tryout (Really, who approved them being called the Rivervixens. That doesn’t sound like a real animal to me…) cements their bond as Veronica stands up for Betty to join the squad. After losing most of her wealth and privilege when her father Hiram is accused of some kind of big ticket white-collar crime, Veronica wants to stop being a mean girl and become a good person with her fresh start in Riverdale. But then Archie and Veronica get stuck in a room playing Seven Minutes in Heaven, have an obvious spark as they move closer to each other, start to talk fast, and then slow. And they smooch, and the friendship between Betty and Veronica is shattered although Veronica tries to mend it by immediately running to Betty’s house to talk her down.

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Frieger uses spacing to create relationships (and chemistry) between characters. For example, there are lots of quick camera cuts when Veronica is confronting Cheryl about not picking Betty for the cheering squad. Cheryl is using to having her way in Riverdale, but hey, there’s a new queen in town. He uses a touch of slow-mo early on in the episode when it seems like Archie and Betty are on a date, but then Veronica walks in with her mom, Hermione Lodge, and he forgets Betty even exists. Kudos to veteran TV sound editor Mike Marchain for making us feel like Veronica is the only person in the room, and she is in Archie’s eyes. Frieger also enjoys cutting to Cheryl Blossom in the background of drama heavy showing that she is puppet master behind the scenes of Riverdale High even though as far as being Jason’s murderer, she’s a fairly literal red herring.

Even though Molly Ringwald’s Mrs. Andrews character is light episodes away, Riverdale doesn’t fall into some teen movie/show’s traps and has some compelling adult characters to round out the cast of attractive twenty-somethings. Luke Perry as Fred Andrews is a dependable and pragmatic and is totally cool with his son choosing music over football and working for him. He gives great advice about to Archie about being “confident” in his interests and has a friendly vibe with Hermione Lodge even though he doesn’t trust her. Marisol Nichols as Hermione is a bit uppity, but I couldn’t hate her after she took Veronica to Pop’s early on in the pilot. But winning the award for the creepiest character in Riverdale is Betty’s mom, Alice Cooper. This is probably because she was waitress Shelly Johnson on Twin Peaks, and Mrs. Cooper is paranoid about everything ever since Betty’s older sister Polly ran away from home. She flinches every time she sees red hair because Polly used to date Jason Blossom and isn’t a fan of Basically, every time she catches a whiff of teen sexuality (Which is the entire pilot to be honest.), Alice clutches her pearls a bit more.

Chapter One: The River's Edge

At the end of the pilot, I realized that I was little underwhelmed by KJ Apa’s performance as Archie Andrews. He definitely has leading man looks, but is a bit douchey and seems overwhelmed by everything around him. Reinhart and Mendes more than make up for his shortcomings by giving Betty and Veronica tons of personality, and Aguirre-Sacasa enjoys messing with that love triangle by having him take them both to the dance while making his feeling about Betty just platonic for now. For now, he is an almost empty protagonist vessel, but his passion about pursuing music and secret affair with Ms. Grundy show that not-so-little Archie has potential as a lead.

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Even though most of “The River’s Edge’s” running time is concerned with the life and romantic foibles of Archie Andrews, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa fills the margins of the episode with some great Archie characters. Even though he occasionally falls into the “gay best friend” cliche (And Cheryl Blossom calls him out on this.), Kevin Keller brings some much needed humor to Riverdale and also is someone that Betty can bounce her feelings off platonically. Reggie Mantle is a total bro, but Josie and the Pussycats are fabulous as ever, and in one monologue delivered by Ashleigh Murry, they make a case for having their own spinoff far away from this small town drama. I was a little disappointed by Cole Sprouse’s Jughead, who narrates the episode and is an introverted blogger with a strained relationship with Archie. Hopefully, he becomes as endearing as the Jughead written by Chip Zdarsky and Ryan North soon.

“The River’s Edge” is a little dark, very soapy, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa hits the target as far as the character of Betty and Veronica are concerned. Riverdale could definitely be your new TV guilty pleasure with a strong mystery hook, tons of angsty teen romances, and some pretty musical montages. (There should be a Tegan and Sara song every episode because honestly Betty and Veronica should ditch Archie and date each other.)

Episode Rating: 8.0

The CW’s Riverdale casts Veronica Lodge

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Camila MendesRounding out a week of major casting news for The CW‘s Riverdale live-action pilot based on the Archie Comics characters comes the announcement that Camila Mendes has been cast as Riverdale‘s top socialite, Veronica Lodge!

The Veronica casting follows a week of major casting news for the Riverdale gang consisting of Archie (KJ Apa), Josie (Ashleigh Murray), Fred Andrews (Luke Perry), Jughead (Cole Sprouse), Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), and Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch).

