Archie Vs. Sharknado Review by Bobby LePire. Edited by Courtney McAllister.

 

At some point in the last fifteen years or so, ‘Archie’ comics got very intense and engaging- what with its political assassinations, Predator fights, zombies, gay weddings, and other story arcs. So, as odd as this pairing may seem, I am hard pressed to imagine a better comic franchise (already in existence), to have a sharknado touch down in. And with the writer/ director of the movie franchise, Anthony C. Ferrante, pulling story duties, and Dan Parent, a comic artist/ writer that had been working on Archie for twenty years, doing the art, you can bet I had some expectations going in.

 

The plot ties directly in with the events of “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!”; well, at least the first ten minutes-

Betty and Veronica are sightseeing in Washington D.C., with Veronica's dad- whose is there on official business. A sharknado hits and promptly lays waste to the capital city. As Betty and Veronica fight their way back, the citizens of Riverdale- Archie, Jughead, and the rest of the gang- are contending with their own sharknado disaster. And it coincides with the night of the big summer dance! Will anyone be left alive? Do sharknado sharks like to boogie? Who will Archie go to the dance with? Which shark will win his heart?

The artwork retains that trademark ‘Archie’ cartoony look, but is now tinged with body parts being bitten off, blood splatter everywhere, and general chaos and gore all around. Surprisingly, this works fairly well, since the campy, lighthearted style complements the story’s over the top gore. Much like the movies, which never take themselves too seriously, the comic is played for fun more than anything else. I mean, any comic where Jughead takes a bite out of a shark, only for it to retaliate by stealing his beloved crown is definitely enjoyable.

The dialogue is fairly simple, but there are some good one liners and jokes sprinkled throughout. A bit about the drummer for Josie And The Pussycats looking like April Wexler (Tara Reid’s character from the movies), but having both her hands has a hilarious, if gruesome, payoff.

And that brings me to another way the comic is like the movies- cameos! Aside from the aforementioned Josie And The Pussycats, Sabrina (as in the teenage witch) shows up, only to get her arms eaten off, as does Anthony C. Ferrante’s band Quint (of ‘The Ballad Of Sharknado’ fame), and probably a few more faces I simply didn’t recognize.

Are there any drawbacks? Well, if you don’t know these characters at all, this isn’t a solid introduction to them. Sure, some of their most basic traits are brought up (Jughead eats a lot, Veronica is super rich, etc.), but the relationship between everyone is a tad confusing without prior knowledge; My amazingly beautiful wife read this, and thought it was only okay because this was the first ‘Archie’ anything she had ever read. No, I am not entirely sure how that is possible. Plus, at forty-eight pages, things get a tad repetitive, mostly in the middle. There’s a bit on a boat that lasts a page or so too long.

 

Overall, this comic is a perfect example of what it set out to be- a fun romp with some old friends overcoming an insane obstacle. In this case, that obstacle just so happens to be freaking sharknados!

 

 

 

“Sharknado 3” Party Experience: