Myles: Archie #1
While the hype behind Archie #1 has been inescapable, there was always an air of “how will they pull this off?” about it. Sure, bringing in the superstar talents of Mark Waid and Fiona Staples to reboot the iconic series sounds great. But what would they do? Would it be this weird meta series will its tongue too firmly planted in its cheek a la The Brady Bunch Movie? Would they attempt to tell some darkened tale where Jughead is addicted to smack instead of hamburgers? Anything was within the realm of possibility, especially considering the moves the franchise has made with Afterlife with Archie and Archie vs Predator. The one thing I wasn’t fully expecting? Archie #1, so far, is my favorite single issue of the year.
Many readers and listeners may not be aware of this, but I am a huge, huge fan of coming-of-age teen fiction. Whenever I see a trailer for a (usually indie, but it’s not a prerequisite) genuine attempt at telling an honest, character-driven story, even if it’s got some reality quirks, I’m sold. I read John Green’s Paper Towns this past weekend in one sitting in preparation for the movie. For this reason, this comic feels specifically tailored to me.
Waid begins the book with Archie serving as a narrator, breaking the forth wall in the way some of the types of films I previously described love doing. He’s your gateway to the modernization of Riverdale. However, Waid doesn’t spend the issue making little hints and references buried in Archie’s 70+ year history. No, he treats everything and everyone as if they’ve never been introduced before. Jughead’s love affair with food remains intact, but even character quirks like that are introduced through this expositional issue as if you were meeting them for the first time. And much of it is a bit of a “Welcome to..” exposition-filled issue. I feel like that’s exactly what this issue needed to be: a “Welcome” sign to readers to see what Waid and company has in store for Archie and his friends.
As far as the story goes, outside of serving as the reader’s tour guide, Archie gives you a little insight to what’s been going on. You see, the whole school’s talking about Archie Andrews, and not for reasons he’s happy with. He and Betty Cooper, with whom he’s been practically a couple with since they were five, have broken up. No one really knows why, and Archie claims he and Betty agreed not to talk about it, so he won’t even tell us, his loyal readers, the secret. All we know is “The Lipstick Incident” was the catalyst. Now I know what you’re thinking: “Ah-ha! Veronica!” Nope. Archie’s not the dog he has been in the past. At least not that we know of yet. Veronica has only been hinted at moving to Riverdale, so we’ve not met her yet! Much of the issue follows Archies’ daily routine, with a lot of unsaid character moments being effortlessly inserted on the way.
Of course, Waid isn’t the only titanic force at work. Fiona Staples, known for her gloriously imaginative art on Saga, delivers not only vibrant recreations of these characters most have considered long past stale, but her mastery of body language and facial expressions will floor you. Any time you see a look of insecurity, hurt or longing between Archie and Betty, you feel it. Their emotions leap off the page without the aid of any words. They connect with the reader. Staples doesn’t just pantomime her characters’ emotions, she treats the characters she draws as actors and commands range from them the way any great director would.
As a reintroduction to a classic franchise, as a first issue, and as an all around amazing beginning tale about a group of teenagers, Archie #1 succeeds in every way. It’s honest, emotive, and most of all, likable. If Waid and Staples maintain this momentum, this could be the best series of the year. Until then, an outstanding first issue will have to do.
Drew: Star Trek/Green Lantern #1
IDW is no stranger to crazy crossovers, they do it with GI Joe and Transformers all the time. A couple of years ago they also crossed over Star Trek The Next Generation with Doctor Who in a very fun series. As listeners to our show have heard me say, I’ve also been loving the IDW officially licensed Star Trek title. So what happens when you cross this new Trek crew with DC’s favorite space cops? Magic! Written by Trek scribe Mike Johnson with art by Angel Hernandez, the story follows well known Guardian Ganthet and a collection of various power rings escaping an unseen (but very Black Lantern sounding) foe by shifting into the dimension home to our intrepid Starfleet crew.
This issue is primarily set up for what’s to come, so there isn’t much action short of Klingons yelling at Kirk. The real fun of the issue is when the crew beams down to a dead planet to investigate what’s going on. They of course discover the power rings and take them back to the ship to investigate them. It’s all very very Star Trek as Scotty starts running scans and bombarding the rings with tachyons trying to see how they’re powered and what they do. Klingons, of course, attack, and the rings become active and shoot out of the ship to find worthy bearers. Chekov gets the blue ring of hope, Uhura the Star Sapphire ring of love, McCoy gets the indigo ring of compassion. Meanwhile, the yellow ring of fear lands on the finger of Klingon General Chang! Seriously you guys I am completely geeking out about this so much that I can barely type. The red ring of rage and orange ring of avarice go off into space without finding bearers we’ve seen yet. Holy crap Ferengi. The orange ring has to go to a Ferengi, right? A FERENGI ORANGE LANTERN THIS IS THE BEST! Sorry. Losing myself as I go through this.
As a big GL fan and an even bigger Star Trek fan I’m just excited about all the fun this book promises. We’re going to see Hal Jordan and Jim Kirk team up against a Klingon yellow lantern. That’s a sentence I just wrote you guys, for real, this is happening! I just thought about a Ferengi orange lantern again. You guys! Really! This crazy book is a thing that exists! And it’s off to a great start! (Ferengi orange lantern action figure? Please? What about cosplay?)
Patrick:
Batman #42.
What’s the meaning of life, the universe, and everything? #42 in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
‘s run of Batman, from DC comics. This continues the introduction of the Robo-bat-bunny piloted by GCPD’s own Jim Gordon, and a streak of suped-up criminals with elemental powers. I really enjoyed this issue, as it brought back characters and themes in earlier arcs, and sticks with the meta-humor of the online community’s reaction to Bat-Jim.
As always Greg Capullo’s art is on point. It has been a pleasure to watch his character design, attention to detail, and amazing art continue to increase as this series goes on. Whether is is a haggard bearded Bruce Wayne, or a ten-ton truck dropping on a villain’s head, the pages are all crisp and beautiful. Lots of credit needs to go to Danny Miki and Fco Plascencia to their addition to my favorite looking book on comic stands today.
Snyder is on point with this story, with an examination of what happen’s to Gotham in the absence of both Batman and the Joker. The introduction of the “Bat-App” seems a little silly, but in a city where Super-crime is probably as common as seeing municipal problems like broken fire hydrants, I can imagine a Gothamite on the way to the opera glancing down Crime Alley, seeing something, and saying something via an app. The GCPD probably gets a million calls a day, but a computer algorithm could help a modern day Officer Batman look through the chaff for the big problem areas.
The only problem I have with this arc so far is that it is moving too slow for my taste compared to the previous action-packed “Endgame”. I think that it is good to take a breather from “The entire city is about to die” to take a closer look at Gotham, but it is hard to cope with that transition when you need to wait a month between issues. The teases at the end of issue one and two are painful knowing I have 4-weeks to go before answers are given. This is still a great issue of the book, and a great expansion of the world of Gotham, and if you haven’t already started reading Batman, I weep silently at night for you. Batman #42 from DC is on shelves today!