In the announcement Mendes’s Veronica was described as a silver-tongued high school sophomore who returns to Riverdale from New York, eager to reinvent herself after a scandal involving her father.

The one-hour drama will be written by Archie Comics Chief Creative Officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and produced by Warner Brothers Studios and Berlanti Productions. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schecter, Jon Goldwater, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa serve as executive producers.

The live-action series offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, and their friends, exploring small-town life and the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade. The show will focus on the eternal love triangle of Archie Andrews, girl-next-door Betty Cooper, and rich socialite Veronica Lodge, and will include the entire cast of characters from the comic books—including Archie’s rival, Reggie Mantle, and his slacker best friend, Jughead Jones.

Strange Comic Trends: Fishnets Times Two

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bcThe history of fishnets in the medium of comics is an often bizarre one, and can be traced to their popularity and perception in fashion.  In their earliest days, they were often associated with activities that were considered scandalous, not even necessarily through prostitution, but simply as part of a forbidden dress code.  When the character of Black Canary was first introduced, she was shown sporting the form of hosiery, not particularly effective in crimefighting, but also speaking to the influences of her character, that of a femme fatale, who could dish out a punch to those that mistook her appearance for something else.  For a long time Black Canary was the only character that ever wore them.  Black stockings were common enough at one point in the medium through romance comics, but these were often shown as a sequence of bluish Ben Day dots as opposed to a true black.  It was hard to show female hosiery in any detail and so artists tended to stay away from it.  Zatanna came along and her most common costume featured fishnets, even when she sported various other versions.  Incidentally so too did Black Canary wear other versions of a costume and had even done away with the fishnets after the Birds of Prey reboot of the character in the 1990s.

helsing001aAt some point though fishnets became part of popular fashion, or at least gained the respect that they could be worn without a stigma attached to them.  Instead of a forbidden accessory they now represent edginess or being a little bit different from the pack.  Even then though, it is a rarity to see any comic characters wearing them.  They are still common enough on Black Canary and Zatanna, and two Grimm Fairy Tales characters also wear them often (The Queen of Spades and Liesel Van Helsing).  Strangely in recent years they have also been a common enough accessory of Veronica Lodge at Archie Comics, but this week’s double release of two character from two different companies wearing fishnets on covers might be the first time that it has happened in comic book history (especially considering the numerous variant covers with Liesel all wearing the same).  Although they have been around since the 1940s, they have never really caught on as a stylistic element of most characters’ costumes, and so seeing them twice on the same release day is truly an anomaly.

Review: Archie #2

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archie002When it was announced that Archie would be rebooted, probably a lot of comic readers did not really know what to expect.  First among there reactions was likely that they were keen to check out the new series, at least as is evident by its critical success, but also some probably questioned just how it would be possible to reimagine the characters that have been playing the same gag more or less for several decades.  The first issue detailed a little bit exactly how the series would go about doing so, essentially with a mild makeover of several characters, still mostly their old selves, but plunked into a world much more like our own.  Milton is still cartoonishly eggheaded and Moose is still a little slow on the uptake, but mostly the characters felt like they might fit in the real world.  While change was somewhat expected for the characters, it felt less like an overhaul though and more like an update.

While the first issue threw the reader into this updated world, it did so with a lot of tricks that won might expect from a teen movie, with a breakup of the school’s favorite couple, a rigged vote for homecoming king and queen, and various other little details that one would expect from something sticking close to the script.  It was a fresh reboot, but still something that has been seen before.  This betty001second issue continues with much of the same to some degree, Archie’s hijinks while trying for employment, a common characteristic of the old Archie, is still here, as are other factors which might have played out in the old Archie.  While there is some of the old, there is actually a lot more of the new that one might not expect from this series, and specifically as it relates to two of the main characters, Jughead and Betty.  Jughead’s back story, and the story of how he got his name, is one which adds a surprising amount of depth to this new story, but is is Betty’s that really elevates this story even farther.  The tomboyish “girl-next-door” is forced into getting ready for her birthday party, in a montage which allows the reader to truly empathize with her.  Whether or not any of the readers have ever really put on false eyelashes or not or other facets of getting made up, the reader still feels the same discomfort that Betty does being forced out of her comfort zone.  Later as she is putting the finishing touches on her nails, her true nature comes out as well, in what essentially becomes one of the most defining moments for the character in her entire publication history.

betty002Indeed, part of the problem of the series has always been that of Betty and Veronica, best friends that fight over the single boy.  It is an anachronistic idea which while it is true to the character’s backgrounds, is also a bit demeaning to them.  This issue gives a fresh take on the characters and updates them not only to modern day, but actually makes the female characters into real people in a way that is revitalizing other series and female characters across the medium.  With just the hint of a look at Veronica it is promising that this new Archie is not only something old, or something recycled, but also something new for the medium, and not only something new, but even something progressive, with a message stronger than teenagers need to have fun, but that they can also be presented as humans with their own intricate problems.

