Archie's Valentine's Spectacular 2026 #1

The all-new feature for this year's Archie Valentine's Day Spectacular was a parody of the massive Netflix animated hit K-Pop Demon Hunters. Only it wasn't funny. Plus, it was the most dreadful thing I have ever read from Archie Comics.  It was such a disappointment. The writing was unpolished. The artwork was amateurish; supposed to invoke the styles of anime and Manga. The story succeeded in neither. It ends with a question posed to whether or not this was the end of the assault on the singing talents of Josie, Veronica, Sabrina and Betty by an arcane force. For my sake, I hope this experiment has concluded. I don't think I could read another chapter of the 'Spirit Slayers in Love'. 

The 5 backup reprints were better. Not by much. The Frank Doyle two-parter where first Veronica and then Betty go overboard in attempting to make Archie their Valentine had moments of funny antics and stunning art. It just didn't feel very original. Cheryl Blossom's attempts to permanently drive a wedge between Archie and the girls shows just how self-centered Archie and Veronica could be. It was reinforced by a follow up where Veronica sends Betty away in tears and Archie confesses that he woos Veronica because of how spoiled she is, just convinced me further that Betty would be better off dating someone who would appreciate her more. Jughead, anyone?

The fifth and final story featuring the talents of George Frese was my favorite of the bunch. Clearly from sometime in the 1940s or 50s, I liked the classic look and feel. It was a typical Archie love triangle story but it had a more timeless appeal to me. I would have loved it if all of the backup stories were from this era.

If anything, this special has convinced me that while I am a fan of Archie Comics, I can do without the schmaltz. I love the wholesome nature of Archie's holiday tales. I adore the ingenuity of the parody stories. Plus, Archie does horror so well with a balance of comedy and unsettling suspense. So what in the world went wrong with Becky G!'s original story? Maybe not being familiar with the source material had a little to do with it. Having Sabrina's cat Salem use the term 'sus' had me rolling my eyes. I'm going be honest, with the use of gender neutral pronouns and a mysterious character who hates the band's message of hope and love, I thought at first that this was some sort of allegory about the immigration policies of our current presidential administration instead of Archie's version of K-Pop Demon Hunters.

I think overall, the original tale lacked a timeless quality to it. Plus, the reprinted material reminded me how selfish Veronica is. Also, Archie is just a darn fool, thinking more with his pants than his brain. I think from now on, I'll stick to the deep ends of the Archie Comics pool that I like best. Just as long as that section stays away from Netflix series as inspiration!

Rating; 4 out of 10 stars.

Archie Halloween Spectacular 2020 #1

A couple of days ago, I reviewed this year's annual Archie Halloween special. I had mentioned that there was a story inside that seemed to continue a continuing plotline from the past couple of spectaculars and it made me feel like I had missed something. Afterwards, I did some digging and discovered that I had somehow missed last year's edition! Not sure how I did that. But it lit a fire under me to search around for it as I still have a couple of gigantic piles of books to bag, inventory and add to my collection.

I thought I hit pay dirt when I found this book. Satisfied, I began reading it without checking the publication year. After reading the first story that was devoid of neither Sabrina the Teenage Witch or those Halloween sprites Trick and Treat, I discovered that this was the Halloween special from 2020!

Now October, 2020 was right in the middle of the pandemic. The entire comic book industry shut down and most of the holiday specials announced for release in October and December were postponed. So I likely didn't get to buy this book until early in the new year of 2021. That would explain how I missed this one. But where in the heck is last year's book?

The 2020 special was in my opinion kinda dull. Although I suspect that if I would have had this during the doldrums of COVID-19, it would have been a highlight of my home bound Halloween season. (It's amazing what seasonality and your current circumstances will make a ho-hum book feel like a masterpiece.) (And compared to how good this year's Archie's Halloween Spectacular was, this book just couldn't compete!)

The all-new opening story finds Archie determined to scare Reggie after being humiliated for the last time. It's a story that I know that I have read before, only by different writers and artists. And probably not set during Halloween.

The immediate follow up story was much better, even though it wasn't set at Halloween. Inspired by the movie Night at the Museum, Jughead and Archie spend the night at the local history museum. As a prank, a couple of employees dress up as cavemen and scare the boys silly. 

The next tale funds Archie in his eternal predicament: committed to taking Betty and Veronica to the Riverdale High Halloween Dance at the same time. But in a twist, there's a third player who's impersonating both the the girls. If you're familiar with the legend of the Betty-Archie-Veronica love triangle, you'll know immediately who the fourth wheel is and it's NOT Sabrina! 

And yes! I knew who it was!

Archie specials typically have 4 stories. But the 2nd and 3rd yarns are pretty long. So the 4th entry is a one-pagers that I've read previously somewhere before. It's a parody of the famous demon on the airplane wing episode of The Twilight Zone. I love it and I wonder if they ever made more of those...

I enjoyed this read. I would have really loved it if at least all 3 large tales were all about pranks instead of just the first 2. Plus I wish there was more creativity behind the new opener. It felt more like a mid-90s stagnant era Archie Comic instead of a more dynamic 2020s offering. I guess I have been spoiled by the superior quality of the past several years of holiday specials...

As for the cover by Jeff Shultz and Rosario 'Tito' Pena, this is why I would choose Betty over Veronica any day of the week?

