Forget that just 2 weeks ago, I reviewed an Archie comic for Family Comic Friday. I haven't had a chance to head to my local library for some new all ages reads yet. And with a release date of May 17th, this is one of the few times I'm ahead of the game instead of catching up.
Bite Sized Archie is a weekly web comic from Archiecomics.com. Written and illustrated by Ron Cacace and Vincent Lovallo, a couple of Archie veterans, this print volume collects the first year of strips.
Now I know what you're thinking. There's only 52 weeks in a year. This book is 112 pages long. And the strip is only 4 panels long. What's going on here? Along with the finished product, this book also presents the original sketches of each strip. Plus, there's factoids and BTS information on how the strips came to life and valuable tips about computer generated art and story structure.
Most books I review for my Family Comic Friday column are constructed where the entire book is fun for the whole family. This book is different. The readers under age 8 will love the Chibi inspired artwork The teen and under 30s family members will love the references to social media and anime. The older readers will enjoy the classic pop culture references to movies and the 80 year plus history of Archie Comics. Throw in the background factoids and art class additions and if you've got any aspiring writers or artists in the family and I think you've got everyone covered.
Unfortunately, just don't think every page offers something that every member of the theoretic comics reading family will enjoy. For example- the use of the Japanese inspired Chibi art technique, the older readers who grew up with Archie in the 70s and 80s won't quite understand why Archie and friends look so angelic. I should know! I showed this book to my bride and Vincent Lovallo's images confused the heck out of her! I at least thought the characters seemed inspired by my personal favorite Archie series, Little Archie. But I can understand how wonky our brains get if something rebooted doesn't reflect the icons we grew up with.
This first volume ended too soon. I want to read ahead but I don't want to miss out being surprised on what I expect to be next year's second collection. Sure, we'll get all the great director's cut commentary. But I think I'll stay away from the internet in order to stay surprised.
A book full of something for the whole family. Just don't expect everyone to be on the same page!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
#bitesizedarchie
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