Archie vs. The Terminator #1
Writer: Rory McConville
Artist: Steven Butler and Lily Butler
Cover Artist: Francesco Francavilla
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Judgment Day has come and gone, and the rise of the machines hasn't happened. Sarah and John Connor dare to hope that the future has been altered and John is freed from his destiny. Now there's nothing to stop them from leading ordinary lives.
Nothing except... Archie Andrews?
Rise of the Machines
A new student at Riverdale High named Max has captured Betty and Veronica's attention—and Archie's jealousy. Through a totally coincidental bag swap, Jughead learns that "Max" is really named John Connor—a fact which Archie then blabs on live television!
Next thing you know, the high school has a new gym teacher—a hulking brute of a man who never uses contractions and, I'm guessing, speaks with an Austrian accent.
Uh-oh...
Green-Eyed Monster
It never ceases to amaze me how many crazy crossovers Archie Andrews has been a part of, and somehow they always work. The Punisher. The Predator. The Army of Darkness. Now The Terminator.
Notice how they always start with "The?" Maybe that's the key.
One of the things that always impresses me the most about these Archie vs. crossovers is how Archie and his friends are presented exactly the same as their normal versions. It's not like Archie suddenly has an eyepatch or yells at the lighting guy—he's the same old lovable fool that he always is.
Here Archie finds himself very jealous of Max, who seems to be getting a lot of attention from Betty and Veronica. Attention that would normally be focused on their little love triangle. Archie is, dare I say, very jealous of the new student. Green is not your color, Arch.
Only in Archie could a series of events like this occur: Archie expresses jealousy over Max. Jughead tells Arch that Max's real name is John Connor. There's a news crew nearby to film an extremely rare bird egg's hatching (yes, really). Archie, in range of the microphone, says Max's real name. Oh, and he also manages to block the view of the egg right in the moment it hatches. It sounds utterly ridiculous when all laid out like that—but for Archie Andrews, that's just another day.
It's weird to see a version of Sarah Connor that is actually trying to live a normal life and actively encouraging John to do the same. But I guess if you think you actually won a war before it started, you have to decide what to do next, right? So when she encourages John to go to Betty and Veronica's party, you just know nothing bad is going to happen, right?
The party was pretty entertaining. Watching Moose, Max/John, and Archie all try Ringtoss led to three very different outcomes. Of course John is great at something that requires precision targeting. And of course Archie somehow finds a way to take out a coffee table and get the rings on himself.
Here is where things go south. Archie says John's real name, which causes him to leave in a hurry. The next morning, Archie meets the new gym teacher. I'm not sure if this particular Terminator is supposed to be the same as the previous ones, but I definitely read all of his lines in Ahnold's voice. It's just a requirement with all things Terminator.
Just Like On Riverdale
Rory McConville gives us a story that feels authentically Terminator, and yet authentically Archie at the same time. Obviously, for this first issue, the Archie elements play a larger role, but it's clear from the ending that things will flip going forward. His take on Archie and his friends feels just about perfect, with everyone sounding like you'd expect them to. As for the Connors, I can buy that these are a version of the characters after the events of T2 and that they really are trying to be "normal."
Steven and Lily Butler handle the art and colors, and I'm impressed with how well the Terminator elements mix with the standard Archie look. Archie, Jughead, and the gang all have their classic looks, while the Connors look enough like their movie counterparts that it's easy to tell who they are. John and Sarah look just enough like Edward Furlong and Linda Hamilton that you can easily remember who they are (I can't think of Furlong and not think of American History X. That has nothing to do with this, but if you haven't seen it, it's an amazing movie). The new gym coach is clearly a take on Arnold Schwarzenegger, although his being placed as the gym teacher calls more to mind Kindergarten Cop for me. The colors are the usual bright palette that you'd expect from an Archie comic, and the Terminator elements actually mesh into that style rather well.
Hasta La Vista, Baby
All in all, Archie vs. The Terminator #1 is a fun start to yet another wild crossover for the kids from Riverdale High. The Terminator elements are mixed in well, and everyone on both sides of the crossover seems to be rendered appropriately in character. Thanks to Archie even bumbling his way through jealousy, the quiet town is about to get upended once again. This issue was an enjoyable start to this miniseries, and I'll Be Back for the next one.