Archie #3

   The third time may be the charm, but with the third issue of the "new" Archie, the charm is all wrapped up in the teenage body of new-girl-in-town Veronica Lodge, who makes her first appearance at Riverdale High School.

   It's interesting that writer Mark Waid and artist Fiona Staples are stepping back from the classic love triangle that's been the norm in Archie's life since the '60s, and instead has Archie and Betty broken up, and now Archie only has eyes for the new girl.

   It's a situation not at all to the liking of Jughead, who's much more of a mystery here - and much more capable than you might expect (but still pretty darn funny).

   To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about all the antagonism going on in the series. One of the things I liked about the past version was that everyone, down deep, liked each other (despite occasional squabbles) - there was a nice "family of friends" atmosphere that was reminiscent of life in high school.

   The drama is amped up, but the comedy is still running strong throughout, and the "new" take on the characters is interesting. I love the art, I like the characters, and I'm intrigued to see where the story is taking us, so I'll continue to hang with the series.

   So far, the fresh start is working... for me.

Grade: B+

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Posted in: Reviews