It seems only natural that Archie Comics has decided to issue an Archie Valentine's Day special this year. Since his very first appearance in the pages of Pep #22 (Dec. 1941), love has always been on Archie's mind.
The first love interest for Archie was Betty; as she was moving into the redhead teens' Riverdale neighborhood in that first story. 4 issues later, Archie's love life was forever complicated when the wealthy Veronica Lodge moved into town.
For decades, the eternal question was 'Betty or Veronica?' In 1982, the love life of Archie Andrews got even more complicated with the arrival of the spicy redhead, Cheryl Blossom. In recent years, Archie has even developed a relationship with Josie and the Pussycats bassist Valerie Smith.
In this Valentine's Day special, a new love of Archie's is introduced. A songstress named Taylor Sweet, has become the latest pop sensation thanks to a love song based on a failed relationship with Archie. If you figured out that Taylor Sweet is a play on Taylor Swift- give yourself a cookie. Now if you can figure out if Archie is supposed to be Harry Styles, John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal- you win the game. Though with Archie's red hair and penchant for the guitar, the safe money would be on Ed Sheeran!
There are 3 classic Archie love-stories added to this special. Betty and Veronica take readers on a history of romance from the prehistoric age up through the Elizabethan era. Then Midge suspects that their might be some pent-up romance behind the practical joke war between Jughead and Veronica. Obviously, the real meaning behind it all is much sillier than that. Lastly, Betty and Veronica become fans of the works of a new romance novelist. Nobody knows who the writer really is. But when Ronnie finds an unpublished manuscript on Mr. Weatherbee's computer, surely the Bee can't be the hot new writer! Can he?
This was an endearing V-Day special. But it was far from perfect. For one thing, the artwork in the opening story was uneven. Taylor Sweet wasn't drawn in the Archie way. It looked like somebody drew a character from the Jonny Quest universe in with the Archie Gang. Things just didn't gel properly.
Then there is the romance novel story. It's definitely a product of times gone by. Nowadays, if a school official was revealed to be the brains behind a fiery romance novel, there would be hell to pay. Have said official share their sexy works with their students, A) the employee would be terminated and B) parents would file a lawsuit to have such works scrubbed from library shelves. I'm not being political with this statement.As a public school teacher, I'm just stating fact.
Despite how controversial that last story could be, it was also the best of the bunch! That's because it was the work of Dan Parent, the definitive modern Archie creator! Again, just stating fact!
Dan Parent also crafted the cover. It features several of the many loves of Archie Andrews. But the truest romance on the cover doesn't even involve the world's oldest redheaded teen. It's Jughead and his affection for a properly cooked Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe cheeseburger!
Ah. Young love at it's most innocent.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
Completing this review completes Task #14 (Published This Year) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.
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