In the last issue of
Jughead, our protagonist met Sabrina the Teenage Witch as she struggled to enjoy her new job as the resident “Burger Lady” at Pop’s Choklit Shoppe. They soon struck up a wonderful friendship, at least on Jughead’s side. Unbeknownst to him, Sabrina develops a little bit of a crush and asks him out on a date. This issue starts off at the date, with Jughead having mixed emotions.
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Third wheel? More like third chair! Hahaha, please don't fire me... |
On one hand, he genuinely enjoys talking about burgers with Sabrina and he feels extremely guilty for unintentionally leading her on, so to speak. On the other hand, he is most certainly not comfortable with being on a date and wants to get out of it. His solution? Enlist his friends to help him get out of it. There is absolutely no way this can go wrong.
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I don't know how Archie got that costume, but he's probably going to jail. Remember, kids, acting like you're in a sitcom may be fun, but it can also lead to a criminal record. |
Even before I get into the results, I have to talk about the characters. Is there a way that Ryan North can make an official
Sabrina The Teenage Witch spinoff for Archie Comics? His take on Sabrina gets even better with each page. He portrays her as a fairly normal teenager, but with a darker side, which fits because of her powers. On the more subtle side, I like the fact that on her date with Jughead, Sabrina uses the names of famous occultists as exclamations.
“Great Marie Laveau”, indeed. His version of Salem is also great. He doesn’t have a lot of dialogue in the comic, but I burst out laughing whenever he spoke.
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I read that in the voice of the tv show's version of Salem. |
And when she does end up using her magic, Jughead is barely fazed, only giving a major reaction to some nachos. No matter what weirdness erupts, he either doesn’t notice or doesn’t really care, and it just amps up the humor. Seagulls with rose petals? Goes on his phone. Spell to make him raise his hand in class? It just reinforces his friendship with Archie. Snakes and frogs in his backpack? Party in Biology! Even when she makes him hang out with Reggie for an entire day, they just become friends. I’m not sure if the character development will be expanded on or not in the upcoming
Reggie And Me series from Tom DeFalco, but even if it’s not, the ensuing scenes are comedy gold.
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I promise you, I didn't make that. It actually appears in the comic. |
Jughead #10 is a fantastic issue and it only proves that Ryan North is a brilliant writer. Derek Charm’s art is equally great, making the magic (both literal and figurative) explode off each page. Sabrina’s new design is cool, the coloring is spectacular, and everything just works. It’s been one year since since the new series launched and I’m happy to say that every issue has succeeded in being entertaining. Pick it up or get a subscription, more wacky antics are coming!
Jughead #10 is written by Ryan North and drawn by Derek Charm. 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.