Archie Comics 2020
Written by Alex Segura & Matthew Rosenberg
Pencilled by Dan Parent
Inked by J. Bone
Coloured by Glenn Whitmore
Lettered by Jack Morelli
It’s a rock and roll adventure for the ages as Archie and his friends cross paths with a real rock lobster—the B-52s! This epic crossover one-shot brings the B-52 gang into Riverdale in all their new wave glory—but can Archie get his band back together in time to jam with these legends, or will in-fighting and musical drama leave them in the dust? There’s only one way to find out!
I don't care how often I have to say it, there is NOTHING better than an Archie book to brighten up the day! It will even make a good day better, that's my story and I am sticking to it. Archie has been around for so long there really isn't a recording artist where they haven't been published during their career so to see these folks taking full advantage of that and really deliver some great storytelling. That this story has Kevin and the B-52s and it's no big deal, no fanfare, it just is, shows us how Archie goes about business and that earns mad respect.
The way this is being told is fantastic. The guys really bring that Archie drama in order to really make this work. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented beautifully. The way the story flows and how we see the way things are set in motion is superb. The character development is so on point and while that's no surprise on the Archie's but the B-52's are as I remember them from interviews and such. The pacing is great and as it takes us through the pages and shows how inventive and originality to what we see. The books structure and the ebb & flow of the story is wonderful to see.
I really like that gang are meeting bands that are more edgy and off the beaten path if you will. Love Shack got them noticed by the mainstream but they had a huge cult following before that happened. So if we're going to go with these types of groups I would love to see Eurasure, Pet Shop Boys and Bronski Beat I am just saying.
I am a huge fan of Dan's pencils and J.Bone's inks on top of them. The look is perfect and the B-52s fit into the Archie world so perfectly here. Actually the whole thing makes me want to see an animated version of this book, drawn out of course. That is how powerfully the imagery resonates and makes us wish for more. Dan's linework is perfect and while the 80's fashions are horrid, and I lived through them so I know first hand, they are authentic and Dan's eye for that as he lived through it too. Though the lines and designs in the clothes are sensational and impeccable. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we the angles and perspective in the panels show a masterful eye for storytelling. I love Glenn's work as a colourist and I have said this repeatedly as well. This art team and how they bring this to life nails this like no one else could.
More, all I want is more. This is brilliant and how they meet one another and how the story moves through the pages it feels like this is how it's supposed to have happened. The guys said okay this the idea and the characters said oh this is how it is and everything was done. Yeah not that easy but you get the idea. This has made this busy nightmare of a week a lot brighter and that's what it's supposed to do.