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Archie Showcase Digest #24- Halfway to Halloween

This book debuted in stores in May. I was very lucky to find a copy still on a Harris Teeter magazine rack just a couple of weeks ago. Boy am I glad I did because there's a ton of stuff that I have never read before!

Archie, both Little and as a teenager, Sabrina and her bewitching family and Betty and Veronica all have both Halloween themed and regular day supernatural adventures in this book. I didn't realize how many abandoned mansions that are supposedly haunted, occupy the town of Riverdale. In this gigantic digest, I lost count after 4!

The best story was a multipart tale where an Addams Family archetype clan moves into the haunted mansion behind Archie's house. I liked this story because of how creepy and kooky this family is and yet Archie treats them like normal people. He even treats their man-eating shrub like you would a beloved family dog.Once he got to know their true character, of course. It's how if I meet the Addams Family or even the Munsters, I hope I would react and interact with them.

Another thing that was really good didn't involve anyone from the Archie gang. It was the monster heavy pieces from the 1960s horror comedy anthology titled Archie's Mad House. Those pieces looked like something from EC Comics and had the humor of MAD Magazine. I thought they were great! I've never actively pursued these issues. But I've never turned down a chance to purchase one of I ever find them while searching through discount long boxes. But I might just start...

My choice for the worst story was the story from Archie's Weird Mysteries. Adapted from the monster and alien heavy 2000 cartoon series of the same name, I was excited about this one at first. I loved the animated series and I had put the 25 issues based on it on my wish list. But after reading this one, I might have to rethink that. The story, which recounts how Veronica became chosen as the Riverdale version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well as the betrayal of their friend Scarlet, who was a bloodsucker all along, relies too much on the TV series. The recap is too long. Inside jokes about the cartoon are referenced way too much and I had trouble relating to the mentor character of Dr. Beaumont.

I didn't know that Halloween in May was a thing. I know all about Christmas in July. But if Archie Comics wants to make this digest an annual thing, I'm all for it! This Summer time digest had more new-to-me material than this year's October published Halloween themed Archie digest, which was almost comprised entirely of Archie Halloween Spectacular material of the past decade!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Death of Archie: A Life Celebrated

The Death of Archie was the explosive comic event of 2014. Just like with the death of Batman's sidekick Robin in 1988, when the news broke of the looming demise of the World's Oldest Teen, fans lost their minds. Only, unlike where an actually Robin died, just not fan favorite original Dick Grayson, the death of Archie wasn't canon. Yes- the Archie Andrews generations grew up reading since his debut in 1941 died from a gunshot wound. But the murder takes place in the distance future of about 15-20 years from now. 

Volume 2 of Life With Archie, known by its storyline 'The Married Life' showed two possible futures for Archie Andrews. Debuting in 2010, fans got a glimpse of what life after high school would be like if he finally answered the eternal question 'Betty or Veronica?' Fans got to see what married life would be like not just with socialite heiress Veronica but the consummate girl next door Betty.

At one point towards the end of the storyline, the marriages kinda fused together in which you never saw the face of Archie's singular one true love. Thus when Archie is ultimately killed, he confesses as his last words '... I've Always Loved You...' to his bride without truly revealing just whom it is the redhead is confessing his devotion towards.

Reading the story wasn't really something I felt like I had to read. A chance find at Ollie's for only $2.99 was enough to entice me to give it a go. The story is actually quite good. However, it's not Archie's death that made this a story to remember. Instead, it was both how the reader never really knows who Archie's soul mate was as well as the last issue in which Archie's friends and family join together a year after his death to reflect on how their lives were impacted by Archie.

There are about 15 pages of extra material. Don't pass those up! There's an article on the character's impact on both comics and pop culture, a look at all the great variant covers along with artist inside info and a look behind the scenes at the original artwork and the changes recommended to it by the editors. Be sure to also catch the foreword by the EIC Victor Gorelick which explains why Archie Comics decided to kill off their signature character- even if it was a 'What If' type situation.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Archie Halloween Spectacular 2023

I saved my favorite for as close to last as I could stand it. For about 5 years now, the comic book devoted to Halloween I look forward to most annually are the Archie specials. Same goes for the Christmas edition. I think it's because of how timeless they are. So full of nostalgia, humor and wonder. Plus they have moments of spookiness without being too scary. 

This year's offering is a love letter to the dark side of Archie Comics. I didn't realize this, but in the 1950s and 60s, Archie and his gang interacted with a bunch of classic monsters and aliens. While the stories might have been tongue in cheek, the artwork of the ghouls and goblins was pretty darn intimidating. In the all-new opening story, Tom DeFalco pens a tribute to those glorious looking frights.

Last year's Halloween annual introduced readers to Trick and Treat; a pair of Halloween imps who like to visit Riverdale every October 31st. While I wasn't as enthusiastic about their debut, these two have become fan favorites. So a return was almost inevitable. In DeFalco's tale, Veronica's father is allowing the students of Riverdale High to use one of his abandoned properties as the site for the annual Halloween party and haunted house. In the minds of Archie and Jughead, this place already is haunted. Trick is inspired by the old comics books that Treat has been reading and uses the creatures from them to scare Archie and Jughead.

At the end of the book is a gallery of all the old Archie Comics issues that inspired this debut story. There's also a great 2-page article about the history of Archie books and why horror has always been an element in them. Did you even know that the Archie sister imprint Red Circle had straight up horror anthology tales? I had always thought that more adult Archie books of terror was more of a modern invention. Gee, was I wrong.

