I’m still a little mixed
on Archie. There’s some good, fun stuff here, but it’s very
triangle-heavy, which gets grating. For now, it’s still worth
reading. But long-term? Not sure.
Archie’s relationship
with Veronica hits a snag when her father takes a vehement dislike to him.
It’s tough to combat the scheming of an angry millionaire, and as Archie
tries to avoid the wrath of Mr. Lodge, Betty struggles to help her friend amid
her lingering feelings of jealousy.
A lot of this is very
predictable, which I suppose should be within reason for Archie.
The only problem is, my recent reacquaintance with that world has
featured the nefarious principal conspiracies of Jughead and the
maple-syrup blood feuds (it can never be said enough) of Riverdale, so
“standard-issue Archie” doesn’t work quite as well for me. I’m not
all that interested in Archie fretting over whether or not he’s sophisticated
enough for Veronica or Betty’s preoccupation with Archie getting in the way of
her relationship. It’s so “typical teen drama,” and while I’ve admittedly
watched my share of teen dramas, those kinds of plots aren’t the reason why I
watch them.
Which isn’t to say that
there’s nothing worthwhile here. On the contrary, there’s good stuff to
like. I enjoy an early scheme by Archie
and Jughead in which they realize that Pops is the real Master of Whispers in
Riverdale. There’s also the continuing
story of Veronica having trouble navigating the new middle-class world that’s brushing
up against hers; her confusion at the Andrews’ lack of extravagance is fun, but
this plot additionally provides some personal drama for Veronica as she
struggles to fit in with Archie’s family.
While I prefer the Riverdale
version of Veronica above any other, I do like that this one has some shades to
her. Does it all get a bit “poor little
rich girl?” Absolutely, but I appreciate
seeing Veronica’s insecurities that come from only having experienced life in
such a rarefied atmosphere.
Some of the plots in
this volume get a little ridiculous, but not really in a fun way. Jughead
can be awesomely silly, and Riverdale
can be balls-to-the-wall insane, but Archie
seems to hit more on “implausible, but without the same level of heightened
reality that can make it really pop.” It’s
not that I’m setting out to compare this comic unfavorably with other versions
of these characters and this world – goodness knows Riverdale has its problems, and Jughead
has yet to recapture the magic of its first eight issues. However, for me, Archie doesn’t quite stand out, not yet. It feels more standard-fare to me, and I’m
still waiting for it to really pull me in.
Warnings
Some teen recklessness.
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