Tag Archives: archie horror

Betty: The Final Girl #1 doesn’t bring the scares

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Betty: The Final Girl #1

It feels like forever ago, but Archie Comics really shook things up by willing to lean into taking their characters in new, more adult, directions. One of their successes was the Archie Horror line which has released some fantastic comics that do the horror genre justice. Betty: The Final Girl #1 is part of that line, and maybe because it is, it feels like it falls short of that imprints high bar.

Featuring a series of short stories, Betty: The Final Girl #1 plays off more as humor than real solid horror. The story has Betty falling asleep and dreaming up some horror stories while Veronica gets food. While the stories entertain, they also don’t scare, taking on a more of a silly tone. Micol Ostow, Casey Gilly, and Sam Maggs each take turns with shorts that sort of play on a well known franchise but never quite leans into them. The result is more spoof than love letter never quite committing to real scares. Part of the problem is the stories are themselves so short it’s hard to build up the tension that horror relies so much on.

The art by Laura Braga, Carola Borelli, and Natalie Mardozza is pretty good and teases at what could have been. There’s some blood and teases of guts but it never quite fully commits to it all. Like the stories themselves, it’s all a little rushed and the details are never the focus. The trio of artists are joined by Ellie Wright and Matt Herms on color and lettering by Jack Morelli. Overall, the art emphasizes the more lighthearted nature of the stories which are much more on the laughs than the scares.

Having Betty at the center of a classic slasher story has a lot of potential. And, I thought we might get that, but the shorts are her dreaming of others as opposed to a story where we wonder what’s real and what’s not. Betty: The Final Girl #1 misses the mark a bit never fully committing to its horror roots and delivering stories that are far too short for the genre. There’s attempts to build up tension before the cathartic confrontation but things never get to the level where it really works. Horror often feels like a carnival ride with ups and downs but Betty: The Final Girl #1 feels more like the kids ride. There’s something there but you realize there’s far better things out there.

Story: Micol Ostow, Casey Gilly, Sam Maggs Art: Laura Braga, Carola Borelli, Natalie Mardozza
Color: Ellie Wright, Matt Herms Letterer: Jack Morelli
Story: 6.75 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75 Recommendation: Pass

Archie Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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The Last Barbarians #1

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.

Betty: The Final Girl (Archie Comics/Archie Horror) – Archie Horror has been on point and entertaining, so we’re excited for this riff on the slasher genre.

Icon vs. Hardware #1 (DC Comics/Milestone) – The first “event” for the Milestone universe as “Worlds Collide”!

Investigators: Agents of SUIT Vol. 1 (First Second) – The main series this spins out of is a lot of fun. We’re hoping for more of the same with this graphic novel for younger readers.

Killchella #2 (Scout Comics) – The first issue nailed the start to a new slasher concept, one that takes place at a music festival. Will the kills live up to expectations?

The Last Barbarians #1 (Image Comics) – Sylv has a lot of skills…and she’ll need them all to survive this hero’s journey! It’s a new fantasy series that sounds like a quest to make some bank. We’re intrigued to see this as that cover is beautiful.

Masters of the Universe: Masterverse #1 (Dark Horse Comics) – To save the life of her champion, the Sorceress must take the Cosmic Enforcer on a tour of the multiverse! This sounds awesome!

Nemesis: Reloaded #2 (Image Comics) – The first issue surprised us in how on point it was with current societal topics. We want to see where it goes and what it might have to see underneath the over-the-top violence.

Nightcrawlers #1 (Marvel) – The next chapter of “Sins of Sinister” focuses on the hybrid Nightcrawlers.

Parker Girls #5 (Abstract Studios) – The series has been a lot of fun with a mix of action and laughs.

Spa (Fantagraphics) – It sounds like The Menu but in the selfcare space and we’re totally down for that!

Torrent #1 (Image Comics) – It’s a brand new superhero universe from Marc Guggenheim and Rico Renzi. Michelle Metcalf is the world’s most happy-go-lucky hero, Crackerjack, until tragedy forces her to cross the line from hero to vigilante.

WildC.A.T.s #4 (DC Comics) – Just a hell of a lot of fun with laughs, action, and drama. Such a great return of the characters and series!

Archie’s Jinx Holliday returns in a chilling new comic, “A Cursed Life,” in May

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Jinx Holliday, the new scream queen of the Archie Horror imprint from Archie Comics, returns with an all-new terrifying tale of rock ‘n’ roll necromancy in Chilling Adventures Presents… Jinx: A Cursed Life, a one-shot comic releasing in May.

Writer Magdalene Visaggio and artist Craig Cermak reunite in a book-length sequel to their short story in the bestselling anthology Jinx: Grim Fairy Tales. That sold-out special issue introduced a modernized take on the classic character as a horror icon, sharing stories from her chilling collection of arcane books which continues to play a role in the new comic. 