There's 4 reprint stories included in this book. One looks like it's from the 80s. Starring Betty and Veronica, the girls spend the night presumably in this same abandoned mansion in hopes of proving ghosts exist. Then there's a more modern tale involving some newer characters including a goth girl and a young boy of Indian decent. That's got the gang cutting through a graveyard on Halloween night in order to get to a Halloween party quicker. Bad idea there. The last newer looking story has Sabrina having to think fast when a rival witch attacks her at Veronica's Halloween bash- in front of mortals!

The 4th story was from the 50s, I think. Or the very early 60s. It's a classic that I've read before in which Dracula tries to trap Archie and Jughead. Only the two teens are completely oblivious that they're in near mortal danger. Every time the Count tries to prove to the fellas that he's a monster, one of the boys dismisses it as being lame. It was drawn to be very spooky. But it was so funny.

I thought the all-new story was just too short. But I really appreciated the nods to the past. I also don't quite get all the love for imps Trick and Treat. For one thing, Treat has a noose around their neck and I'm very surprised nobody has cried fowl on it and the implications of lynching. Besides, I'm more of a Jingles the Elf fan. Though I would love to see a Trick and Treat meets Jingles crossover! Maybe we could see these two worlds collide in a Thanksgiving Day special. If you ask me, an Archie look at Turkey Day has been sorely missing from my annual holiday comic book reads. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Archie Meets Riverdale #1

I think I write some of my reviews in my sleep. I know for a fact that I read this 2022 one-shot crossover the week it debuted in stores. I enjoyed the Hell out of it. And I could have sworn that I drafted up my praises. Yet, this book was still in my to-review pile with no proof of a post about Archie Meets Riverdale anywhere on this blog. 

In the original Archie Comics universe, teenage egghead Dilton Doiley is working on another one of his experiments which naturally malfunctions. Only this time around, the device latches on to a parallel universe plucking the Riverdale Archie Andrews from his drama heavy universe into the overly cheery world of Riverdale, USA that us readers have been devotees of for over 80 years! As Dilton tinkers with his machine in hopes of fixing it, random teens from both universes pop in and out of their realities. Before you know it, all of your classic Archie characters will be on the PG-13 side of the spectrum and those brooding teens from Riverdale will be existing in a saccharine reality otherwise thought unimaginable.

You know, the only way to fix this might be a joint prom between both Riverdale High student bodies!

I've never seen an episode of Riverdale. But I Wiki-read about it a lot. I HAVE read quite a few Archie team-up books. Archie Meets Riverdale is among the creme de la creme of them! I know that at least in one of my dream reviews in the past, I wished for this crossover to happen. Well, the wish was granted, albeit in my head, and it was a marvelous wish fulfilled. 

I loved that Pat & Tim Kennedy decided to draw the classic Archie gang in a more nostalgic look from the 1940s and 50s. If Archie Comics had gone with Dan Parent's version which is based a lot more on Dan DeCarlo's look established as the playbook for presenting the world's oldest teenagers, the differences between the two universes wouldn't be as striking. I love the Dan Parent/Dan DeCarlo model. It's the definitive look for Archie and the gang. It just would not have been as effective if that version was used for this crossover. 

Good Call, Archie Editors!

A fun ride for Archie and Riverdale fans. Though I think the more established a classic Archie fan you are, the more you'll get out of this book. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Archie Halloween Spectacular 2022 (Family Comic Friday)

I look forward to this annual offering of Halloween frights and delights from Archie Comics. For the most part, this year's release didn't disappoint. 

As with previous years, there is only 1 new story. Readers are introduced to Trick and Treat, two spirits that embody All Hallows. Treat is all about the costumes, candy and fun of the holiday. Trick is about the horror, mischief and mayhem of the fall event. In their debut, Trick and Treat have a bet to see who can have the better Halloween evening: poor Archie who spent all his costume money on a date with Veronica the week prior or Reggie, whose costume hasn't really scared anybody.

I was hesitant about these new characters. But they really were charming. (Though, is that a noose around Treat's neck???) I had such an enjoyable time with these Halloween sprites that I wonder if there might ever be a crossover with them and Christmas time fan fav, Jingles the Elf?

There were 4 reprinted stories included with the Trick and Treat original debut. The first trio of stories were part of a trilogy. Betty and Veronica become owners of a pair of cursed pieces of costume jewelry. After a number of mishaps, they finally are able to get rid of the baubles only for Archie to claim them. That ended part one. In part two, Archie and Jughead wear the accessories for their costumes. While at a costume party, everything goes wrong to the point that Archie tosses his necklace away. Juggie however, decides to give his bracelet to his baby sister, Jellybean. This ends part two. Part 3 sees Jellybean, now wearing the trinket, being babysat by Betty and Veronica. Realizing that the tot has one of the cursed items, the girls summon Sabrina, the Teenage Witch to help dispose of it!

I didn't know that the previous story had 3 parts! I had read the first two segments before and liked them. So the third chapter was all new to me. That volume was written and illustrated by in my opinion, the quintessential modern Archie creator, Dan Parent. For 95% of that section, I was in love. But then a huge gaff occurred in the plot and it ruined the whole story. 

Before Sabrina casts the bracelet into limbo, she comments that she'll make Betty, Veronica and Jellybean forget that she can do magic. Yet, when the regalia disappears, not only does everybody know Sabrina is a witch, Sabrina herself mentions not being able to descern where the cursed necklace went.

