Archie #705
Cody White
Recap
In the end, Archie managed to outwit the combined might of Betty, Veronica, and Cheryl, preserving the secrecy of his relationship with Sabrina by choosing Cheryl.
With Sabrina's identity still secured, B&V finally acknowledge their ongoing rivalry and the centrality of Archie in their lives as petty and fruitless, deciding instead to stand on their own and make their respective marks on the world. Unfortunately, said marks are in direct opposition to each other as Veronica seeks to build in the forest and Betty sets out to save that same forest.
Set on the back burner, we see a brief glimpse into the mystery surrounding Mr. Mantle's disappearance only for the boys to discover that all of the evidence in the secret room has been stolen. There are more ominous hints that something major is coming to Riverdale and it all starts at Riverdale High.
Review
Archie continues to be a highly enjoyable series that manages to keep all of the fun of classic Archie books but also adds some of the intrigue of the Riverdale series on the CW. In the previous arc, this blending felt a little more seamless, however, as there still has been no development on the side of the mysteries facing the Riverdale crew as of yet. Perhaps with B&V abandoning the angle of finding out the identity of Archie’s girlfriend, there will be more space in the narrative for development of the Mantle mystery and whatever it is that lies in Riverdale’s past, but so far that entire story has been in a holding pattern for the better part of six issues.
The highly stylized art from Jarrell, which I found aesthetically pleasing from the start, has had me worried that I would grow tired of it with time, however that doesn’t appear to be the case. There is something incredibly fitting about this style in this book and the color work continues to be phenomenal.
Final Thoughts
Check out the enjoyable start of Nick Spencer and Sandy Jarrell's "Archie and Sabrina" arc in Archie #705.
Archie #705: Something Wicked This Way Comes
- Writing - 7/107/10
- Storyline - 7/107/10
- Art - 8/108/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10
