Archie x The Army of Darkness #3
Writer: Erik Burnham
Artist: Bill Galvan
Colorist: Ellie Wright
The versatility of the Archie Comics characters never ceases to amaze me.
You can get a movie like the version of Josie and the Pussycats from 25 years ago.
You can get TV shows ranging from Riverdale to Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
You can get comics like Afterlife with Archie, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Archie vs Predator, Archie Meets the Punisher, Archie Meets Jay and Silent Bob, and of course, Archie x The Army of Darkness.
None of them is tongue in cheek. No winking at the camera. Everything is played completely straight, and amazingly, it all works.
Which brings us to the absolute blast that is Archie x The Army of Darkness #3.
Read on for more...
But in Riverdale, There's No Such Thing As "Normal"
Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, and Ash are all trapped inside the creepy cabin in the woods that Reggie's family inherited. After Archie partially read from the Necronomicon, the place was besieged by Deadites who wanted nothing more than to get their hands on everyone's favorite goofball and make him finish reading the incantation he started. All of the kids from Riverdale who were partying at the cabin have either fled or been killed. Oh, and the stuffed dogs that Archie worked so hard to get for Betty and Veronica have been possessed and are trying to get them...
This certainly sounds a lot more exciting than most of my weekends. Just saying.
Once the mini Demon Dogs are dealt with, it’s time to get out of the cabin and to somewhere with weapons. Piling everyone into Veronica’s SUV, which was in the garage (can’t park outside where the birds can get to it, after all), the gang burns rubber to the most defensible place in Riverdale: S-Mart.
Ash starts giving the kids assignments when they encounter the Night Crew. Thinking fast, Ash says he’s showing the kids the ropes, and since no one tells the Night Crew anything anyway, his lie works. Jughead quickly learns that they have access to leftovers from the Deli Counter, and I think he just made a new best friend.
Reading through the Necronomicon to find the passage he read from before, Archie manages to jog his memory - and starts to read from it again, before Ash stops him. Really, Archie?
The phone rings, and it’s Bad Ash, our hero’s evil Deadite doppelgänger. Before they can exchange banter, Good Ash hangs up. Frustrated that their powers are so limited until Archie finishes reading from the book, Bad Ash creates perfect-ish Deadite doppelgängers of the gang, sending them in to do a little divide and conquer. First on the chopping block: Jughead, currently availing himself of the bounty at the deli counter!
Gosh, You Oughta Know Better Than to Whistle in School, Jug!
This book is just so much fun. So many great lines. I want to just spoil the whole thing, but then you’d have no reason to go check the book out yourself.
Moving the gang from the cabin to S-Mart is a great idea. It gives us a whole other stage for new setpieces, and it gives the story a little more of that Army of Darkness feel. Making Bad Ash the leader of the Deadites adds to that feel as well, even though it makes no logical sense - a) he was already defeated in the movie, and b) Archie read from the book, not Ash, so even if he was still around (he’s undead, after all), why would he specifically be summoned by the partial incantation?
There are references to both Afterlife with Archie and Sabrina in this issue, which just cracked me up. Especially the Sabrina one. Typical Archie - “Yeah, I actually do know a witch. But I forgot her phone number, so we can’t call her right now.”
The Deadite doppelgängers are going to be so much fun, I can tell. I’m a little disappointed that their names were only listed in the “Next Issue” blurb, because they’re great: Archie of Darkness, Bad Betty, Vile Veronica, Rotten Reggie, and Jughead’s doppleganger is so evil that there’s no alliteration that could do him justice! So does that mean he’s from the Riverdale show?
Fun, fun stuff all around. This book is always a highlight of my reading stack.
Archiekins!
Defying modern trends, we’re at 3 issues in a row with the same creative team - writer Erik Burnham and artist Bill Galvan - and it’s abundantly clear that they’re having at least as much fun making this book as I am reading it.
Burnham’s script blends the Archie parts with the Army of Darkness parts effortlessly. Were it not for the undead, the blood, and the absurdly high body count, you could think you were reading a classic Archie tale. And every word out of Ash’s mouth sounds like something you can just imagine Bruce Campbell himself saying. He also sneaks in some hilarious lampshading this issue about the shifting rules of the Necronomicon, and how the bad guys always have limitations imposed on them by the needs of the plot rather than logic.
Galvan’s art works so well here; he’s got the classic Archie look down pat. It makes the blood and the Deadites stand out, and even Ash is rendered in a slightly different style than the other human characters - still cartoony, but a smidgen more realistic at the same time. He pulls off some great visual gags, too.
The colors by Ellie Wright really pull the whole thing together. The Archie cast is done in the classic bright color style, while Ash and the Deadites are done slightly more muted. The red of blood is bright and stands out against the things around it, making those moments more impactful.
Newsflash, Jughead - the World Doesn't Stop Just Because You're Having an Anxiety Attack
Archie x The Army of Darkness #3 is another terrific issue in a miniseries that has been a blast to read so far - the two properties mix together incredibly well, showing the versatility of both, and there are so many great moments and memorable one-liners that there’s something here for everyone. With 2 issues left to go, the stakes keep getting higher, the bodies are piling up, and you have to wonder how our heroes are going to get out of this one. Personally, I have no idea, but I’m strapped in for the rest of the ride and anxious to find out.