Archie/Dark Horse Comics 2015
Written by Alex de Campi
Penciled by Fernando Ruiz
Inked by Rich Koslowski
Coloured by Jason Millet
In all honesty this is the book I’ve waiting for this week to mix the genres of Archie and Predator doesn’t seem like it should meld but where the Archie gang is concerned they can tackle anything! I love that we are seeing almost the entire Archie gang right off the bat including Cheryl and Jaso Blossom. Be interesting to see if Sabrina and the Pussycats will be involved here as well.
It’s spring break for the Riverdale gang and they are having a hard time coming up with a destination. Cheryl doesn’t help matters any with her plans of yachting in the Caribbean until of course thanks to Jugheads obsession with eating wins them a luxury beach vacation. It’s so hard to not write the Archie gang as this group of optimists who through friendship and thinking can pretty much solve anything and even though Alex is dealing with a large group each character gets their moment and their personalities are nailed perfectly.
You really can’t help but smile when you are reading the Archie characters they represent real life teenagers with their good points and bad, rivalries and such. So watching them on this trip and pulling together to help Milton do the yearbook while on vacation is heartwarming but how do you put the Predator in all this? Well this is when Cheryl also comes into play on this vacation. From all their viewpoints it seems they all see a shooting star which naturally lands on the Island.
Through a series of events, which so typical teenager issues of acceptance and inclusion oh and a vote for best dressed. Oh Cheryl ever the instigator causes a major meltdown between Veronica and Betty which is seen through the eyes of the Predator. Alright so now he sees the kids as warriors and not just harmless they can fight. Granted this isn’t really akin to the fighting he’s used to but that’s half the fun. You really need to see this to appreciate the artwork involved in blending the two worlds.
Now they’ve been warned away from the Jungle because of Jaguar’s but there’s another predator lying in wait and this issue will claim it’s first two victims. Though after the fight with Veronica Betty heads into the Jungle where she comes across a shrine to the Jaguar god. Oh once they all meet up I had to laugh because they are standing in a clearing where blood is dripping on them and not one of them looks up. So who won’t be returning to Riverdale well you’ll have to pick to see.
The writing is creative, smart and an incredible blend of Archie and Predator. It’s exciting fresh and fun this is one of those projects that as a reader you only dream of seeing in fan forums so to see on the page but such incredibly talented people is literally a dream come true. With the foundation being laid in this issue it’ll be exciting to see how things progress when the kids finally discover the Predator’s presence and that he’s followed them back to Riverdale.