Thursday, October 10, 2013

Afterlife With Archie Comics #1



A ‘T’ for Teen rated book from Archie Comics?  Who would ever have thought such a thing was possible?  Although I have to admit Archie Comics has been doing a lot of innovative things over the last two to three years.  
 
In Afterlife With Archie Comics #1 Jughead’s beloved dog Hot Dog is hit by a hit and run driver (Reggie is the culprit revealed later in the book) and despondent Jughead takes the injured Hot Dog to Sabrina the teenage witch for help.  But it is too late.  Sabrina and her aunts can’t save Hot Dog from death without dire consequences.  Hurt and crushed by his canine friend’s death Jughead wanders home, even missing Riverdale’s Halloween Party.

Sympathetic to her friend’s pain Sabrina follows Jughead and instructs him to bring Hot Dog’s lifeless body outside of Riverdale, bury and wait as she performs an arcane mystic ritual.
And then they wait.  Later that evening Jughead hears a noise and miracles of miracles Hot Dog has returned from the dead.

Only Hot Dog doesn’t act like Hot Dog and he attacks and bites his master.

Later, Archie comes to visit and is concerned about his best friend who has even lost his appetite and appears sick.  Archie volunteers to miss the Halloween festivities and spend the evening with Jughead.  Jughead insists he goes to the event.

The Halloween chaperones:  Principal Weatherbee and Miss Grundy, are sitting outside when Jughead (bathed in shadows) approaches.  He promptly attacks them and shows up (blood soaked) at the Halloween event.  Everyone thinks he’s in costume…but we know better.

Hard to believe this is an Archie comic book.  Writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and artist Francesco Francavilla serve up a chilling story that will have Archie Comic Book readers talking about for years to come.  I predict this will become a classic issue and a key collectible.