Story: Mark Waid Art: Fiona Staple
Story: 9.6 Art: 9.6 Overall: 9.6 Recommendation: Buy

Review: Betty and Veronica #276

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bav276In some ways it is strange to read this latest issue of Betty and Veronica.  Although the stories of Archie and the gang have been undergoing somewhat of a change in recent years as they have included a string of celebrity guests and covered some heavier topics, this issue also comes out after the end of Archie Comics with issue #666 earlier in the month.  There are apparently big changes ahead for Archie as the character is heading in a new direction after a reboot, but this story is still firmly rooted in what Archie comics were, not what they are aspiring to become.

It makes this issue a bit harder to handle, as this story arc involving the girls on a foreign exchange takes them on to Korea.  In essence this is a lot like an Archie comic as there is just so much going on.  Betty and Veronica are still switched as they have decided to live each other’s life while away to see what it is that makes each of them so unique.  At the same time in Riverdale, the teaching staff is concerned for Violette as she has been the subject of social bullying by Midge.  Banni is free with her love for the unconventional boys of Riverdale, and Archie is still trying to save up enough money to go visit the girls.  The girls themselves are stuck in the middle of a fiasco about how they are to be signed as Korean pop stars, but that they can’t decide whether to proceed or not.

The outcome is that of one which is very Archie like, or at least what we associate with any random comic featuring these characters.  it is fun, but also too bogged down in the town of Riverdale.  When the girls first said that they were leaving to see the world, it seemed as though it would be a great opportunity to take them away from the environment and to help them evolve a little bit, but the constant anchor to Riverdale has made sure that it never happened.  This is thus a fun enough idea, but also feels a little bit like it has missed the opportunity.

Story: Michael Uslan Art: Dan Parent
Story: 7.2 Art: 8.0 Overall: 7.2 Recommendation: Pass

Archie Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.  

Review: Archie #666

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archie666The importance of Archie Andrews to comics is often understated, even if it shouldn’t be.  For a long while in the history of the medium, it was the romance genre which ruled, and although most of them have come and gone (or changed into something else) Archie is still here from a time and place that makes him almost an anachronism.  Those that know of Archie most likely know of him from comics that they read when they were young, and while people look for edgier comics when they get older, the creative teams behind Archie have tried to keep the character modern and relevant.  A lot of this has to do with updating the character, putting phones and computers into the somewhat similar formula from issue to issue.  The next big change for Archie comes following this issue, as there will be no #667, but rather a new reboot into a new #1.

This is an interesting development in itself, as Archie has been published almost as long as some of the other greats of the genre, with other long running series like Detective Comics and Action Comics getting just past 700 issue before being rebooted.  In this case it is a chance to reminisce as Archie is facing his 666th detention and Weatherbee debates whether or not to expel him (as a side note most high school students don’t have 600 days of class in high school, so when Weatherbee says it is a Guiness record, he might be right.)  This allows his friends to commiserate and to figure out why Archie has been so important to them over the years, which is a bit of meta-writing to describe what the fans themselves might think.

While this issue does not have the same weight as other issues might which have ended a long run, it still manages to get right what it must.  At the same time, this is still very much an Archie story, and those looking for something more will likely be disappointed here.  All the same this represents a little piece of comic history and one that probably won’t get its due.

Story:  Tom DeFalco Art: Dan Parent, Fernando Ruiz, Tim Kennedy, and Pat Kennedy 
Story: 7.8 Art: 7.8  Overall: 7.8  Recommendation: Read  

Archie Comics provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review.

Review: Betty and Veronica #275

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b&v275The most recent story arc has taken the girls from what is the most common denominator for all Archie characters – the fictional town of Riverdale.  Betty and Veronica have been sent to explore the world on exchange and exchange students have been sent to Riverdale in their place.  It is a simple enough concept, but surprisingly a pretty novel one for the residents of Riverdale who seem to live inside their own world without interacting with the outside (other than having some aspects of the outside coming in.)

While this seemed like a pretty fun idea to start with, the story arc is becoming overly convoluted in its storytelling.  Betty and Veronica have previously decided that the experiences which they are having are not as otherworldly as they had hoped, and so therefore decide to switch identities as they arrive to India.  This leads to a sequence of extraordinary occurrences for the two of them, or at least extraordinary in that they are living through each other’s eyes.  At the meantime b&v275aback in Riverdale, their absence is not felt as much as Veronica stand-in Violette (from France) and Betty stand-in Banni (from India) have the same same influence on the boys as the originals did.  Meanwhile Archie works odd jobs around the neighborhood in order to be able to afford a trip to India to bring the girls back (which is a bit unrealistic considering how many lawns he would have to mow for that much money.)

