Comic Corner: Redheaded reboot

‘Archie Vol. 1’ review

By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor

3/5

We are in the era of reboots! Movies, television shows, games… it feels like every time you turn around someone somewhere is trying to grab you right by the nostalgia. But when you take one of the most iconic comic book characters of all time and try to reboot him to fit into the modern age, you’re bound to get some polarized responses. Thankfully Archie isn’t as much of a train wreck as I thought it would be.

Most comic book fans began with the old Archie books you could buy at the grocery store. The plots are fairly simple: they follow a typical teen boy as he tries to navigate the confusing waters of love triangles, friends, school, and family, with a couple of sight gags and one-offs thrown in for good measure. The reboot doesn’t deviate too far from that formula, though I did find it was a lot more linear than the old comic books. Author Mark Waid translated the old ’50s’ setting and aesthetic into something more modern, and it surprisingly works.

Originally, the only reason I picked up this title was because it was illustrated by Fiona Staples, who is best known for Saga. Her unique style of semi-realism is extremely appealing and very clean. The art in Archie is commendable, and she managed to keep enough of the character design recognizable without having the characters themselves look out of place or like a throwback.

Though I enjoyed Archie, I find myself wondering whether the reboot was worth it. Nothing has really changed beyond some surface level setting construction, and the fact I can’t find this book on the same magazine rack as the National Enquirer. Was a rebooted series really necessary?

I’m still on the fence with that one, but if you’re bored, definitely pick Archie up.