Archie Comics 2017
Written & Inked by Ty Templeton
Penciled by Dan Parent
Coloured by Andre Szymanowicz
Lettered by Jack Morelli
Archie and his family spent a good 24 hours enjoying their lives as multi-millionaires… until they found out a greasy burger smudge on the ticket caused Archie to misread the winning numbers. Their millions turned into mere hundreds...good thing for them! Being mega-rich wasn’t all it was cracked up to be! Then, a football injury has Reggie a little confused. He seems… nice? Well, seemed nice, until he wandered into traffic!
While all the regular line of books have the updated Archie kids this one brings us back to the original feel. I love it it has some incredible pencils by Dan that keep it both rooted in the past and giving it a slightly updated look. Ty however is stealing my heart with the work here as he's definitely bringing us that whole classic almost Happy Days kind of vibe that I personally love about the Archie gang to begin with.
Alright so is Archie that strong that he's able to knock some goodness into Reggie with a hit? I mean it wouldn't be so farfetched if Reggie got a concussion and forgets his name such for a few minutes but that would too easy an explanation. I have to say that Ty does this marvellous job with the opening as he recaps what has come before. I miss these old recaps I think they should be in every book on stands today. It also is a great way to see what's coming if you know how to look but then again we all can't be Batman either.
So there are multiple stories here and that's the way the Archie books should be! Like the serials of old we get a little bit of the story at a time as keeps moving forward like a soap opera. It's an extremely well-done style of storytelling that I honestly believe is lost in the annuls of history. I mean remember the old Action and Adventure issues with the back-up stories that's when comics were more amazing because of the style and structure of those books. So, seeing that here it has a nostalgia effect as well as being hella entertaining.
I love Dan and the work he does. I mean yeah there are moments this is classic Archie and then there are times he really looks like the updated version. His eye for storytelling is among the best in the business as we can see with how page layouts are utilised through their angles and perspective. Plus the way backgrounds are done and how they show the bigger picture is a pure treat. I can honestly say that he's able to make the kids look and feel like kids.
So, while the first story focuses on Reggie's sudden change of personality the back-up brings us to Lodge Manor where it seems that Archie retains his clumsiest man on Earth status. It really does bring back every memory of what you remember about what this series means to you. It is everything you could hope for in the story as I just feel that kid in me coming to the surface and knowing that you aren't alone or as bad off after seeing this means the world.
Yes, this is Archie and yes many of you will dismiss it as a child's book but really this is for everyone. Young, old, lads and lasses it does matter who you are the stories and the messages this brings are superbly done!