I read that section of the story 3 times trying to make sense of things. Did I miss something? Did the spell not work? Maybe I read it wrong. Maybe someone else was supposed to forget. The only thing I can think of is that the amnesia spell takes affect after everybody falls asleep. Only, I'm not really sure. Though a very funny Bite-Sized Archie one-pager was included in this issue and it might explain why nobody forgets at story's end.

Our last reprint story has Archie and Jughead having to ride out a storm in a mansion with a creepy inventor and his even creepier butler. It was a fun story that involves mishearing things for comedic effect with a plausible ending that has a great twist to things. A really great misdirect to bring about closure. Too bad I've read this one before, too.

One thing I got to say about the 2022 spectacular is that the editors should have chosen 3 stories that didn't appear in one of last year's Halloween-themed digests. I know that I've read enough Archie that I'm going to stumble across a story here and there that I have read previously. But come on Archie Comics, spread things out a little bit! There's tons of other Halloween themed stories out there that weren't printed in other Archie publications just last year that you could have used instead,... weren't there? 

The all-new story was great. The thrill of learning that a two-parter I really enjoyed had a third entry was really cool. Too bad that finale had a confusing ending. And the other story was good. But really, lets get a little bit of variety here, folks!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Archie's Valentine's Spectacular (2022 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

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.

Archie Halloween Spectacular #1 (2021)

I wrapped up my 2021 Halloween reads with the title I look forward to the most. It's the 2021 edition of the Archie Halloween Spectacular!

My favorite Archie artist, Dan Parent, is the natural choice for the cover! It's not one of my favorites of the Spectacular covers. But it got the proper mood set for my Halloween night read!

The opening all-new story has Archie accidentally pissing off a witch. The next day, he awakes with a pumpkin for a head. Thankfully, it's October 31st. So everybody thinks Arch is just wearing a costume. Can juvenile sorceress Sabrina find a cure to this Halloween hex?

There's 3 more stories that fill out this 32-pager. All are reprints. But I don't think I've read any of them before. First up is a Dan Parent thriller in which Veronica purchases a cursed locket. Jughead's research convinces Ronnie to give up the ghost on the jewelry, least she become possessed by the original owner. But what will Betty and Veronica do when Juggie's baby sister comes in 'possession' of the necklace?

Then Archie swears off season foods when Reggie compares him to the pumpkin Pop has been using in his milkshakes and cheesecake. Hopefully, Betty can cheer Archie up with some fresh baked goodies. 

Lastly, we've got a story that stars Chuck Clayton. Of all the stories, I think I might have read this one before. But I am not sure. The aspiring illustrator thinks he's jinxed when his big shot to get published in a horror comic busts. Chuck is really sure he's cursed when girlfriend Nancy loses her part-time costumer job due to a big box store. Meanwhile, the local haunted house charity will have to be cancelled due to supply chain issues. It'll take a little Halloween magic, Riverdale style, to wrap everything up in a real nice package!

Of the repeats, the Dan Parent story was my favorite. It had a more mature tone and yet still whimsical. And Parent's rendering of Betty as Supergirl. Wow! I've seen several of Dan Parent's sketches of Betty as Supergirl. He does a fantastic job! It's one of my holy grails to get an original sketch from the artist doing Superbetty. Fingers crossed!

I saved the best for last. I loved every page. I know it's early. But only 365 more days until another Halloween special! 

I can't wait!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Betty and Veronica: Friends Forever Halloween Spooktacular #1 (Family Comic Friday)

With Halloween Comic Fest 2021 cancelled, the amount of Halloween themed books available for kids of all ages is pretty thin. But fret not, the return of Family Comic Friday has got it's hands on the brand spanking new ghostly read from Archie Comics! Prepare for the fun-filled frights of Betty and Veronica: Friends Forever Halloween Spooktacular #1!

I guess it's not fair to call this a completely new Halloween special. Only the opening tale is a first run story. It has Dan Parent penciled Betty and Veronica going to a thrift store to shop for their Halloween costumes. At the shop, the girls find a wicked pointy hat which just happens to have magical powers. The fun had at the expense of the residents of Riverdale all seems like a treat until one of their tricks backfires and Betty & Veronica accidentally summon a frightening ghost that steals their supernatural chapeau!

There's 3 reprinted stories that round out this special. First up: a scary movie viewing at the Lodge estate prompts Veronica's cousin to have a wild encounter with a supposed UFO invader! 

Then in a classic story that I've read somewhere before, teenage witch Sabrina refuses to spend All Hallow's Eve with her folks. So she's cursed until midnight to creep around as an ugly troll creature. Never one to let a good opportunity pass, Sabrina decides to go to a Halloween party in hopes of winning the best costume award!

Lastly, Archie and Veronica run afoul of the mysterious Dr. Katt in a two-part thriller. I too remember this story. Just not as well as the Sabrina farce. This feline-centric story is rather creepy and a perfect read for those Riverdale and Afterlife With Archie fans out there.

I've been looking forward to diving into my cache of horror themed books to start my annual 10 days of Halloween readings. But I wanted to start with an honest-to-goodness Halloween special to kick things off first! Anything holiday related from Archie is a good way to dip your toe into the frights. The stories have an eerie tone to them; but they're wholesome enough to not keep you up at nights!

