Some thoughts about Archie #1

Are you ready for your first travel to Riverdale?

Archie Andrews can show you the way how the people from this little town live despite that he has bigger concerns at hand like how his relationship with his girlfriend Betty has just ended and everyone still wonders how that could have happened. However, things can only get better from here since a new girl might be just around the corner.

I suppose I don't need to tell you how significant this is right?

Archie has been one of the longest and most traditional comics since its creation and the fact that is actually getting rebooted is a quite important moment in history. The stories have been continually more and more adapted to modern times but this is the first time when the series is free from continuity and welcomes new readers with a blank slate. Plus, it's handled by Mark Waid of all people so does this issue sells the premise of a new and modern take?

Well, I would say it does and does it quite successfuly.

From the beginning is pretty obvious that you don't need to know anything about the history of this series to get on board, Archie himself is going to guide you towards that events that are happening in Riverdale along with the characters who live in it. This kind of storytelling allows for a pretty interesting and charming way to introduces us to this world.

The characters are also quite likable. Archie is still Archie so even old readers won't feel like they're getting a completely new character, Betty continues to be basically the same and of course, the upcoming appearance of Veronica which will most likely bring the classic love triangle from this series. However, the biggest surprise for me has been Jughead who receives one of his coolest portrayals yet and he actually appears like a really smart guy.

Fiona Staples is in charge of the art and her work is perfect for this with a semi-cartoony style that is quite adequate for this world and makes all the characters look beautiful. The storytelling is also really precise making the plot even better.

Excellent issue and definitely one of the most promising new beginnings recently.