Archie Comics 2019
Written by Bill Golliher
Pencilled by Dan Parent
Inked by Rich Koslowski
Coloured by Glenn Whitmore
Lettered by Jack Morelli
I think one of the things about Archie Comics that I like and greatly appreciate is the fact that they may have their new vision and successful line of new takes on their characters, see Archie Horror, but they still put out books that go back to the way they’ve always been. You can never underestimate the power of the original all-ages Archie gang in comics and for me it’s like visiting my childhood all over again and I will welcome that feeling anytime day or night.
There are so many reasons to love these books and this one in particular. I mean this is the girls as knew and loved them the most. Betty is ever the smart, go getter while Veronica has no ambition in life but to spend her father’s money. So while the class difference is on point there are some wonderful moments thrown into this book that no matter who you are or the kind of family you grew up on you find things to absolutely relate to. Bill does this amazingly well and the way the stories are structured and that there are four of them in this book shows how much skill and talent he has to write these vignettes and make them feel complete.
I am incredibly impressed with each one for different reasons. That Betty got herself a job at Lodge Industries and delivered papers that Hiram needed got her noticed. Not that it wouldn’t I mean he’s knows Betty after all. Still her proficiency at her job doesn’t go unnoticed and of course because she’s gained the attention of Hiram this makes Ronnie jealous. I don’t think it matters who it is or what it’s about if your parent pays attention to one of your friends in this, admittedly innocent way, well that is going to do the jealous and I'll show you thing.
I love that their friendship is so strong though and throughout this book we see that through tough times and easy ones that the girls have that bond which is stronger than steel, fighting and all. On that note I really like that they fight, and it’s good fighting too, but it never seems to truly affect their friendship. This could be and should be a prime example on how to behave and how to trust that your best friend is someone you will argue and such with but in the end they love you and you them so it’s a natural part of any relationship, romantic or platonic.
I love the interior artwork here. Dan is simply one of the most talented artists I have ever met. He can do this and make you think it has always looked this way and always should. He has such a skilled and steady hand and his linework manipulated through it’s varying weights really stand out in all the right ways. No matter what they wear the girls are always rocking their looks and he proves that you can be cute and sexy while covered up. The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a truly magnificent eye for storytelling. Also I love that he utilises backgrounds as often as he does proving that even all-ages titles can and should have them. The colour work is sensation and it reminds me of that four colour from days past and it works so well here. Also we need to give Rich a quick shout-out because his inking on t op of the pencils is as valuable as anything else we see.
This never ceases to amaze me with it’s positivity and ability to teach invaluable life lessons. That it can be done through humour, love and the gift of friendship is just icing on the cake for me. As a society we get so caught up in technology and such that we forget how valuable true friendships are and that we need to be working on those in person friendships more.