Archie Comics 2018
Written by Brian Augustyn & Mark Waid
Illustrated by Peter Krause
Coloured by Kelly Fitzpatrick
Lettered by Jack Morelli
It was the first day of summer for the teens of Riverdale High—and for graduating class of 1941 it was the beginning of their adult lives. Many including Archie Andrews, weren’t sure of what comes next. While Archie debates over whether or not he should go to college or get a job, the world is changing quickly around him, and the future may not only be uncertain for just Archie…
I am much to young to know the ramifications of living through a world war. Even with my grandmother’s and much of my extended family have escaped the Nazi occupations, while many more did not. So I cannot fathom what the world was like during those days and let’s be honest history is told by the country the students learn it in the way it pertains it to them. So American’s do not get a lot of European History which is arrogant and ignorant as History started in Europe and their way of life, their mistakes and triumphs ultimately led to the world we live in today.
Yes this is being told, extremely well might add, from Archie and his friends point of view and to be honest it’s as powerful a look at how actions on the world stage can shape the lives of young men and women from even sleepy small towns. This issue is strong and the structure is phenomenal as we see not only the kids and how they feel but the adults as well. The whole tone, mood and feel of this issue is sombre rightly so and while that bleeds into how the reader feels it’s okay, it’s understandable and overall everything is as it should be. Which to me is scary and demonstrates the ability these two men have to create stories that touch their readers.
The pacing is extraordinary as we see the way the town reacts to being attacked and drawn into war. Also we kind of forget that the news was shown at the cinema and opening the book at the Realto Theatre was a pure emotional moment that cannot be forgotten. The historical accuracies that we in the book is what tips the scales for me and makes me so appreciative of the work being done here.
Peter and Kelly need awards for their work here (alongside the boys) because what they do with the interiors is beyond amazing. The fact that they can sync the work to the words so fully and completely and make every single page feel like a wow moment blows me away. The way that we see the linework manipulated through it’s varying weights in order to create such beautiful, intense and haunting work is astonishing to me. The attention to detail here is nicely done and you see it in so much of the mundane you don’t think twice but it’s noticed and needed. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off Peter’s magnificent eye for storytelling. Backgrounds are utilised nicely throughout. Kelly well the colour work here is really extraordinary to see and the impact it has on every moment.
I honestly didn’t know what to expect when this was announced. On the one hand it’s Archie light hearted clumsy All-American teenager who had no direction in life other than figuring out his love triangle. Then of course it’s centred on WWII and there’s nothing light hearted about that. What this creative team does makes me feel so many emotions running through the spectrum as we run through the pages. This is the power storytelling is capable of having on readers