Mr. Weatherbee: Principal of the Mountains.
Creative Staff:
Story: Chip Zdarsky
Art and Color: Derek Charm
Letters: Jack Morelli
What They Say:
IT’S JUGHEAD VS. ARCHIE and MR. WEATHERBEE VS …A BEAR?!! Even the quiet of the wilderness can’t escape the madness that’s raging through all of Riverdale!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Apparently, this is Chip Zdarsky’s final issue on Jughead, and as much as I hate to see him go, I am glad that he’s ending on a high note.
In the previous issue, Jughead and Archie went off to Dilton’s cabin for a weekend of fun before summer break ends. Unfortunately, they walk right into a Mantle family reunion, so they decide to beat a hasty retreat to the woods. Unbeknownst to Jughead, Archie plans on visiting the all-girl Camp Lucey. This hurts Jughead’s feelings because he just wanted to hang with his buddy. The issue ended with the two lost in the woods with the silhouette of a bear looming over them.
In this issue, the boys are saved by Principal Weatherbee (or “The Bee” as the kids like to call him). I won’t spoil how he saves the boys, but it’s pretty great, causing Jughead to remark: “He even has dominion over the bears.”
The Bee leads the boys back to civilization, but the group runs into more problems when they discover someone has removed the signposts. When the boys mention the Mantle family jamboree, the Bee becomes noticeably worried. This worry increases when they stumble upon traps set in the woods. Soon, the hunted become the hunters and a game of cat and mouse begins.
Okay, that might be a tad dramatic, but it sure sounded good, didn’t it? As I said in my review of issue seven, this two-parter is my favorite of Zdarsky’s run. While I’ve enjoyed the first six issues, they felt a little formulaic and featured dream sequences that felt shoehorned in. Interestingly, the editor’s note at the end of the comic discusses the dream sequences, establishing a historical precedence for them and comparing them to Thurber’s “Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” While the note didn’t change my mind about the dream sequences, it did at least make me appreciate why Zdarsky’s chose that particular device.
I bring up the dream sequences here because there were none in this two-parter. The story is pretty straightforward and flowed with a nice, even pace. It was also funny, thanks to Zdarsky’s dialogue and Charm’s sense of comic timing and general character work.
It’s also very sweet. The Bee puts up a good front, but he genuinely cares about the boys, and even though Archie and Jughead fight and say stupid things, they’re also best pals. Their argument also set up one of the elements that makes Archie comics so great: their handling of non-white, non-cisgender, non-heteronormative characters. Archie says, “Look, I’m not going to apologize for being a normal guy,” and although he didn’t mean it, his words implied that Jughead—who is asexual—is not normal. The look Charm paints on Jughead’s face is perfect in the moment and Archie immediately apologizes. Up to this point, Jughead’s sexual identity (if that’s the correct phrasing) really hasn’t come into play, and this was a smart way of using it. It didn’t single him out as abnormal and it didn’t make this one aspect of his personality the defining element of his identity, but it did make for a natural moment of conflict (unintended on Archie’s part as it might be).
We live in a huge, glorious, amazing world full of so many different, amazing people, and Archie comics reflect that better than pretty much anyone in the business. I’m an old-school egalitarian and I think that everyone should have an equal voice and portion at the table, so even though I am white, cisgender, hetero, etc. etc., I appreciate what Archie does and how it does it. Comics are important. Literature is important, especially to the disenfranchised, the lonely, the outcast, and reading about characters who share similar thoughts and feelings, who encounter similar trials and triumphs in their stories provides us with a sense of kinship, of comfort, and a blueprint for how we should (or should not) act, so forgive me if I go on praising the company a bit too much.
In Summary:
I’m sad to see Chip Zdarsky go, but I am glad that he’s leaving on a high note. This was funny, honest, and great fun to read. Ryan North (another excellent writer) takes over in the next issue, and the story involves Jughead meeting Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. It will be interesting to see how that plays out, because up to this point Jughead has been fairly grounded with the overt fantastical elements appearing in his dreams. If North keeps Sabrina a full-fledged witch, then that will change the established internal logic of the story so far, and it will either work or fall flat on its face. Of course, I’m hoping for it to work.
On a side note, the preview cover for issue nine is gorgeous. If anyone at Archie wants to send me a print, I’ll gladly pay for postage.
Shameless pleas for mostly free stuff aside, Dr. Josh gives this an….
Grade: A
Age Rating: N/A
Released By: Archie
Release Date: 3 August 2016
MSRP: $3.99
