Right On, Riverdale! Jughead (2015) #1
3:07 PM
Jughead Jones has always been one of my favourite fictional men (er, boys) so it's going to come as no surprise that I loved the first issue of the newly rebooted Jughead comics. There's something undeniably retro and modern about this particular portrayal of Jughead and I absolutely appreciate that. He's visibly different (look at that incredible new artwork!) but still the same old Juggy and you have to really hand it to Archie Comics for the way they are modernizing their characters once more.
Filled with food and humor (the injustice of a new set of rules for the cafeteria food!) it is the perfect illustration of who Jughead Jones is. You can see the past adaptations and present ones college in #1 and that's what makes reading it so fun. It's one of those "what is old becomes new again" scenarios and lifelong fans of Jughead will appreciate it. The story is classic Archie style--new spines on old characters that has such a feel-good vibe to it. Plus, it's only right that Jughead's newest incarnation features food as the central plot to its first issue--because what is Jughead without his love of burgers?
I found myself cracking up more times than I could count and when Jughead is knocked out cold, his dream sequence is by far one of my favourite columns in recent Archie releases. Bring on the Game of Jones, am I right?
I loved it. Truly.
Now, I have to admit, Jughead isn't nearly as good as the reboots of Archie or Betty & Veronica in terms of plotlines but it's still really, really great. I think it is lacking the serious tone that the others do but that's why I appreciated it so much more. Because it's a laugh-out-loud read and very reminiscent of past issues through Archie's decades long run. We see a ton of familiar faces and there's this tie that binds it to other stories and overall, I'm loving this new look at Jughead and can't wait to read more.
As per usual--the end of this issue features a throwback to a vintage Jughead story. Nothing is more fun than comparing the two runs and the classic story included is actually one of my favourites that feature Jughead. I'll give you a hint: a mad scientist uncle. That's all I'm saying.
If you're a fan of Archie Comics and Jughead, you'll love this fresh remake of a beloved character. And if you're still yet to give the comics a go, this is definitely a nice spot to start.
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