Archie Volume One (2016)
Writer – Mark Waid
Artists – Fiona Staples, Annie Wu, and Veronica Fish
I was in contact with my friend Tara over the holidays and we decided to read a graphic novel together. I picked Archie via Hoopla and I started the new year right out the gate by reading this volume. (As of this writing, she hasn’t started it yet, but I can tell her opinions about it some other time).
Archie and company are reimagined for the modern era – gone are the days of sock hops and soda jerks. Archie and his friends keep in contact with each other and the world around them with the latest phone technology and social media.
Archie and Betty have recently broken up after the “lipstick incident.” Both haven’t spoken to each other since they went their separate ways. Both are trying to navigate the heady waters of Riverdale High and fending off rumors about the end of their relationship. A ripple caused by the arrival of Veronica Lodge to Riverdale will affect Archie and Betty as well as Archie’s friend Jughead and their mutual nemesis Reggie Mantle.
It’s refreshing to see the gang deal with the trials and tribulations of high school in today’s day and age. They have the same hopes and fears we do and it’s nice to see the characters’ imperfections because they always seemed too squeaky clean during the era of our parents and grandparents. I think my favorite parts of the volume were the additions to the supporting cast like Sheila Wu and the backstories of Jughead and Reggie. You don’t have to wait long to get the skinny on the lipstick incident after it is teased in the first couple of issues.
Mark Waid is known for taking the reins of a comic character and breathing new life into them. If you need a recent example or two, look no further than Batman/Superman: World’s Finest and Shazam! I love the art of Fiona Staples and I have a feeling that she was pulling double duty between this and Saga and that is the reason why Annie Wu and Veronica Fish tackle art chores on the back half of this volume. This is something to be made aware of before diving in so you are prepared for the changes in art style from one issue to another.
The resurgence in Archie’s popularity was in large part to this volume, which lead to the expansion of the line to include Archie Horror (Afterlife with Archie) and a multiversal story (The Married Life– which showed how his life played out if he married Betty and Veronica). The TV series Riverdale would eventually become a live action spinoff of the gang, that lasted for seven seasons!
If you are looking for a spark of joy during the post-holiday season or a palate cleanser or an alternative to superhero comics from the Big Two, Archie Volume One is the perfect choice!
Archie Volume One is available instantly via Hoopla and contains a bonus comic – the full first issue of the Jughead series by Chip Zdarsky and Erica Henderson. Speaking of Chip, there is an in-joke about the beloved writer in Issue Five you won’t want to miss!