Fun for the whole fam!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Betty and Veronica: Friends Forever: What If... #1 (Family Comic Friday)

Are you the type of reader that wonder 'What If?' Have you ever wondered 'What if George Washington was a cyborg?' or 'What if Billy the Kid ever rode a T-Rex?' Well, then Archie Comics has got a comic book for you. Join Family Comic Friday as we explore Betty and Veronica: Friends Forever: What If... #1

Betty and Veronica: Friends Forever: What If... #1

Written by Bill Golliher
Art by Dan Parent and Rich Kowslowski
Published by Archie Comics
Pages:
Retail: $2.99

 

I've been a fan of stories that expand the imagination. I grew up reading Marvel's What If... comics that asked epic questions such as 'What If Spider-Man Joined the Fantastic Four?' or 'What If Wolverine Became the Lord of Vampires?' Some of those stories have now since become reality, such as 'What If Jane Foster Found Thor's Hammer?' But then you've got some weird What If's. Like the one that explored what would happen if the planet eater Galactus became an Elvis impersonator. 

 

As i got older, DC Comics upped the imaginary story game with their Elseworlds imprint. With these slightly more mature stories, we learned what comic book lore would be like if Superman did not survive the destruction of his planet Krypton or if Green Lantern lived during the time of Aladdin's lamp. Apparently, DC also has a fascination with vampires as the company has also explored what would happen if Batman too became the lord of vampires!

 

I'm guessing you can tell that I love these imaginary stories. They're a big chunk of my collection! and it's ever growing with publishers like IDW and even Archie producing these fanciful titles! Thus, I think you can tell how excited I am to see Archie jumping back into 'What If' waters with this new comic!

 

Explore what would happen if Betty was the rich one and Veronica was poor! Could Jughead be a better ladies man than Archie? And imagine the extra trouble Archie could get into if he had an identical twin brother! All that and more awaits inside this all-ages approved one-shot by Bill Golliher and my personal favorite Archie artist, Dan Parent. Together, Golliher and Parent bring back the classic Betty and Veronica with a speculative twist!

 

I only wish that the stories did not end how they did. Two tales explore other ideas but they seem to fall back into the established character tropes by the end of the story. The Archie and his twin story had a predictable ending. Only the story about if Betty and Veronica were both witches seemed to have a great surprise ending. But I didn't feel like that how the two forever friends ended up being witches was ever properly explained. Were they born into it? Or did they become practitioners of the dark arts in order to woo Archie Andrews? I guess to further exploration that aspect might damage the all-ages charm of this comic book.

 

This book had a great premise! More please? Don't make this just a one-shot! There's so many other 'What If' scenarios out there. Bring in Moose and Midge and Reggie. Don't just focus on the main 4 characters next time. This book has great art that is perfectly timeless. Let's just see a little more willingness to change things up without feeling like the plot line has to always fall back to the forever love triangle of a redhead, a blonde and a brunette.

 

 

Betty and Veronica: Friends Forever: What If... #1 debuted in print and digital formats on January 22nd, 2019. 

Archie Vs. Predator II #1

The most deadliest race of hunters in the universe return to go old Riverdale, USA for another round of trophy hunting in the pages of Archie Vs. Predator II #1.

Archie Vs. Predator II #1
Written by Alex de Campi
Art by Robert Hack
Published by Archie Comics/Dark Horse Comics
Retail: $3.99

(As with any review, the potential for spoilers exist. While the reviewer tried to be as spoiler free as possible, reader discretion is advised.)

I love the wide range of crossovers Archie has had with other amazing franchises. His run-in with The Punisher is the stuff of legend. Archie Vs. Sharknado was a fun-filled gory romp! But there’s something different about Archie Vs. Predator II.

You know how Deadpool is aware that he’s actually a comic book character? Well Betty, Veronica and a Predator-Human hybrid in the form of Archie, have that same kind of knowledge. They’re all quite aware of the unusual things that happen to the Archie gang. From time travel to becoming superheroes to summoning demons, this group of ageless teenagers are anything but typical.

Seeking a way to possibly undo the events of the first Archie Vs. Predator series via the Memory Lane in which Archie was able to view married life with both Betty and Veronica, the teens wind up in an alternate universe comprised of their more gritter, rebooted selves. Yes, with the existence of an Archie multiverse confirmed, the town of Riverdale is about to experience a ‘Crisis’ of DC Comics proportions when this unlikely meeting of Archies results in the return of Predator!

The opening chapter of Archie Vs Predator II was some trippy stuff. I've never really seen Archie Comics take such a risk as to having the characters acknowledge that they are part of a greater comic book franchise. I'm wondering if a mass crossover of different types of Archie's is in the works here. Could we be one day be seeing a visit from L'il Archie and Friends or Archie 3000? That would be epic!

I was blown away by the artwork of Robert Hack (Doctor Who). His pencils capture the classic Archies with a sort of pained innocence while portraying the rebooted versions as contemporary yet classic. His Predators look amazing. But there's just not enough of those alien baddies in this first issue.

There's also not enough first issue. I'm really starting to feel that for the lofty price tags we pay, I'd rather pay a little extra for 2 or 3 oversized issues than almost $4 for 5 small issues. 22-24 pages just isn't enough room in a comic book to achieve a decent pace. Especially when it comes to crossovers! Writer Alex de Campi (Smoke) has woven such a meta concept at stake into this miniseries. Unfortunately, by the time you get the hang of things, issue #1 ends without the reader ever getting anywhere.

