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Review: ‘Afterlife With Archie’ #4

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10 years ago

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strong>”Afterlife With Archie” #4 continues to be one of the best horror titles out there. The zombie apocalypse has wreaked havoc upon the sleepy and wholesome town of Riverdale. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla know how to pour on the scares with every single panel. This one is simply a must.

WRITTEN BY: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
ART BY: Francesco Francavilla
PUBLISHER: Archie Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: March 6, 2013

The death toll rose to high numbers when zombie Jughead crashed the Halloween Dance at Riverdale High. Archie Andrews was able to rescue some of his classmates, even the drama queen Veronica and the do-gooder Betty. But the two most important people in Archie’s life are still missing. Rather than stay with Veronica and Betty, Archie made his way through the dark woods to his house. Finally reaching his doorstep, Archie has no idea whether or not his parents are still alive. Will Archie be able to save his mother and father from the zombie uprising? Or have they fallen victim to the zombie infection already?

What’s really interesting about Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s writing is how he develops the character growth for Archie Andrews. In the first installment, Archie is more of a supporting character in the background. At the Halloween Dance, Archie slowly became the reluctant hero in an extraordinary situation. In this installment, Aguirre-Sacasa throws Archie front-and-center into his own coming-of-age tale. Leaving his naiveté behind, Archie is gradually learning what it takes to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Aguirre-Sacasa makes excellent use of flashbacks throughout the story. We learn the back-story behind the relationship between Archie and his dog, Vegas. Though the narrative turns incredibly dark, there is a love story about a boy and his dog that feels genuinely heartfelt and honest. Aguirre-Sacasa wants you to care about Archie’s parents before he unleashes the zombies on them.

The imagery from Francesco Francavilla’s phenomenal artwork is truly remarkable. In the opening pages, Francavilla puts so much detail into the facial expressions of Archie’s loving parents. There is a heartwarming vibe of tenderness when the two stand together. I get a kick out of the yellow lighting and the orange color scheme Francavilla uses in his flashback panels. Francavilla then pours in the red ink when violence erupts on the page.

Francavilla does something really fantastic with the panel layouts about midway through the narrative. In a single page, through 15 panels, Francavilla is able to make each image match together so perfectly. There are stories within stories as Francavilla jumps back and forth between the past and present. You understand what Francavilla is saying through his illustrations without the use of captions and dialogue balloons.

Horror fans are in for a special treat with “Afterlife With Archie” #4. An unforgettable installment and an artistic triumph, the “Afterlife With Archie” series manages to combine the teen drama and the zombie genre with great skill.

4.5/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jorge Solis

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

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1 day ago

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April 18, 2024

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Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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