Archie #1 Review

Writer: Mark Waid / Artist: Fiona Staples / Archie Comics Okay, let me preface this review by saying I have NEVER picked up an Archie comic in my life. I know the central characters, I know the basic setting, I know the song “Sugar Sugar” backwards and forwards. I’ve just never invested in sitting down to read the comedic adventures of the original Tenchi Muyo. So, obviously I never thought I’d be sitting here first thing in the morning, listening to The Weeknd, writing about how this Archie reboot is one of the best things I’ve read this year so far. In fact, I’m sure my editor is scratching his head at this submitted draft, trying to figure out whether or not this is a joke. [Editor’s Note: Accurate.] It’s not. It’s a good book. I know, as an analyst/critic/writer who truly loves comics, I’m supposed to give you some elitist whine about the entertainment industry being saturated with reboots and rehashes. I’m supposed to lament on the death of originality and new ideas, but let’s face it, guys… we’re past that at this point. There is a Jurassic Park movie in theaters. Seriously… Star Lord is T-Rex hunting with a strike team of velociraptors. Let that sink in while I wax poetic about Mark Waid and Fiona Staples doing the Lord’s Work on this age-old franchise.Waid doesn’t play coy at all with his mandate to bring the titular character into the 21st century. Right out the gate, the story starts off told from Archie’s perspective in a format reminiscent of a “found footage”…