Archie Vs Predator II is some very sophisticated stuff, what with the concepts of what is reality vs. fiction and alternate universes. It's great for fans of DC's Crisis books or Robert Heinlein. But if you are expecting a bloody sci-fi dangerous game between Dark Horse's Predator and the teens of Archie Comics, you'll have to wait until next issue. While the prospect of that conflict has gotten me ready for more, I'm disappointed that for the cover price we don't get any Predator kills in this issue.

Archie Vs Predator II debuts in print and digital formats on July 24, 2019.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Archie's Mad House Mayhem (2018 Halloween ComicFest)

Over the years of the Halloween ComicFest, the Archie Comics offerings have been a consistent contributor! This year's selection was no different! Well, almost...

First up is an adventure with Betty and Archie. They're biking when Betty's beloved cat jumps out of Betty's basket and runs into a supposed haunted house. Can the teens find the kitty or will Betty and Archie find something a little more sinister?

Then the Archie Gang run a community center Halloween party. Archie thinks he's going to be the main attraction, Frankenstein. But Reggie wheels and deals a way to be Frankie instead. Now Archie is put in a frumpy pumpkin party and now the clown of the party. Will Reg get away with his usual slimy tricks or will things turn out okay for the world's oldest red head?

Both stories were good fun. The haunted house story was actually a tiny bit spooky and gave me chills. The Frankenstein yarn was quite funny. But one thing was missing and to me, it was a big piece of the puzzle- Dan Parent!

Dan Parent is a master at Archie Comics stories. I don't know what it is but Parent plus Riverdale is magic. In terms of the stories themselves, they were really good. But with the artwork, there was something not so clean about it. It was kinda scratchy looking. Almost like it was photocopied but I couldn't find evidence of it. It's just not the clean work that I expect from Archie Comics. 

Though it wasn't 100% perfect, I was barely disappointed by this mini-comic special. If I had to choose, I'd still pick this one above all the other selections. When it comes to free comics at Halloween, Archie is still my pick!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Archie Comics is never shy to celebrate the seasons with a holiday special! Fans of Archie can enjoy a trio of Halloween tales starring your favorite residents of Riverdale. Plus, there's an in-depth guide on how to throw the perfect trick-or-treat bash thanks to your hosts Betty and Veronica.

Archie Halloween Spectacular

Stories by Dan Parent
Art by Bill Golliher, Jeff Shultz, Bill Galvan and Dan Parent

A couple of years ago when Archie Comics rebooted the franchise with a new series by Mark Waid and Fiona Staples, fans like myself thought it was a bad idea. Honestly, we all thought classic Archie was dead. I must say that I was wrong.

The retooling for a more adult audience was a masterful stroke at testing the future of the franchise. Along with the new Archie series, the publisher released Afterlife With Archie. This more adult oriented horror line proved that the normally family friendly line of comics could expand into more grown-up situations. With this success, Archie was ready for the next logical step- live action TV. All of a sudden, there was a hit drama TV-series on The CW based on a red-headed teen who can't decide between the blonde or the brunette.

While it looked like Archie Comics was going to stay modern, the publisher made the next smart move- it went retro. The classic look and feel that countless generations of Archie readers grew up with returned to print. While I'm not big on the new Archie stuff, except for the horror titles, I do love me some Classic Archie!

That's why I bought this book yesterday. In fact, my purchase was an impulse buy at the register. I had missed that Archie Comics was doing a Halloween special. I knew that they've got a couple of freebies coming out with this year's Halloween ComicFest. But it had not alerted me to the release of this book. But seeing a classic style Archie and the gang dressed as an array of characters such as a cave-girl and a Hersey bar, I just could not resist it's charms!

I really love Dan Parent's take on Archie. His stories are timelessly fun and yet he adds small touches that subtlety modernizes the tale. From Archie disappearing inside a creepy house to Betty and Veronica acting out a 'wicked' play, it's all classic Archie!

Whether or not the stories in this book are reprints or not is beyond me- and that's OKAY! Normally, publishers will tell you which issues a story was reprinted from. This issue doesn't but it's released under the Classic Archie line of Archie Comics.

For the cover price of $2.99, I got more joy out of this book than that of the Distinguished Competition who charged $4.99 for their 2018 Halloween reprint special. The Archie Halloween Spectacular just felt right at home. It's how a holiday special should be: bringing tricks and treats without the stress of everyday life. For example when Jughead's sister, Jellybean, finishes trick-or-treating she heads to Pop's to count her loot. She doesn't go to Riverdale Hospital to have her candy x-rayed like you'd see in a Marvel Halloween book!

If you love Halloween or holiday comics or Archie-OR ALL THREE!- this is the perfect book for you. Though this special dropped over a week ago, there's still copies for sale at your LCS! Bring home a timeless classic franchise and get to reading. Then follow the directions in the back of the book on how to have the perfect Halloween party the entire neighborhood will be talking about until the next Halloween.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Archie Halloween Spectacular debuted in print and digital formats on October 10, 2018.

Archie's Christmas Stocking #1

This was a delightful holiday special from 1993 comprised of several winter themed adventures. In it, Archie's dad is having trouble getting into the holiday spirit, Archie and Jughead travel far and wide for the perfect Christmas tree, and the eternal teenager gets into a sticky situation as the Riverdale Mall Santa. 

