Archie #13 Review: New Arc, New Antagonist!


The story starts off on a sad note. It appears as though Archie merrily hanging out with Veronica. They talk about seeing the new Josie And The Pussycats concert, see a movie, and go for a drive. It quickly becomes apparent that, at least to his point of view, she’s literally been cut and pasted out of his life.

Dear God, DC Rebirth is spreading to other companies! EVERYBODY, RUUUUUUUN!
 It shows just how broken up he is about not getting proper closure with Veronica, or any kind of closure at all, really. In a way, it reminds me of the beginning of the third season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., where Fitz is conversing with a hallucination of Simmons.

As for Betty, she is still heartbroken over not being in contact with Sayid anymore. Her story dovetails with Archie’s as we see her brother, Chic, helping her at the same time as Jughead tries to cheer up Archie. It’s a great example of parallelism in motion, especially as their respective conversations eventually collide.

Over on Veronica’s side, she is absolutely miserable. Mr. Lodge has made communication between anyone from Riverdale virtually impossible. Fortunately, she makes a new friend...Cheryl Blossom! She initially establishes herself as a friend, but quickly reveals her rotten roots. The cover is especially brilliant at subtly showing her personality. She’s smiling, but holding a large pair of shears, ready to slice some flowers.
That's not ominous at all.
Archie #13 is a wonderful starting point for new readers, as well as a neat opening for the new story arc. I’m excited to see what happens with Cheryl in the future, especially if Mark Waid attempts to humanize her. It’s been tried before with varying amounts of success. Aside from that, it's just nice to see Cheryl back to her roots of being a jerk, instead of the incredibly disturbing characterization in Afterlife With Archie. Not that the subplot in AWA was badly written, but I just found it uncomfortable and difficult to get through. Definitely pick the comic up!

Archie #13 is written by Mark Waid and Lori Matsumoto, drawn by Joe Eisma, and colored by Andre Syzmanowicz. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.