Pardon me while I have a strange interlude.
Creative Staff:
Story: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art and Colors: Francesco Francavilla
Letters: Jack Morelli
What They Say:
BETTY: RIP Pt. 5, “Interlude with the Pussycats” Before the end of the world began, a female pop trio was setting charts on fire. But in a world of TMZ and paparazzi-driven media, somehow these women kept their private lives a secret from everyone—until now. A full-access interview promises to show the tragic and terrifying origin story of Josie and the Pussycats.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Afterlife with Archie is kind of like your favorite crazy aunt. She’s always traveling about, is always full of stories, and seems to know just about everything. You never know when she’ll visit, but when she does, it’s like Christmas. And when she leaves, you instantly want her to return. Well, I’m glad to say she’s back in town and just as lively as ever.
“R.I.P. Betty” pauses for a moment to shift the focus to Josie and the Pussycats. The story begins “before the end of the world” and shows us Josie being interviewed by a reporter. According to him, Josie and the Pussycats “outsell Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift” and “Adele,” but no one knows who they truly are. In the age of the Internet and TMZ, Josie, Melody, and Valerie have managed to remain completely private. If Blankenship (the reporter) gets their life story, then this will make his career. Of course, if you paid attention to the issue’s title “Interview with the Pussycats” you probably know where this is headed.
Josie’s story begins in 1906. Her mother gives birth to her in an alleyway and dies from “acute loss of blood” in a bit of foreshadowing. Josie is taken to an orphanage run by Alexandra Cabot, where she and the other girls were mistreated daily, sometimes hourly. Blankenship describes her story as being Dickensian, to which Josie replies, “I wish my early years were so romantic and well-written.”
The only joy the girls possess was music. They sang while they worked, much to the frustration of Ms. Cabot, who seemed to take personal offense at any pleasure the girls experienced. However, one night her lover—whom the girls call “Uncle Buddy”—hears them sing and decides they have talent. He teaches them some songs and some dance numbers and takes them on the vaudeville circuit as “The Cabot Sisters.” Their first show took place, unsurprisingly, in Riverdale.
From there the girls rocket to stardom, making their way from the Deep South (where Melody, who is black, faced terrible discrimination) to New York. The Big Apple proves a major turning point in their lives. One plot point I won’t give away, because I really want you to read this comic, but the other I’ll tell. After their big show, a millionaire named Henry Irving approaches the Cabot Sisters backstage and invites them to his mansion for a party. That party proves to be one of the most important moments in the girls’ lives, serving as a clear line of demarcation between the women they were and the things they become.
As always, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa impresses with the depth and breadth of his knowledge of horror and literature. While this comic isn’t quite as jam-packed with literary and historical allusions as the recent issue of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, what he does include really add extra layers to the work. Alexandra Cabot is a fusion of two characters from previous Josie and the Pussycats stories: Alexandra and Alexander Cabot. Alexander managed the band, while Alexandra tagged along, all the while crushing on Alan. Although her character was always vindictive and cruel, she reaches far greater heights in this reimagining.
Another character, Henry Irving, is interesting in that he’s both a historical and a literary allusion. Irving was a famous Victorian actor who worked in the same theater as Bram Stoker, and Stoker used his speech patterns and mannerisms for his greatest creation: Count Dracula.
The great part of these allusions is that they aren’t necessary to understand or recognize to enjoy the story. The narrative chugs right along just fine on its own, but recognizing them does add something special to the mix. It takes a damn good writer to pull that off.
Interestingly, the only two allusions to vampires I saw were the Irving reference, and the obvious way Aguirre-Sacasa patterned the plot after Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. (There’s also a soupçon of The Great Gatsby, too, for good measure.) Josie and the Pussycats hibernate, emerge and become a singing group utilizing the latest musical trends, go back to hibernation, and basically lather, rinse, and repeat. Part of the fun of this story was seeing all the different musical incarnations they went through over the decades.
All of this, of course, is brought to life by the amazing Francesco Francavilla, who works as penciler, inker, and colorist for this comic. While I love his drawing and inking style and think it particularly well suited for this comic, I really think that colors are where he truly shines. Francavilla’s palette is decidedly non-mimetic. Instead of focusing on creating a rich, naturalistic color scheme, he goes straight for atmosphere, making liberal use of blues, blacks, reds, and sickly oranges. He also does a fantastic job with panel design and placement. Really, this is just a top-notch book all around written, illustrated, colored, and lettered by some of the most talented people working in the business today.
I alluded at the beginning to this comic’s erratic publishing schedule. I think that it works in their favor. As much as I would love to get my Afterlife fix every month, there’s a real possibility that the quality wouldn’t be this consistently high. The extra time allows the group to move at its own pace and really give the comic as much time and attention as they can. That’s why I say it’s Christmas every time a new issue arrives in my inbox.
In Summary:
Afterlife with Archie never fails to impress. Although I’m anxious about Betty, given the current story arc’s title, I was thoroughly entranced by this interlude about Josie and the Pussycats. As always, the writing, the art, and the lettering come together to make a damn-near perfect comic that’s genuinely frightening and also genuinely moving. Dr. Josh gives this an….
Grade: A+
Age Rating: Teen +
Released By: Archie Comics
Release Date: 31 August 2016
MSRP: $4.99
