Archie #20 Review
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Pete Woods
Letters by Jack Morelli
Reviewed by Lorna Maltman (maltmanlorna@gmail.com)
Honestly, Archie is not the comic where I expect an event, but with the number of events that every other comic company is doing, it was only a matter of time. However, this ‘event’ does not feel forced but a natural progression of the Archie and Reggie rivalry. What makes this avoid the jarring feeling is the fact that Waid knows how to write these characters with heart, humour and a charm that makes this Archie great.
This issue focuses, particularly on Archie, Betty and Reggie. It starts out with Archie recounting his rivalry with Reggie and how he and Betty have been working on his car for eight years for it to be ready today. As this repair job was done with Archie Andrews, there was inevitability some faults with the repairs. These faults cause events which result in Archie and Reggie racing for one another’s cars. Unexpectedly, we see the race and the result of the race in this issue, which will result in genuine changes for the Archie crew of characters, even if we do not know quite how yet. There is a slight side story of the Blossom twins’ endeavour to find their real father, but Waid does well to keep the focus on the main plot.
Pete Woods’ art creates a wholesome nature to the book and radiates charm and expressiveness to the characters, especially in the facial expressions which, for a slice-of-life book, is key. It sometimes lacks detail, but Woods’ art does a good enough job of creating the world and characters.
Verdict:
Buy. If you haven’t been reading Archie comics or you have just been watching Riverdale, this is a great time to jump on board. Waid does a good job of making this accessible, but not exposition heavy and not making this the CW show but keeping the loveable nature of the comic. A great story, art and characters with a good sense of humour – this is definitely worth your money.
