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Archie Comics takes a look at the characters in Riverdale in this 4-issues miniseries as superheroes. Each issue will be done by a different creative team with their own perspective on these characters. This first issue takes a look at Archie Andrews as Mr. Justice through the perspective of his friend – Jughead Jones.
Creative Team: Tim Seeley (Story), Mike Norton (Line Art), Glenn Whitmore (Colors), Jack Morelli (Letters)
MR JUSTICE Published by Archie Comics
Archie Comics has been around since the early 1940s and has provided readers with a large variety of stories and depictions of the folks in Riverdale. We’ve gotten classic tales. We’ve gotten horror stories. We’ve gotten stories from their early days to the end of their days. We’ve seen them team up with superheroes, and we’re now getting to see them as superheroes.
This 4-issue miniseries is doing something a little different and brings in four different creative teams – one per issue. This first issue has the creative team of Tim Seeley, Mike Norton, Glenn Whitmore, and Jack Morelli getting the ball rolling with Archie and Jughead.
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The first thing that can be taken from this issue is the tone that Seeley provided. The tone is more serious without losing the voice of the characters readers know. This is not the Riverdale that long time readers of the classic comics know.
It has been turned on its head a little to make it stand out just enough. Jughead and Archie aren’t lifelong friends. They meet each other in this issue, maybe not for the first time, but they are unfamiliar with one another. Seeley does a nice job of establishing the relationships with all of these characters, even if they are only seen for a few panels.
Seeley covers a lot of ground with this issue with introducing the characters and then moving the world along to see Archie develop into Mr. Justice. There’s not a lot of specifics about his adventures, but that’s not really the point of this issue or this series. There’s a world to build and show, and Seeley does just that with ease.
The art from Mike Norton, Glenn Whitmore, and Jack Morelli is great. Norton has a very classic look in these pages. He doesn’t over saturate the characters with linework, providing Whitmore ample space to work and develop some nice teamwork on the page.
Norton does a great job of taking established looks for all of these Riverdale characters and adding just a little of his own flair to them. Whitmore’s colors are very vibrant throughout the issue and establish a solid visual palette for readers. While the tone of this issue is a little more serious that some Archie comics, Whitmore keeps the colors playful.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is a great first issue to this new miniseries. Seeley, Norton, Whitmore, and Morelli set the table for readers and the other creative teams to meet in this world of superheroes. If you’ve ever wanted to try out an Archie Comic book, this is a great opportunity.
THE RATING
9 out of 10
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