Archie Andrews is a bit of a screw-up.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s a lovable screw-up, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a walking disaster.
Which is why it shouldn’t surprise anyone that of all of the Riverdale gang, he’s the one who found and read (badly) from the Necronomicon.
Good thing Riverdale just got a new S-Mart store recently…
Klatu, Barata… Neckbeard
In the last issue of Archie x The Army of Darkness, Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and Reggie were all trapped inside the creepy cabin in the woods that Reggie’s family inherited—and, naturally, he decided to throw a party there. After accidentally discovering a secret passageway leading to a creepy dungeon chamber, Archie read aloud from the sinister-looking book (because, apparently, that’s just what he does—told you, the kid’s a disaster). That’s when the dead began to rise. While our “core five” are trapped inside, the rest of the partygoers are outside, simply trying to survive.
Which makes this the perfect time for a flashback, right? Earlier in the day, Archie and his S-Mart manager, Ashley “Ash” Williams, are taking a breather after a chaotic store-opening sale. Ash gives Archie his first paycheck, and the next thing you know, there’s a cartoonish dust cloud where the kid was standing just a moment ago. Archie is all set to head to Reggie’s party, but his car won’t start. Luckily, Ash is there to give him a ride in his boat-sized “classic” car.
As they make their way toward the cabin, Archie learns that Ash doesn’t like the woods. Maybe it has something to do with all the crazy stories he’s been telling for the past few weeks? Nah… Anyway, Archie arrives just in time for the party, and after a precarious ten minutes or so, Ash manages to get his car turned around and back on the road to town—until, suddenly and randomly, he gets four flat tires all at once. And, of course, there’s no cell signal. Looks like he’s headed to that party after all.
When Ash finally arrives, he finds that someone has read from the Necronomicon, and his nightmare has begun again. Making his way into the cabin, he finds Archie and his friends fending off a Deadite. Ash assists in his own inimitable way, only to discover that Archie is the one who read from the book! Turns out he really wasn’t paying attention to any of those stories over the past few weeks after all…
Now, Ash finds himself in a familiar situation—trapped in the woods, surrounded by evil—but this time, he’s got Archie Andrews and friends along for the ride.
Klatu, Barata… Nightlife
Last issue largely focused on Archie and his friends as they discovered the hidden dungeon and read from the Necronomicon, which, of course, set this whole shindig in motion. In this issue, much of the spotlight shifts to Ash, giving some insight into his character while getting him to the teens (and the Deadites). As you would expect, it’s a ton of fun.
One of the hardest things about inter-property crossovers is making sure everyone’s voices are properly represented. You want Archie and friends to sound like the classic comic versions of themselves and not, say, the Riverdale versions (actually, the happenings in this book aren’t even weird enough for the Riverdale versions—they’d just yawn and go back to making out with each other). Every line out of Ash’s mouth needs to be heard in Bruce Campbell’s distinctive voice and delivery. I’m happy to say they’ve nailed the voices here. Archie is, as mentioned earlier, a lovable screw-up. Jughead is (largely) unflappable. Reggie is a rich jerk. Betty and Veronica are, well, the love interests. And Ash? His characterization, in particular, is spot on. He comes across as a cool, aloof badass, but deep down he’s as scared as any normal person would be. That doesn’t stop him from firing off one-liners as quickly as shotgun shells, but that’s more of a coping mechanism than anything else.
It’s funny—we’ve basically spent the majority of two issues (out of five) accomplishing all the setup needed: get the entire cast in the same place, read from the Necronomicon, and let the Deadites run wild—and yet, I have no complaints about the pacing. Everything moves at a good clip, and there aren’t any dull moments. That’s not easy to do. And now that the setup is out of the way? Now the really good stuff can begin (well, good for us, the readers—not so good for the cast).
Klatu, Barata… Knuckleduster
Our creative team is once again Erik Burnham on words and Bill Galvan on pictures. They make a great team. As mentioned above, Burnham has absolutely nailed the characters’ voices, with the highest compliment I can give him being that I read every Ash line in Bruce Campbell’s voice. He keeps the pace brisk and the plot moving, with nary a dull moment to be found. He’s taken what sounds like it absolutely shouldn’t work, and so far, it works perfectly.
As for Bill Galvan, not only does he nail the classic Archie style, but he manages to make the “outside” players—Ash and the Deadites—look like they belong, while still standing out as not of Riverdale. It gives the book a really unique visual style. There isn’t a whole lot of violence or gore this issue, but what little there is, it’s very much in the Evil Dead style. I’m looking forward to seeing him really cut loose in future issues.
I also have to mention the coloring by Ellie Wright. She does a terrific job—everything has a very bright color palette, as you’d expect from an Archie book. Yet the woods, the Deadites, and Ash all have darker tones to them, once again showing that they are not your normal Riverdale folk.
In short, the whole creative team is firing on all cylinders here, and it’s great to see.
Klatu, Barata… Nickelback!
Archie x The Army of Darkness #2 is another great issue that takes a strange idea for a crossover and makes it work so well, you’ll find yourself asking why they didn’t do it sooner. The characterization is on point, with Archie and friends being their classic “Aw jeez” selves, and Ash being a perfect representation of the classic Bruce Campbell character. There isn’t a lot of Deadite action or gore in this issue, but I’m sure that will be remedied now that the whole cast has been gathered together.
If you are a fan of the Evil Dead franchise, or just love fun comics that shouldn’t work but somehow do, give this book a shot. It both feels like a classic Archie book and one of Sam Raimi’s classic movies at the same time—two great tastes that taste great together.
Groovy.
