For those who grew up reading from the spinner rack, Archie represents the epitome of family friendly fun. The adventures of Riverdale’s most rockin’ teens—Archie and Jughead, Betty and Veronica, Reggie and Moose—serve as pure cotton candy escapism, where the worst thing one has to worry about is not having a date for the dance or running out of hamburgers. With that in mind, the gang’s latest, Archie vs. Predator, is both surprisingly out there and even more surprisingly great. After all, nothing says family friendly like a spine-stripped corpse, right kids?
Given its title, quick-draw readers will likely assume that Archie vs. Predator is similar in tone to that of its more contemporary fellow, Afterlife with Archie. This could not be any further from the truth. Whereas Afterlife took the properties various characters and gave them a bit of a modernized edge, Archie vs. Predator #1 is your grocery store Archie come to life, plus one not so sociable addition. Writer Alex de Campi absolutely nails the wholesome vibe of the Riverdale crew, her characterization pitch perfect to the source material. From the eternal tug of war between Betty and Veronica for Archie’s affections to Reggie’s baseless attempts to steal them away, every ounce of dialogue screams vintage Archie. Even the book’s inciting incident—Jughead winning an all expenses paid vacation via eating potato chips—feels ripped from those familiar pages.
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Given its title, quick-draw readers will likely assume that Archie vs. Predator is similar in tone to that of its more contemporary fellow, Afterlife with Archie. This could not be any further from the truth. Whereas Afterlife took the properties various characters and gave them a bit of a modernized edge, Archie vs. Predator #1 is your grocery store Archie come to life, plus one not so sociable addition. Writer Alex de Campi absolutely nails the wholesome vibe of the Riverdale crew, her characterization pitch perfect to the source material. From the eternal tug of war between Betty and Veronica for Archie’s affections to Reggie’s baseless attempts to steal them away, every ounce of dialogue screams vintage Archie. Even the book’s inciting incident—Jughead winning an all expenses paid vacation via eating potato chips—feels ripped from those familiar pages.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...