I have to be honest about something. With the excellent quality of the rebooted Archie universe and the genuinely horrifying “Archie Horror” lineup, I had forgotten just how, well, cheesy the original universe could be. Ridiculously easy solutions to tough problems, black-and-white morality, recycled plots... Basically, an especially bad nineties sitcom in comic form. Let me put it this way: if the upcoming television adaptation was made in the nineties, it would have a goofy theme song and the fakest canned laugh track to ever grace the small screen.
To Dan Parent’s credit, Life With Kevin #1 is fairly good. It’s just that the comic’s tone was unexpected, after months of only reading comics from the company in a particular way. It is interesting to see one variation on Kevin and Veronica’s future lives, even if the exposition is somewhat shoe-horned. Certain moments were slightly too goofy for me, such as Kevin dancing around his new apartment before realizing that his mom hasn’t left yet. Still, not too bad in the grand scheme of things.
I do like the elements of realism in the series. Kevin quickly learns that it’s not as easy to live in New York as it seems. Additionally, I enjoyed the scenes taking place at the television studio. It’s also interesting to see the different writing styles that come with writing for an older version of an Archie character. Characters can reference the Saw movies and even—gasp—say mildly offensive words!
All in all, I believe that I’m being too hard on it. Life With Kevin #1 is a breath of fresh air in contrast to all of the horrible events in the news. Inoffensive, happy, and lighthearted, it’s sure to brighten up your day. As long as you know beforehand that the tone is different, you’ll be fine.
Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or the Harry Potter books.
Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or the Harry Potter books.