Jinx Holliday is a firecracker and a firestarter. Destruction always follows in her wake. And sometimes weirdos stop her and talk about her “destiny.” It’s all combined to create quite the aura of mystery around a 14-year-old girl who just wants some pizza rolls, and while her soul might belong to Satan, her heart belongs to the electric guitar. But one day, when Archie and company come looking for her help because Jughead is acting weird, Jinx and her BFF Danni embark on a mission to exorcize Jughead. It’s the two BFFs vs. Satan for the good of humanity—or at very least, for Jinx to just be free to be a normal 14-year-old girl who just happens to dabble in necromancy and rock ‘n’ roll. 

Li’l Jinx first appeared in Pep Comics #62 by Joe Edwards back in 1946, and headlined a decades-long run of exuberant mischief throughout various Archie titles. In a version of Riverdale haunted by monsters and demons, someone with Jinx’s spirit comes in handy, and the new one-shot hints at a growing continuity between the various Archie Horror titles that Jinx is especially equipped to manage. This will be further explored in The Cursed Library, another Jinx-led one-shot distributed for free at participating comic shops on May 6th, also known as Free Comic Book Day.

Jinx: A Cursed Life, with an open-to-order variant cover by Reiko Murakami, colors by Ellie Wright, and lettering by Jack Morelli, releasing May 17 in comic shops nationwide.

  • JINX: A CURSED LIFE cover
  • JINX: A CURSED LIFE cover

Preview: Chilling Adventures Presents… Betty: The Final Girl

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Chilling Adventures Presents… Betty: The Final Girl

Script: Micol Ostow, Casey Gilly, Sam Maggs
Art: Laura Braga, Natalie Nardozza, Carola Borelli
Colors: Matt Herms
Letters: Jack Morelli
Cover: Laura Braga
Variant Cover: Megan Hutchison
On Sale Date: 2/15
32-page, full color comic
$3.99

Veronica has invited Betty to her luxurious mountaintop chalet for a cozy weekend of skiing. But their girls weekend is interrupted when Archie shows up and whisks Veronica off on their own snowy romantic adventure. What could go wrong at a fancy remote cabin in the mountains all by herself? Betty’s mind races and she can’t tell fact from fiction as she suddenly realizes she might not be so alone. Is Betty believing too much in the horror movies she’s watched, or is someone (or something) really out to get her? Find out in this BRAND NEW horror anthology one-shot that‘s equal parts Scream and When a Stranger Calls.

Chilling Adventures Presents… Betty: The Final Girl

Archie’s “That Wilkin Boy” returns in a new horror comic

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The cult-favorite Archie Comics character Bingo Wilkin is getting a modern revival through a more sinister type of cult in Chilling Adventures Presents… The Cult of That Wilkin Boy, a one-shot comic from the Archie Horror imprint releasing in April.

In a book-length solo story, horror comics master Cullen Bunn and artist Dan Schoening tell a chilling tale of fame and fandom gone wrong when rock star Bingo is offered a demonic deal he can’t refuse. Of course, it doesn’t go exactly the way crossroads exchanges usually do in traditional folklore.

Bingo first appeared in 1968’s That Wilkin Boy #1, launching a fan-favorite spinoff to the core Archie titles that ran for 14 years. Bingo was the cousin of Riverdale’s Jughead Jones and lived in nearby Midvale, where he led a band called The Bingoes. In the new horror one-shot, Bunn and Schoening take the concept of Bingo as an iconoclastic hipster musician and update it for a terrifying tale of clout-chasing ambition and powerful cults. 

The Cult of That Wilkin Boy, with an open-to-order variant cover by Robert Hack, inks by Ben Galvan, colors by Matt Herms and lettering by Jack Morelli, releases April 19 in comic shops nationwide.

Pop Tate serves up fresh terror in all-new one-shot!

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Archie Comics mainstay Pop Tate, proprietor of Riverdale’s world famous burgers-and-milkshakes diner, has some sinister secrets! The horrors hidden beneath this wholesome small town hot spot will be revealed in Chilling Adventures Presents… Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe of Horrors, a one-shot anthology from the Archie Horror imprint, on-sale in March!

In a trio of new terror tales, a dark side of Pop is revealed as he exacts revenge on ne’er-do-wells when most of Riverdale is asleep and safe at home. The collection includes “Night Shift” by Ryan Cady and Chris Panda, “Soylent Teen” by Eisner nominee Jordan Morris and Liana Kangas, and “Die-and-Dash” by Amy Chase and Federico Sabbatini.

