Archie & Friends: Superheroes #1

Archie & Friends: Superheroes #1

Archie Comics 2021

Stories by Ian Flynn

Pencilled by Pat & Tim Kennedy & Jeff Schultz

Inked by Jim Amash & Bob Smith

Coloured by Glenn Whitmore

Lettered by Jack Morelli

Get ready for some super heroics featuring Archie and the Gang… along with some very super appearances by classic Archie characters like Bob Phantom and Blackjack!

My day is always infinitely better when there’s an Archie comic to read. You cannot be in a bad mood once you see one it’s just that simple. I’m always so impressed with the fact that Archie is able to be the epitome of all-ages storytelling and they lead industry in setting the standard that everyone else strives to emulate. Also I adore that we see Bob Phantom and Blackjack within these pages, I am a sucker for those old time heroes who now end up in the public domain category after all they are the ones who paved the way for the heroes we know and love today. So whether or not it’s hot and summer outside or rainy and miserable this is the way to keep yourself happy, it’s a great way to spend an afternoon or a least for a little bit.

I am super impressed with the way that this is being told. Each one has this complete feel to it and how the story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see is sensational and how we see the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances flesh them out and keep them feeling exactly the way we expect them to. The pacing for each one is absolutely perfect and as they take us through the pages revealing more and more of the story it’s easy to be drawn into each adventure.

I love how we see this being structured and how the layers within the stories are seen. The way that we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow and how this moves the story forward is beautifully rendered. There is a very natural flow to the sequence of events and it’s why each vignette feels a lot larger than it really is. There aren’t many folks around who can make the story feel like it’s expanded just by the way they structure those eight or so pages this way.

The interiors here are sensational! The way we see the linework and how it’s utilised with the varying weights to create the detail work is amazing. I love the fact that this doesn’t need fancy tricks or overly worked pencils to create what we see and that it can still be so expressive in how we see the faces, facial expressions and body language is extraordinary. Even the way the we see backgrounds and how they are incorporated into the composition within the panels to create the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is fantastic.

​

I have to say that this is wonderfully crafted book. The stories are lighthearted and full of heroic antics as only Archie can get involved in. I keep saying that this is something to pass around the family and talk about afterwards at a device free meal, dinner comes to mind. There are so many aspect that appeal to any and all age groups so there are things that each will notice that the others won’t and therein lies why this is the perfect all-ages book and symbolic of what Archie is able to do on a regular basis.