Two fun concepts, one must-see result.
Creative Staff:
Story: Alex de Campi
Art: Fernando Ruiz, Rich Koslowski
What They Say:
America’s favorite teen meets the galaxy’s fiercest hunter! Archie and friends hit Costa Rica for Spring Break, where party games and beach games are soon replaced by the Most Dangerous Game! What mysterious attraction does the gang hold for the trophy-collecting Predator, and will the kids even realize they’re in danger before it claims them all?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Though I haven’t read any Archie proper comics in far too many years, I read a lot of the digests as a kid and it’s always kind of comforting to discover that in some ways, they really haven’t changed. But the cast is also one that’s really malleable to other situations and settings, so seeing them adapted into it can be quite the treat I’ve fallen hard for the Afterlife series, like many others, so when an Archie vs. Predator book surfaced, it seemed like the right kind of pairing. Even more so because the book is done visually in the traditional Archie style rather than something that’s very distinctive. And that makes it a lot of fun because we get the alien side coming into it, but with the simple familiarity of Riverdale and the like, but through the Predator’s eyes.
This first issue of four doesn’t give us a lot of time with the Predator, though we see his arrival and what looks to be his first two kills, which gives us broken skulls and hanging spines without being overly gory – or gory at all. That helps to keep the wholesome side while presenting the danger as well. What we do get for most of this book though is a look at the group as a whole with a couple of focuses along the way. Since it’s spring break season, and this crowd isn’t heading down to Florida for the usual shenanigans, they’re struggling with what to do that’s not the norm that they’ve done for decades. With some teasing from Sherly and Jason first, as the rich kids are wont to do, the book shifts gears for us with Jughead being his usual lucky self in winning a trip to a vacation island resort for a week. That gets the gang out there to Los Perdidos, and allows for the rich kids to watch from far and get involved to mess things up without it being too out of bounds.
Since the Predator is a background thing here, what we get for most of it is the gang having fun on the island, enjoying the time together and getting into some school related stuff. Since the yearbook is being worked on while there, the first thing they do is a beauty contest for best dressed, which has Veronica going all out and Betty in the dumps. That makes it easier for Sheryl to manipulate her, which in turn sends Veronica over the edge in a rather violent way. All of which is being watched by the Predator to assess their threats. There’s some fun bits in here with how it tackles the high school drama, and has Betty on the outs for awhile where she discovers an ancient ruin with a potentially powerful weapon inside that follows them home. But it’s really just like a regular Archie book for so much of it, with momentary bursts that just feel more intense. And that works really well to make you feel like you’re inhabiting a true, normal Archie book, so that when the bad stuff starts happening, it’s surreal.
In Summary:
Archie Vs. Predator is very light on Predator and even light on Archie, as much of the focus is on Betty and Veronica and then everyone else as a group. But that’s standard fare in a lot of ways over the years and it works well to establish that these are the characters you’ve known for a very long time. The simplicity of it works well and there’s plenty of little bits throughout it that establishes the characters and their base personalities well so that they’re accessible even if you’ve never read an Archie book before. I suspect more of the payoff that fans are looking for will be in the next installment, but I’m really curious to see how they’ll handle it. The tease of the Predator we get is solid and what he’s up to as well. This is one of those perfect if unexpected pairings for titles out there and it works just on the curiosity factor alone. But it also looks to be a pretty fun ride with talent that definitely knows what makes an Archie book what it’s supposed to be.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: April 15th, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
