And a plan begins to form…
Creative Staff:
Story: Tom Defalco
Art: Sandy Jarrell
Colors: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letterer: Jack Morelli
What They Say:
There are a set of unspoken rules when it comes to dealing with Reggie Mantle. Rules that, when broken, can easily get you on his bad side. Unfortunately for most of the people Reggie encounters, they don’t know these rules. In fact, there’s only one person that does—and it isn’t a person at all, it’s Reggie’s devoted Dachshund, Vader. With half of Riverdale High School having committed the mortal sin of ditching a Mantle house party, Archie and Betty’s attempts at interfering in Reggie’s life, Midge actually pitying Reggie and a friendship request from someone very unexpected, Reggie and Vader are going to have to get a lot smarter about their schemes!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The opening installment of Reggie and Me was certainly an interesting experience with how it was presented through the narration of his rescued pooch, Vader. It’s an interesting narrative direction to take that can and does work, at least in these first two issues, but leaves me wary as to how long it can go on before Tom Defalco needs to shift things so that it doesn’t get too bogged down in the idolized view that Vader presents. This issue keeps things pretty much the same production wise as the first one, not always something that happens, and Sandy Jarrell and Kelly Fitzpatrick deliver once again on some great looking pages throughout. It feels very in tone with the main Archie book while establishing its own nods all while keeping to that kind of retro feeling in a way that Jarrell has pulled off well before in DC Comics Bombshells.
The focus this time around is once again two-fold as we get some flashback material to explore the origins of why Reggie is like he is and events in the present. The flashback, as told through Vader’s idolized view and belief in his best friend, shows some of the struggles he went through with Archie when they were kids and how he views Betty as being the real wedge that was driven between them. You can chalk it up to both of them in a lot of ways and even just some simple misunderstandings or uncertainty of youth at the old fishing hole. What you do get is that Archie doesn’t seem to hold anything against Reggie in these days and just wants to be friends with everyone. But the way Betty pushes and the pain that Reggie is experiencing with his home life, something that colors everything else in his world, it becomes easier to understand why he is like he is now.
The present day material is interesting in itself, though again the Vader narration drags a bit at times, as we see how Reggie is doing his best to cautiously get closer to Midge all while putting down other people. She’s friendly with him to be sure and I like that she pushes back on him gently about his attitude to make it clear she’s not like that and he can be better. But he’s too damaged at this point and unwilling to change while stuck in this environment. What keeps him off balance, however, is that Moose wants to talk with him and that has him wary of a beating from the one guy that he’s kind of afraid of. It takes some amusing turns along the way and you can see the wheels turning quickly in how he might be able to get rid of a few people that frustrate him, opening up an avenue to his true goal. But we know things don’t always go the way Reggie wants…
In Summary:
I’m definitely enjoying Reggie and Me as it complements the other books that are coming out while staking out its own territory. The main book can get crowded and that means some characters get lost in the mix, so taking the time to work with those like Reggie, Midge, and Moose in this way with guest appearances by others to help keep it all connected works well. A big part of the appeal continues to be Jarrell’s artwork, which Fitzpatrick has down perfectly in bringing the right level of pop of color to, and that just makes the whole book smooth and fun to read throughout. Just a little less slavish idolization by Vader, please?
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Archie Comics
Release Date: January 11th, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
