The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry.
Creative Staff:
Story: Mark Waid
Breakdowns: Ryan Jampole
Finishes: Thomas Pitilli
Colors: Andre Szymanowicz
Letters: Jack Morelli
What They Say:
THE END OF AN ERA FOR RIVERDALE’S POWER COUPLE! The romantic rivalries and not-so-friendly competitions in Riverdale will finally come to an end as newly-crowned queen of Riverdale Veronica Lodge is sent packing once and for all! What does this mean for Archie? You won’t want to miss this one!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The previous issue of Archie ended with a bang. Well, rather, it ended with a hug. After the battle of the bands between Archie and Betty, the two hug it out behind the school. Unbeknownst to them, both Veronica (Archie’s squeeze) and Sayid (Betty’s feller) witness the hug. From that moment on, things, as they say, became complicated.
Veronica becomes a veritable ghost, avoiding Archie’s texts, keeping as much distance as she can from him. Sayid, on the other hand, still sees Betty, but he rarely talks except to make some sort of snide remark about Archie.
Whether or not it’s fair for both to treat Betty and Archie that way is kind of up in the air. I was being flip when I said that things “became complicated,” but that’s the truth of the matter, and the truth of why this comic works so incredibly well. Take away the jokes, Archie’s clumsiness, Jughead’s bottomless pit stomach, and the thousand other quirks displayed by the Riverdale gang and you get real people with real problems. More importantly, you get people who are kind, thoughtful, and genuinely decent. This makes their pain and their failures so much more poignant and real than other comics out there, because even though these are good people, they still screw up, they still make mistakes, and sometimes others get hurt despite a decided lack of malice on anyone’s part.
Every issue Mark Waid outdoes himself with crafting plots that manage to be full of comedy and drama without making anyone look stupid or act out of character. The situations the Riverdale gang gets into aren’t the result of a misunderstanding that could be cleared up in one conversation, or if one of the parties would quit acting like a jerk. They’re the result of well-intentioned people making mistakes and—most importantly—owning up to those mistakes and trying their darndest to make amends. The only character that doesn’t fit this mold is Reggie, and that’s only because that’s his character.
Betty really shines in this issue. After experiencing a blowout with Sayid, she plans to meet him at Pop’s for a make-up breakfast. However, on the way she stops at the Lodge’s to talk with Veronica. She pours her heart out in the hopes that Ronnie will make up with Archie, and I have to tell you, her speech is one of the most honest, complicated, mature, and realistic bearing of the soul I’ve read in some time.
Thankfully, she gets through to Veronica, but it might be a case of too little, too late. Ronnie’s father lost his mayor campaign and afterward decides to leave town. He chooses to spring this information on Veronica at the very last minute to avoid hysterics, and poor Archie with his dead phone and deader car can’t do anything to help. Again, Betty comes to the rescue. Even though Sayid had been sending her angrier and angrier messages asking where she was, Betty drove straight to Archie to give him a ride to the airport so he could stop Veronica leaving, like in Love Actually and a million other movies.
So the question becomes: do they make it? Will Archie and Veronica reunite? Will Betty and Sayid get over this bump and explore their feelings for each other? You’ll just have to read the comic to find out, because I’m not telling.
What I will tell is how good the art is. I know I say this every month, but Archie does a great job of keeping a consistent style. Each artist brings something unique to the table, but their general approach to line work, character models, acting, and action come from the same school. Ryan Jampole and Thomas Pitilli do a bang up job, moving seamlessly in the gap left by the previous artist, and Andre Szymanowicz does his typical excellent job with the colors. As always, Archie sets the bar in terms of quality.
In Summary:
Stuff is going down in Riverdale, and it’s only going to get worse when Cheryl Blossom makes her debut next issue. In the meantime, buy this comic and read it. This is a masterclass in how to craft an intelligent, grounded story rooted in real human emotions and actions. And it’s dang funny, too. Dr. Josh gives this an…
Grade: A+
Age Rating: N/A
Released By: Archie Comics
Release Date: September 21st, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
