As strange as it may seem, the Archie Halloween Spectacular is the Halloween special that I most look forward to! This annual one-shot is just so fun. Contrary to what you might think, while it is all-ages appropriate reading, it not all sunshine and lollipops.
The all-new opener is from the mind and might of Dan Parent; who in my opinion is the definitive modern day Archie creator. The story involves the South Side Serpents who have been transformed into actual monsters thanks to a defective invention of Dilton's. Transformed, the bullies look pretty terrifying and they seem eager to do some damage against Archie and his pals.
It's the second story that I thought was the most intense of the bunch. In yet another reputed Riverdale haunted house, the gang seeks to put on a Halloween bash. Archie is on guard, expecting trouble from those Samhain sprites, Trick and Treat. Archie is on the money as the two do indeed cause calamity. Only there's an air of evil in these pranks which lead to teenage witch Sabrina to go into battle versus an old foe.
That story, along with the other 3 or 4 other tales are supposed to be reprints. But Trick and Treat were only introduced to the Archie universe a couple of years ago. And the last Archie Halloween Spectacular I read, which I assumed was last year's special, alluded to a rematch between Sabrina and Amber Nightstone. So did I miss something?! I mean obviously I did. I just don't know when and where I did and is there even more to this saga that I have yet to encounter because I am not reading a monthly Archie title regularly?
As for the other stories, only one sticks out to me as being memorable. It is by Frank Doyle and Harry Lucey and it looks like it's from the 1950s or early 60s. Betty and Veronica plan to meet up with Archie and Jughead at yet another haunted house. (How many violent deaths have occurred in this tiny burg to warrant so many haunted places?) The girls think that the guys are trying to scare them. The boys think that the gals are trying to spook them. It turns out that it's really the ghosts who occupy the dilapidated structure. And yet because each group thought the others were behind the frights, nobody gets scared.
There was another story that looked like it's from the Silver Age that has Archie being the mark on a prank TV show similar to Candid Camera. Only, Archie has been warned ahead of time of the ruse and doesn't react to the ghost, which turns out to be the real thing! It wasn't a bad story. It just didn't feel as fresh being in the same book with another similar story.
As for story #5 and #6 I think it involves Reggie. Maybe...? I just can't recall what happened in either. They must not have been all that great.
I enjoyed this special. It feels like Archie Comics is reading my annual reviews and making changes. At 30 pages and no middle ads, this felt like a giant read. Many thanks to my favorite LCS for ordering me the vintage looking variant cover. I like it so much more than the standard cover which looks CGI to me. Also, taking center stage is some random character that I bet most readers don't even know. Heck, I'm still not 100% sure I know who they are. I just with the green face paint, purple and black hair and fangs, whomever it is just is NOT recognizable.
I loved this special. But it wasn't a perfect read. And it left me wondering if I missed something important.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.











.jpeg)


.jpeg)