There's also two classic yarns from 1958 and 1963. Both while a little dated, were quite charming little stories. In the older tale, Archie plays Santa at Veronica's Christmas party and ends up finding himself under the mistletoe- a lot! Then in the older classic adventure, Archie buys matching gifts for Betty and Veronica. But he accidentally switches the tags and has to do the old switcheroo in order to not get in the doghouse with either.

All this plus a very alluring cover with Betty and Veronica as vixens. It's a near flawless holiday special from Archie Comics!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Afterlife With Archie, Season 2 #1 (Halloween ComicFest 2016)

    You might be asking why this Madman with a Book decided to review a horror comic that was to coincide with the 2016 Halloween ComicFest for Thanksgiving. Well, it turns out that this issue is set during Thanksgiving and so when I got it over the Halloween weekend, I held off on this to read and review until Turkey Day.
    In this reprint of Afterlife with Archie #11, a handful of survivors from the zombie apocalypse of Riverdale have been battling the ever growing horde of the undead while also steering clear of other packs of remnants looking for safe haven. Noting that it's Thanksgiving, the pack made up of Archie, Veronica, Mr. Lodge, Reggie, and a handful of others decide to rest for the day and search for some game to roast for a feast.
    This pause allows Betty to catch up on replacing her diaries that were lost when her family home was overrun by walkers. Obviously, much of her entries are about Archie and the edgy love triangle between her and Veronica. When Ronnie discovers the journal, it looks like a massive cat-fight will erupts between Archie's two suitors- that is until one of the members of the hunting party returns, covered in blood and half out of their skull in shock.
     Afterlife with Archie is a very interesting book. This book was the first of the series that I have read but I am familiar with the concept. In the 80s and 90s, the own of Archie Comics would never have let this fly as he was a staunch evangelical. But now in the 20-10s, this seems to be Archie Comics new direction and it's been meet with a lot of success.
     The book, written by long-time Archie scribe Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, is super-creepy and the black and white art by Guardians of the Galaxy's Francesco Francavilla,  is even more chilling. I think having such innocent characters be not so pure in this horror series is what really gives this comic it's fright factor.
     I'm very interesting in reading more.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out 10 stars.

Archie Christmas Classics

  

What with the Force Awakens coming out next week and working, working, working... (I'm a chef, so this IS my busy season) I am a little behind on my Christmas-theme readings. But I started it out with a massive bang!

   Archie Christmas Classics is a giant 192-page time capsule of holiday themed Archie Comics from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. There aren't just Christmas stories in this book but holiday pin-ups pages, pages to color, and a bonus 2-page prose story from the 1940s. 

   I read a ton of Archie Comics as a kid. I've also read a lot of Christmas Archie stuff since comic back to collecting in 2007. So, it's a wonder that there was only 1 story in this collection that I've ever read before. I'm so used to getting a treasury that's filled with, if I'm lucky, about 50% of things I've already consumed before. Not the case here. And there was only one story didn't I wasn't much of a fan of and that was because it included some renegade Santa's helper elf character that everyone seemed to know (but me!)

   Published in 2011, this is a very fun and entertaining collection of stories that include just about every one of your favorite Archie characters, holiday cheer, magic, and the Christmas spirit. Worth every penny I paid for it!

   Worth Consuming!

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Archie Vs. Sharknado #1

Just when you thought it was safe to walk on dry land!!!  Recently, the Archie gang has meet super group KISS, competed with the kids from Glee, fought zombies, and evaded Predators. Now, the Archies tackle the phenomenon known as Sharknado!

   When a massive Sharknado attacks Riverdale, Archie and Dilton and the rest of the gang must use brains and brawn to save their beloved town. Featuring all of your Archie Universe favorites including Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Moose, Josie and the Pussycats, and Mr. Weatherbee. No one is safe and by the end of this issue some fan favorites WILL be reduced to fish food.

Don't let the variant cover fool you- the classic style of Archie, Jughead, and Hot Dog abounds in this one-shot tie-in with the Syfy Channel franchise. That makes for one strange comic. Imagine the Riverdale students you remember, covered in blood, killing man-eating sharks, and being dismembered. (Note picture below.) This isn't the Archie Comics you grew up with and yet in a very morbid way this is the same Archie of your youth who can't decide between Veronica or Betty. And even more oddly, this works!

   

   Even though this is drawn in that all-ages family friend look by long-time Archie Comics artist Dan Parent- this is not a book for everyone. There's no sex or cursing, but younger readers might not be able to handle this level of shark induced carnage. Though I cannot find one for this book, it's got to be considered at least rating of Teen.

    Released just today, this book came out in time for tonight's Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! on Syfy. I think it's extremely clever. So brilliant, that I, a collector notorious for not buying books when new, had to rush out as soon as I was done with work and snag a copy. Sadly, I could only find the variant covers available at my local comics shop.

 (Side Note: regular cover A and variant C, which features the classic version of the Archie Gang was sold out at the comic book store I went to. In fact, I've been told that the classic-style covers are outselling the modern looks about 5-1! Proof that fans can handle more mature stories drawn in that iconic style that has thrived for over 40 years! Take that Mark Waid and Fiona Staples!)

