Archie Comics 2016
Written & Illustrated by Adam Hughes
Coloured by Jose Villarrubia
Lettered by Jack Morelli
Betty and Veronica have waged war on one another! In one corner, it’s Betty Cooper fighting for everything her hometown stands for: local artisans, community charities and hard, honest work. In the other corner is Veronica Lodge, rallying for high-end corporate chain takeovers and the hipster agenda. With the entire town split in two, which BFF will prevail? It all comes down to a Halloween dance…
Here’s the deal for me, this was started in 2016 it’s a three issue run apparently that should’ve been completed before the first issue went to print. I was hoping that this was going to be an ongoing monthly but let’s face it at this rate it would never last. Which is a shame because it’s a great book, it’s well written, interesting and well Adam’s art is simply divine. This book for me embodies what the reimagining was supposed to look like and it’s just a shame that the schedule for getting it to fans is unrealistic.
I have to admit that the story here took me by complete and utter surprise. From the get go seeing Betty and Veronica go at each other with such a ferocity and vehemence well it fueled something within me. This wasn’t the book I remembered or was used to and that alone made it worth it’s weight in gold. It also gave us a chance to see Adam really delve into the characters and show some strong and amazing characterisation. The drive, determination and ingenuity both girls possess was spotlighted extremely well. And yes we’ll all grudgingly admit we’ve got our favourite seeing them compete for something other than Archie brought another dimension to them that we needed to see.
I don’t think I have to talk about Adam’s artwork really. He is well known for the work he does visually and that this is up there with some of the absolute best work he’s ever managed to put to paper shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. The attention to detail, the way the characters come to life and yet have that instant recognition is superbly done. The flow of the book, the little details he throws in, that coffee maker for instance, all conspire to really set this apart from just about anything and everything on stands today.
Using Hotdog the way he did and how the story has been structured well for me, had this come out on a timely schedule, would be a crowning achievement in his cap. I mean there’s so much expected and unexpected happening here that takes the reader on a journey through the lives, minds and loves of the Riverdale high school students that it feels like it could have been something we saw on 90210. Only here it was better, more interesting and far more fun to watch unfold.
So does wholesome overcome shadiness? Well you’ll have to read the story to find out but just don’t expect anything to happen because what Adam has in store well that’s the real treat.