Archie #28 Review

Story by: Mark Waid & Ian Flynn

Art by: Audrey Mok

Colors by: Kelly Fitzpatrick

Published by: Archie Comics

Reviewing this comic is sometimes a little too easy. What Mark Waid, and now co-writer Ian Flynn, bring to the table month in and month out, is a fun re-imagining of the Archie universe for a very modern time. The heart, the humour and the all-around slapstick that was found in the last 70+ years of this comics history is still ever-present, but told through modern sensibilities.

Saying that, I’d like to talk about something I haven’t really touched upon in my previous reviews, but has also been present pretty much since the beginning: the use of chapters within the comic. A lot of other comics have done this in the past, but Archie has done it to perfection since the run began.

Why do I say this? Mostly because of the fact that it keeps the intertwining stories on point throughout the issue and can sometimes offer some deeper insight into the characters present. This month, we see four chapters, three relating to the fallout from the last two story-arcs, and one played for fun (which seems to be the case more often than not).

The chapters dealing with the fallout include: Archie trying to “get back on the horse” after being rejected by both Veronica and Betty and experiencing some pretty drastic results - my favourite repeated line throughout this issue is “How?” uttered by no less than four characters after encountering Archie. The second revolves around Betty and Veronica deciding to be their own women, not defined by any man. And finally, the third sees the return of Reggie who is hell-bent on making everyone around him as miserable as he himself feels.

All this combined gives us a book that is an extremely fun read every month and is at the top of my recommendations each week it is out. Oh, and let us not forget the amazing work that Mok and Fitzpatrick do every month either. Their work is nothing short of brilliant.