Like a train wreck, you can't look away and there's a wickedly morbid fascination with tornadoes filled with sharks. Living in North Carolina, where there're been about a dozen shark attacks in the past month, I actually don't see this as taboo either. (#guiltypleasure) I can't believe I'm going to say this but in terms of Archie Vs. Sharknado, I'm hooked!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Archie #1 (2015)

Archie #1 came out with over 20 variant covers.
This is the cover to issue #1U, art by T-Rex.

    

 74 years after his debut in issue #22 of Pep Comics, the powers that be decided to reboot Archie Andrews and his gang. Tackling that momentous task are Mark Waid (writer) and Fiona Staples (art.) Now Archie is a character that's going through many incarnations- Little Archie, a caveman, a rocker, a zombie, and countless other roles. But at the heart of each story, the Riverdale gang was wholesome and innocent.

   Archie couldn't decide between Betty or Veronica. Jughead was lazy and addicted to food. Reggie was also trying to one up Arch and Moose and Midge were the perfect couple. That was the Archie gang in it's very essence; whether they were living in colonial times or performing a parody of MASH (as the Archie Players.)

    It's not like Archie didn't adapt with the times either. Moose wasn't stupid, turns out he was dyslexic. Archie entered a bi-racial relationship with Valerie from Josie and the Pussycats. Even a gay character moved into town in the form of Kevin Keller.

   So why did Archie have to be completely remade? Don't get me wrong, I love Mark Waid. If you've read my blog much, you'll know how much I am a fan of his recent work on Daredevil. Waid is a great writer and when I met him a few years back, at a mass signing he was only 1 of 2 who actually talked to the fans and not just grunted 'hey' before passing the book to the next guy to sign.

   In Archie #1 Archie and Betty have just broken up but neither is sure if that was the right thing to do or not. Complicating matters is that Betty decides to go to a school dance with another guy as Archie keeps avoiding her. But thankfully, the day is saved when Archie fills in for the lead guitarist who is a no-show. However, things are not all hunky dory as at the very end of the book, Arch walks past a giant billboard proclaiming that Lodge Industries are moving into town.

    That's right folks, Veronica doesn't even appear in this book. Along with that, Jughead is more of a slacker than ever before as he doesn't even have food as a motivator for him to do anything and Reggie is virtually a non-entity.

From what I can tell about the future of this book is that when the Lodge's move to Riverdale, the love triangle between Archie/ Betty/ and Veronica will begin and I am assuming so will the Archie/ Veronica/ Reggie one as well. Why did we have to reboot Archie for that? Presumably, Mr. Lodge's company moving to town will impact someone, probably Mr. Andrews, into losing their job and Veronica's dad will probably be more cunning in trying to remove Archie from the picture altogether. But, you don't need a reboot to do that stuff either.

   Making Archie black or gay, or even a woman would be a true reboot. All Mark Waid does is take a beloved childhood icon and make him unrecognizable with new art and designs by Fiona Staples. But again, why do that at all? It was just announced this weekend at Comic-Con that Archie and the Ramones will be teaming up for a special issue. The artwork is to be in the classic Archie Comics style that have thrived for over 40 years.

   This issue also reprints the very first appearance of Archie in that issue of Pep I mentioned earlier. It's supposed to show the reader that times change. Yes- the Archie of 1941 looks very different from the Archie of 1970,96, or 2014. But so did Superman, Batman, and Captain America when they first arrived in the Golden Age of Comics. But with all of these characters, their iconic looks evolved while maintaining a timeless style that any child could point out of a line-up. (Don't believe me- take a picture of Batman from 1938 and a picture of Archie from this issue. The child will instant point out Batman but be clueless as to who this red-headed guy is.)

My point is: the Archie gang of 2015 looks more like kids you would see at the mall- not Pop's Chok'lit Shoppe.

   If this was a book made up of completely new characters, I would be singing it's praises. For a contemporary look at teen life in the New Millennium, it's flawless. But as the next generation's Archie- it lacks depth, nostalgia, and recognizability.

    Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Betty & Veronica #1 (2014 Halloween ComicFest Exclusive Mini-Comic) (Family Comic Friday Extra)

T

his year, the Archie Comics group released 2 mini-comics for Halloween ComicFest. The first is Afterlife with Archie #1. It’s a reprint of the series premier of the same name. In that comic, Jughead’s dog Hot dog is hit by a car and killed. Not wanting to let him go, he seeks out Sabrina the Teenage Witch to bring him back to life. The result is a zombie dog that bites Jughead and then starts a rampant zombie apocalypse. This book is bloody, gorey, and not you typical Archie Comic. In fact, I believe that it got a rating of Teen or Teen+. So, if your child receives this book in their trick-or-treat goody bag, use extreme caution before letting them read it.

  Now, if your child were to trick-or-treat at our house, they’d get a different kind of Archie Comic. This book stars Archie’s girlfriend’s Betty and Veronica. This story also involves zombies but in a much tamer way. The girls decide to have a sleepover on Halloween watching scary movies. Knowing that Archie, Reggie, and Jug will try to scare them, Betty and Veronica turn the tables on the guys by dressing up as zombies. It’s one of the better Archie freebies that I have read in a while with a pretty funny story and with the exception of characters in make-up, it’s not gory. Nor do any characters use incantations to raise the dead.

I was really surprised that Archie Comics released this book as I had read that Betty & Veronica were to be discontinued early next year. Maybe that was a rumor. Anyway, I find it odd to advertise something that you’re going to cancel within a couple of months. Maybe this is a way  to drum up interest in Riverdale’s beauties.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.