Riverdale #6

Writers: Ross Maxwell and Will Ewing
Artist: Joe Eisma
Colors: Andre Szymanowicz
Published by: Archie Comics

These one and done stories set in the Riverdale TV universe have been great fun and help round out some of the characters on the show that have yet to receive a spotlight. This month though, the story takes a turn that you wouldn’t necessarily expect in a TV adaptation that is set in a real-life facsimile of the real world.

Our writers this month are Ross Maxwell and Will Ewing and their story revolves around one of the most recognizable restaurateurs in comics, Pop Tate, in Chock’Lit Shoppe of Horrors. Continuing the plot thread in the show centered around the city’s 75th anniversary (which surprise, surprise, coincides with Archie Comics’ 75th anniversary), Betty decides to interview Pop Tate for the school newspaper the Blue and Gold.

All too happy to help out, Pop begins by telling her that the Chock’Lit Shoppe has been home to a few celebrity sightings over the years, like sitting presidents, Neil Armstrong, as well as Madonna. But no celebrity sighting left quite a mark like the time Bonnie and Clyde made their way into Pop’s humble shop.

From there, the story veers into stranger territory with Pop’s next two stories about how his shop was the last known location of a college professor and his hunt to discover what was the cause of the almost yearly disappearances at the Riverdale Lake, the site where Jason Blossom’s body was found in the show, as well as the story of the mysterious patron that helped Pop Tate stay open after a rival restaurant opened in the 70s.

As a stand-alone issue, Maxwell and Ewing really brought a fun, yet very campy story this month. However, it was a difficult trying to suspend my disbelief reading this issue since these stories are supposed to be reflective of the ongoing narrative in the TV show which hasn’t really touched on the most supernatural aspects that are commonplace in the Archie comic universe. However, it was an excellent nonetheless and having Joe Eisma at the helm on art greatly added to my enjoyment. His simplistic style has always been appreciated when showcased in comic like Riverdale.