Every now and then we’re handed a mash up of things so totally opposite and bizarre it really has no other option than to work. That’s exactly what we get with Afterlife With Archie, something previously marketed for a much younger audience that’s been transformed into one heck of an awesome horror comic.
To be honest, I never read much Archie. I prefer my comics more on the hero and horror side of things. However, I do remember watching the cartoon on Saturday mornings when I was younger so I’m not completely blind on the characters and their adventures in Riverdale. I even have a few of the smaller ash can comics people would pawn off on me simply for the fact I’m an avid comic collector. Fact is, Archie is unanimous with comic books, the titular teen being as recognizable as any other comic book character, but with the horror and hero genre comics dominating the market these days the heads over at Archie Comics decided it was time to shake things up.
Where did the idea even come from? I’m not 100% sure, but you could speculate it began when Archie Comics did a “dramatic” themed story arc called “The Death of Archie.” Yup, like all great comic characters young (old?) Archie finally kicked the bucket. Now, if you’re into comics and/or are a rabid collector you’re probably familiar with what is called a “variant cover” where a different artist does a completely different cover. This is where the idea for the Afterlife With Archie came from. It was a variant cover made for the series where they portrayed the LIFE WITH ARCHIE as AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE with an old pulp-styled cover – complete with a giant horror zombie overtone. I’m assuming the hunt for this cover and the “OH MAN THAT WOULD BE GREAT!” fan reactions inspired them to green light an actual series from that. That’s purely speculation, though.
The first issue doesn’t hesitate to set a really dark tone. The very first page, written in blood on a black background, sets the stage: “This Is How The World Ends.” Then we’re greeted with panels of Jughead running to Sabrina’s (Sabrina the Teenage Witch) house with a lifeless Hotdog (Jughead’s pet dog) in his arms. We learn that, unbeknownst to Jughead, another Riverdale resident named Reggie ran over Jughead’s pet.
Sabrina turns to the Necronomicon – against her aunts wishes – to help her friend during this painful time. Well, in true Pet Sematary fashion Hotdog comes back from the dead, but in zombie mode. Jughead gets his dog back, gets bitten, and slowly becomes a flesh hungry ghoul himself. Shortly after Jughead eats his parents before spreading the infection even further at the Riverdale High Halloween dance. The infection goes through the town, leaving Archie and the remaining gang to seek out refuge and try to survive.
Seeing how this is an ongoing story I don’t want to give to much away, no need to spoil a good read. What I can tell you is this isn’t the Archie series many are familiar with. This is a completely different type of story… it’s gruesome, dark and perfectly paced as any well written horror story should be. Francesco Francavilla’s art truly has the proper style to set the visual stage, giving it that old vintage horror comic (Creepy, Eerie) look and feel. Matter of fact, every issue ends with a snippet from an old horror comic in the very back that just adds to the overall experience.
With so much of the horror genre being overrun with the zombies there’s a lot of junk to pick through these days. This is, however, sits on the top shelf. If you’re into Archie, horror, zombies or just really weird comics with pictures of gore I recommend seeking this title out. It’s definitely a lot of fun and is on my top list of favorite comics right now. If anything just look it up to see Archie beat his zombie Dad’s head in (see above). YUP THAT HAPPENS IN AN ARCHIE COMIC.
The two shops in my area have had a real hard time keeping it in stock. I don’t know if it’s just become that popular or they don’t want to order a bunch of Archie titles. Either way I suggest getting a subscription straight from the source by mail.