The real AvP By For those who grew up reading from the spinner rack, Archie represents the epitome of family friendly fun. The adventures of Riverdale’s most rockin’ teens—Archie and Jughead, Betty and Veronica, Reggie and Moose—serve as pure cotton candy escapism, where the worst thing one has to worry about is not having a date for the dance or running out of hamburgers. With that in mind, the gang’s latest, Archie vs. Predator, is both surprisingly out there and even more surprisingly great. After all, nothing says family friendly like a spine-stripped corpse, right kids? Given its title, quick-draw readers will likely assume that Archie vs. Predator is similar in tone to that of its more contemporary fellow, Afterlife with Archie.

This could not be any further from the truth. Whereas Afterlife took the properties various characters and gave them a bit of a modernized edge, is your grocery store Archie come to life, plus one not so sociable addition. Writer Alex de Campi absolutely nails the wholesome vibe of the Riverdale crew, her characterization pitch perfect to the source material. From the eternal tug of war between Betty and Veronica for Archie’s affections to Reggie’s baseless attempts to steal them away, every ounce of dialogue screams vintage Archie.

Even the book’s inciting incident—Jughead winning an all expenses paid vacation via eating potato chips—feels ripped from those familiar pages. That’s not to say the book is a total Archie rehash. It looks that way, at first, but as the narrative progresses we start to see the tone veer a bit off the beaten path. Certain interactions read a bit sharper, certain events escalate a bit further and oh yeah, there’s an intergalactic assassin sneaking through the underbrush. What’s interesting about these changes is just how little the Predator influences them. He’s barely a fixture this first issue, popping up now and again to creep and/or murder.

No, the problems the gang faces are of their own design, and given the way the debut ends, they’re only just getting started. While de Campi deserves plenty of credit in crafting the book’s warmly familiar tone, it falls on the fantastic art team of Fernando Ruiz, Rich Koslowski and Jason Millet to bring it to life. It’s a task that they pull off in almost unimaginable fashion, as the book lives and breathes like any ‘ol Archie tale that happens to include a dreadlocked alien. Seriously folks—this is the Archie you know and love, looking every bit as warm and inviting as the books you’d find in the checkout aisle. This aesthetic proves part of the book’s inviting charm, as even when things go decidedly un-Archie it’s tough to shake the overall giddy feel. From the spot on character design, bold inks and vibrant colors, each page is picture perfect in its imagining. Add in the fact that the Predator is rendered in that same aw-shucks goofy style and you get a book that’s every bit as brutal as it is the bee’s knees.

Simply put, Archie vs. Predator #1 is pretty darn great. Alex de Campi and her wonderful artists have made something old feel decidedly new, all while maintaining the same nostalgic qualities we enjoyed to begin with. Rarely does such an oddball marriage make for such a great comic, so don’t be the last one to the choppah on the way to this ride.

Predator #1 Story: Alex de Campi Pencils: Fernando Ruiz Inks: Rich Koslowski Colors: Jason Millet Letters: John Workman Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Man, comics can be a crazy thing sometimes. Remember when the Punisher swapped complexions with Wesley Snipes, or when Wonder Woman worked at a Taco Whiz?

The spirit of new ideas can sometimes bring about the strangest bedfellows. It’s that same spirit that brought Archie Comics and Dark Horse together to publish the grudge match of the century, Archie vs. Writer Alex de Campi opens the series with an actually feasible scenario where the paths of Riverdale’s most popular teens cross with the galaxy’s most feared game hunter. This first issue is Archie gang heavy as we join them on their Spring break vacation to a tropical island. As you know, a Predator only needs extreme heat and raging conflict to enjoy a vacation and no one has more angst than teens.

AvP #1 reinforces the notion that there’s no bigger fight than two ladies squabbling over the same man. As Betty and Veronica have a tiff that cuts their vacation short, they’ll bring Riverdale back more than just a souvenir keychain. The script is fun, full of zingers, and all the Jughead buffet loving goodness Archie comics are known for. AvP’s premise is surprisingly concise; instead of going off the rails with impossibility, the story actually feels like a plot from a Predator movie staring teenagers. Fernando Ruiz’s pencils are full of cartoony heavy lines and over the top expressions. In short, it’s pop art at its best. Even the Predator looks pretty darn cute, which shouldn’t be a word normally used to describe him, but it fits here.

Wave surfer for mac. For anyone thinking the Archie brand wouldn’t allow for the right level of gore; rest assured you’ll see the blood and guts in this opening chapter. Combine the illustration of these pages with solid color work by Jason Millet and a superb lettering design by John Workman and the book visually equates to smooth Saturday Morning fun.

Archie Vs Predator Complete Story

Predator pulls the series back from the notion of “how can this be possible,” to damn I need to read this book. If the remaining issues ramp up the action on the set-up in found in these pages then it’s definitely one any reader can get behind. Dear Dark Horse, I need an Arnold or Danny Glover cameo in this series.