Jughead: The Hunger #4

Writer: Frank Tieri
Artists: Pat and Tim Kennedy and Joe Eisma
Colorist: Matt Herms
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Publisher: Archie Comics

The fourth issue of Jughead: The Hunger reveals to us who Betty’s aunt, Elena, is and how she became the villainous werewolf hunter she is. This issue is packed with more action and drama than horror like the previous issues and the action is done well and the drama is done even better.

Frank Tieri’s story continues to be interesting and captivating here in this fourth issue. I usually maybe wouldn’t have liked a whole flashback issue to reveal a character’s story, but I definitely liked it here. Thankfully, Teiri is such a great writer that this isn’t just a boring flashback issue; it’s important, dramatic, and beautiful. What we know from this issue adds more layers to this emotional narrative. The climax to this issue is one of those awesome gasp-out-loud moments that doesn’t happen too often in comics for me.

Once again, I could praise Pat and Tim Kennedy and Joe Eisma for their work in this series forever. There is simply no better artists to illustrate this story than these three. Tieri’s writing is incredible, but I truly believe that their artwork boosts this issue to another perfect comic book from this team. The artwork is sad, dark, and stunning to go along with writing that is sad, dark, and fascinating.

Horror needs storytelling like this just as much as it needs your typical scary horror elements. There is nothing remotely shallow about this horror tale. The action panels in this issue are some of my favorite pieces of artwork from the series so far. On top of that, the love story that is intertwined with these feuding families of werewolves and werewolf hunters brings it all together to pull you by the heart even deeper into the adventure.

To no surprise to me, this issue is another perfect comic book issue that exceeds all of my expectations. There isn’t one single thing lacking in this issue. Instead, there is plenty of dazzling substance that makes every second of reading it a real pleasure.