Review: Archie vs. Predator #1 (of 4)
They’ve fought Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover and Adrian Brody. They’ve fought Aliens and Tarzan and the Terminator. They’ve fought Batman and Superman, separately and together. They’ve fought Judge Dredd and Witchblade and Magnus, Robot Fighter. So I guess it was just a matter of time before the lethal alien race of hunters known as the Predators set their laser sights on America’s favorite teenager, Archie Andrews. But will Archie be the hunted…or the hunter
Dark Horse Comics’ Archie vs. Predator #1, written by Alex de Campi (Grindhouse) and illustrated by penciler Fernando Ruiz (Archie: The Man From Riverdale) and inker Rich Koslowski (The 3 Geeks), sets out to answer that question as Archie and the gang (Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, and the rest) win a spring-break trip to the Caribbean, and arrive just in time to cross paths with a Predator in search of skulls and spines to add to its trophy case. As one might expect, this spring break isn’t going to be all that fun for everyone…
Storywise, de Campi skillfully handles Archie and his gang in a way that remains true to their long-established characters while nudging them a tiny bit toward acting like contemporary teens. Reggie ably fits into the mold of the sort of entitled horn-dog “brah” the general public associates with spring break, proclaiming he’s a “gosh-darn sexual tyrannosaur,” dreaming of getting to third base with Veronica, and, as a “judge” for a fashion show, reminding the female contestants that “best dressed means least dressed.” Betty and Veronica get into a fight that ends with a bloody nose. And then there’s uber-nerd Dilton Doiley’s passionate remark to one of his scientific instruments… The one thing you won’t find, however, is the sort of uncontrolled partying and heavy drinking also usually associated with spring break—apparently they have ice cream parlors in the Caribbean, too. (And if you look closely, you’ll spot a sly shout-out to Schwarzenegger’s character in the original Predator.)
As for the art, Ruiz and Koslowski are on-point with their depictions of the Archie characters (not surprising, given they normally work for the company), while also finding a way to integrate an extremely lethal Predator into Archie’s cartoony world. And their “camerawork” is just as great, with angles and pacing (and Predator-vision!) that help keep the story moving at a nice clip.
Bottom line? As a certain Austrian muscleman would say, “Ruuuun! Go! Get to da choppa!” and fly down to your local comic shop to pick up a copy.
P.S. Hey, Archie Comics, if this matchup does well enough in terms of sales, can we expect some further bizarre crossovers? I mean, I know there’s an Archie vs. Sharknado one-shot coming in July (seriously!), but how about Archie vs. Alien? Sabrina vs. Pinhead? Jughead vs. Ash? Cheryl Blossom vs. Freddy Krueger? Betty and Veronica vs. Jason Voorhees? Josie and the Pussycats vs. Leatherface? Moose vs. the Terminator? My God, the possibilities are endless!
Archie vs. Predator #1
Written by Alex de Campi
Art and main cover by Fernando Ruiz and Rich Koslowski
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
32 pages • full-color
$3.99 U.S.
Now on sale
About the Author
Steven Roman Steven A. Roman is the author of the Saga of Pandora Zwieback novel series and the graphic novels Lorelei: Sects and the City and Sunn, and the bestselling author of the novels X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy and Final Destination: Dead Man’s Hand. Follow his adventures in publishing at StarWarp Concepts.
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