Okay,
this volume made me smile, if only because it’s the one that reminds me the
most of Riverdale thus far (it’s
those Blossoms, they’re super-extra in every iteration of these characters.)
After the High Drama of the last couple of volumes, we’re getting back to
business more.
Riverdale
is still recovering after the big events of the last two volumes, both in terms
of dramatic occurrences and romantic goings-on. The spring dance seems like a
way to reset and either get everyone back in their old groove or help them come
to terms with their new normal… “seems” being the operant word. Of course, it
can’t be that easy. There’s the ever-present matter of who’s going with who, a
social pariah is back in town with something to prove, and the dance is hit by
one hell of an unexpected twist (for the characters – what’s about to happen is
fairly signposted for the readers, but the characters don’t know what hit
them.) In order to deal with it, everyone’s going to have to come together.
Like I’ve
said before, the angstiness of the previous arc didn’t quite gel for me. Even though
Archie does lean on the teen angst
semi-regularly, that storyline just took it into melodrama/After School Special
territory, and I wasn’t a fan. As such, it’s a relief for me to see the story
returning more to its usual thing here, with the added bonus of some quality
Blossom family soap opera. Let’s be real – Riverdale
would’ve gone even more outrageous with it, but seeing the over-the-top
wildness of it all tickled me.
Other
than that, it’s a pretty decent volume for our heroes. The gang attempts to use
Archie’s chronic clumsiness as a force for good, we get some delightful
Betty-Veronica friendship scenes (love those two,) and even though this version
of Jughead isn’t canonically asexual/aromantic like his Jughead counterpart, the story remains very true to that side of
him in how he’s depicted at a school dance. (Plus, side note? He utters the
sentence, “I refuse to be forage-shamed,” which is just so wonderfully
Jughead.) We also get some fun scenes from other characters, including Reggie
leaning into his comic-book villainy and cute bits for Moose and Midge.
While I
still wouldn’t put Archie in the same
ranks as other comics I read, this is an enjoyable yarn. It features amusing
sight gags, jokes that are the right amount of silly, and wild plotting that
stays fun. I’m also all for a good “let’s all work together, team!” moment, and
this story offers a nice helping of that.
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