Archie in Hell Review – A Sudden Twist of the Knife into True Horror
Through my eyes, Archie has always seemed like the most wholesome comic character of all time. Even when Riverdale was running with its CW-level edge, there wasn’t anything that could change my view of Archie Andrews. He’s the kind of fella you want to befriend no matter who you are. There was always something so bubble-gum poppy about Archie, the town of Riverdale, and the inhabitants. Ever since seeing it on the stands in grocery stores growing up, Archie has always seemed like this perfect middle-of-the-road guy who you can throw into any slice-of-life situation, and he would excel. But what happens when that slice of life is festering with maggots and smells like sulfur? That’s where Archie in Hell steps in.
With all of my writing in the horror comics space, I was aware of the darker side of Archie. They have been creating horror stories with Archie for years, and they have been a huge hit, as far as I understand. But I never really veered over into the Archie world because it felt like an undertaking I was never ready for. But with this Oni Press and Archie Comics’ new publishing initiative, it felt like the perfect time to go feet first into hell with my new friend Archie Andrews.
Archie in Hell, from writer Patrick Horvath (Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees) with art by Tyler Crook (Out of Alcatraz, Harrow County), starts out with that typical wholesome Archie vibe. But that sinister snarl of horror makes itself known with a drastic killer heel turn that I was not ready for. It was one of those moments when you’re with Archie, collecting cans for donation, and then BAM, a horrific scene of violence that feels like a totally different book.
But that’s the strength of Archie as almost a neutrally good character. The nature of comics allows you to explore all facets of storytelling, from typical romance and friendship to other tropes the regular series tango with. But in that same vein, throwing in a dash of horror to such a tranquil idea is ripe for exploration. Horvath and Crook are both big names in horror comics, rightfully so, with incredible series in their catalogs. Horvath has explored similar themes of corrupting absolute innocence with the cute animals plagued by a serial killer in Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, so Archie in Hell seems like a no-brainer for him to knock it out of the park as a storyteller. Simply put, he knocked it out of the park with such intensity that the bat splintered into a thousand pieces.
The debut issue of the new Archie in Hell sets everything up in the way you expect for an Archie title but quickly turns the knife to flip it into a true horror. Without giving anything away, there is a group after Archie, and their intentions are not pure. When everything hits the fan, and this book exposes its horror bones, Tyler Crook gets to show off why he is the perfect fit for its art. While keeping with a cartoon slice-of-life style, Crook introduces some really gruesome panels. There is one spell that Sabrina the Teenage Witch uses that is going to bury itself in readers’ minds.
The good nature of the Archie line is why I think horror works so well in the world. It defies expectations to flip the script to something more dastardly and blood-curdling. Archie in Hell #1 delivers on setting the tone for the book and hooking new audiences to the world of Sabrina, Archie, and all of their friends. It’s a fantastic start to one of the three new books in the Archie line from Archie and Oni Press.
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