While the issue holds together pretty well, it also has a lot of missed opportunity.  Instead of all the plot twists, the creative team could have just focused on the travel aspect of the story, and made it compelling enough without having to keep Archie relevant in the title (this is after all the girls’ book.)  Equally the switching of identities is fun enough, but they are already in India, and there are enough stories to be told there anyway without having to replay the Prince and the Pauper.  It is more the missed potential which drags this story down a bit as it still reads well enough, but the creative team would have been better to follow the lead of their own characters, and to stay our of Riverdale for a while.

Story: Michael Uslan Art: Dan Parent
Story: 7.7 Art: 8.0 Overall: 7.7 Recommendation: Read

Archie Comics provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review

Review: Betty and Veronica Shopping Spree

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band v shppp covSometimes I get the feeling from Archie Comics like there is some kind of great big inside joke, and that the people behind the comics are all kind of laughing at us.  Archie and his friends are after all an anachronism on numerous levels, both inside their stories and in popular culture.  They live inside of a world which is a mix of the modern with something from around the 1950s, and they are the last-romance-comic-standing from a time in comics when romance was big.  Despite all of that they find a way to be relevant and pertinent in a way that few of us would suspect.

This trade paperback featuring Betty and Veronica is an excellent example.  It is nothing more than a loosely tied together compendium of all the relevant stories from over the years about the two girls going to the mall (though focusing more on Veronica than on Betty, due to her in-story riches.)  While the volume might be labeled shopping spree, its name does not really relate to the stories inside.  Instead the stories deal with a variety of issues, some of them humorous, but others serious enough.  For instance, in one story Veronica sees a down-on-their-luck family that wants to buy a dress for their daughter’s birthday, but cannot due to the price.  After some surreptitious work with the clerk, Veronica manages to get the dress for the girl after.  Or in another, Betty uses saved-up babysitting money to go shopping, only to buy clothes for a down-on-her-luck friend, just as Veronica did.  So in a compendium where one might expect a series of goofball adventures fighting over deals and the last designer purse, instead we get a sequence of stories, half of them full of the morality of being generous and sharing, instead of being greedily interested in brand names.

The end result is a pretty fun experience.  Of course, those people that are irritated by the antics of the Riverdale gang are not going to enjoy this, but for those that look a little farther past the hijinks associated with this series, they will find a deeper message here.  And perhaps the inside joke of the Archie Comics comes out in the end in a different way after all, as a morality tale about shopping, highlighting friendship and generosity, comes out the same week as Black Friday, when we are told by corporations to act the opposite of what we see here.

Story: Dan Parent, Frank Doyle, George Gladir, Angelo DeCesare, Craig Boldman, Joe Edwards, Kathleen Webb, Mike Pellowski, Barbara Slate, Greg Cosby Art: Dan Parent, Dan DeCarlo, Tim Kennedy, Pat Kennedy, Jeff Shultz, Doug Crane   

Story: 8.6 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.6  Recommendation: Buy

Archie Comics provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review.

Review: Betty and Veronica #273

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bv273The cover for this comic kind of tells the whole story behind the new story arc, except at the same time it really doesn’t.  The girls are bored with Riverdale and seek a way out.  As they walk around town they discover all the things that annoy them, and then conveniently they discover at school that there is to be  contest to determine who will be the school’s sole exchange student for the year.  This divides the comic into two rough halves, the first part where they are walking around the town, and the second part where they are competing.

The second part is a bit of the regular from Archie Comics, but it is the first half which is a lot more fun.  For those that don’t read Archie Comics, they actually do attempt to put out some interesting concepts in their recent issues and this one is no different.  As the girls are walking around town they are essentially breaking the fourth wall, listing the things that they hate about Riverdale, which read as the list of things that keeps readers away.  They all still hang out in 1950s style places, with the same class over and over again.  Their fashions have been outdated forever (since the 1950s?) and they need a change.  For those that are regular with some of the other more popular characters that break the fourth wall (Animal Man, Deadpool, Harley Quinn) they probably wouldn’t expect to find the same dynamic from an Archie Comics story arc.

When the second half of the issue takes over, it is clear that there is really some need for this change, not only for the fictional girls, but also for the real reader that is used to these stories.  This part plays its role as well as the two girls compete against each other, but it isn’t really as fun as the first half where the two break down everything that is Riverdale.  In the end it is a pretty fun issue, not as dark as almost anything that can be found on the shelves, but that is not a bad thing here because it is evident that the writers are pushing some boundaries, both for their characters and for themselves.

Story: Michael Uslan Art: Dan Parent
Story: 8.0 Art: 7.6 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read

Archie Comics provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review

 

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