The new one-shot hints at a fascinating continuity with earlier Archie Horror comics, and that Pop may have something to do with the terrible events plaguing this version of Riverdale since the zombie invasion detailed in Afterlife with Archie nearly ten years ago. The writers contributing to Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe of Horrors all spoke to the imprint’s legacy in the horror genre.

Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe of Horrors, with an open-to-order variant cover by Francesco Francavilla, colors by Matt Herms and lettering by Jack Morelli, releases March 22 in comic shops. 

Riverdale’s girl-next-door is a new horror icon! It’s Betty, the Final Girl!

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Archie Comics icon Betty Cooper — known for 80 years as the girl next door with a ready solution for every problem, might have finally found her match in Chilling Adventures Presents… Betty: The Final Girl, a one-shot anthology from the renowned Archie Horror imprint, on-sale in February 15, 2023!

The slasher sub-genre’s most widely loved trope, the “final girl” is the clever survivor who carries a relentless plot across the finish line, taking it to the bad guy in the last scene. Writer Micol Ostow immediately turned to Betty when she thought of marrying the genre with Archie’s core cast of characters.

Micol’s framing story, “Rosemary’s Babysitter,” with art by Laura Braga, takes Betty and Veronica to a secluded mountaintop chalet for a weekend of skiing. When Betty is left alone, her mind begins to race and dangers appear around every darkened hallway and every creaky door. Each new fright introduces a new story starring a different girl from the Archie Comics roster: “Be Mine or Die” by Casey Gilley and Natalie Nardozza, and “Melody’s Next” by Sam Maggs and Carola Borelli.

Veronica has invited Betty to her luxurious mountaintop chalet for a cozy weekend of skiing. But their girls weekend is interrupted when Archie shows up and whisks Veronica off on their own snowy romantic adventure. What could go wrong at a fancy remote cabin in the mountains all by herself? Betty’s mind races and she can’t tell fact from fiction as she suddenly realizes she might not be so alone. Is Betty believing too much in the horror movies she’s watched, or is someone (or something) really out to get her? Find out in this BRAND NEW horror anthology one-shot that‘s equal parts Scream and When a Stranger Calls.

A love letter to slasher movies and horror in general, the comic features two open-to-order covers by Laura Braga and Megan Hutchison celebrating the heroic final girl archetype. Betty: The Final Girl features colors by Matt Herms and lettering by Jack Morelli.

Preview: The Return of Chilling Adventures in Sorcery

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The Return of Chilling Adventures in Sorcery

Script: Eliot Rahal, Sina Grace, Casey Gilly
Art: Vincenzo Federici, Corin Howell, Liana Kangas
Colors: Matt Herms, Glenn Whitmore
Letters: Jack Morelli
Cover: Julius Ohta
Variant Cover: Francesco Francavilla
On Sale Date: 10/26
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

Madam Satan escaped Hell a fugitive and hated woman by Satan and his thralls. She’s now principal of Baxter High and Hell has come to Earth. With each classroom acting as a portal to the different circles in Hell, Madam Satan must recruit similar tortured souls if she has any chance of survival… all leading up to a Madam Satan and her army vs. Satan and his in this highly-anticipated follow-up to last year’s hit Chilling Adventures in Sorcery!

The Return of Chilling Adventures in Sorcery

Preview: Fear the Funhouse

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Fear the Funhouse

Script: Micol Ostow, Magdalene Visaggio, Michael Northrop
Art: Lisette Carrera, Ryan Caskey, Diana Camero
Colors: Matt Herms
Letters: Jack Morelli
Cover: Lisette Carrera
Variant Cover: Sweeney Boo
On Sale Date: 10/19
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

A night camping at the treehouse in the woods leads the pre-teen Archie and his friends to do what any kid their age would do in that scenario: tell scary stories! But each story grows creepier and creepier as the kids realize that maybe, just maybe, there is some truth to these tall tales in an anthology that’s equal parts Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps.

Fear the Funhouse

Preview: Chilling Adventures of Salem #1

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Chilling Adventures of Salem #1

Script: Cullen Bunn
Art: Dan Schoening
Colors: Matt Herms
Letters: Jack Morelli
Cover: Dan Schoening, Matt Herms
Variant Cover: Francesco Francavilla
On Sale Date: 10/12
32-page, full color comic, $3.99 U.S.

Salem the Cat has always been known as Sabrina’s familiar, but what happens when Sabrina’s not around to protect him (or, as is more the case, when he doesn’t have to protect her)? This special one-shot explores a different side of Salem’s life, one in which he acts as an anti-hero enacting vigilante justice on those who hurt others like him… animals, in a horror story that’s equal parts Pet Sematary and Hereditary.

Chilling Adventures of Salem #1
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