A comiXologist recommends:
Afterlife With Archie #8

by: Michael Crowe

After a short hiatus, Afterlife with Archie is back from the dead and ready to the cut to the heart of every Riverdale character. No one is safe from the horror and depravity. Afterlife with Archie continues to be one of the finest books available.

Issue #8 finds our gang hold up in an abandoned hotel in Vermont. Still reeling from the bloody mess that was last issue, our heroes try to settle things down; it is Christmas after all. But here in these empty halls, friends long gone will make an appearance, alliances will be tested and friendships shattered. With zombies roaming the land and apparitions haunting the living it’s hard to remember that true evil can be found in the hearts of mortals.

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s love for Riverdale and all-things Archie are clear while reading this book. What is also clear is his love and affinity for the horror genre. Whoever continues to doubt the pairing of zombies, ghosts, & elder gods with the seemingly wholesome members of Riverdale, let me assure you: you’re dead wrong. Any good horror tale knows that true terror comes from character, not the creepy crawlies on the edges of the screen. The writer utilizes familiar genre tropes to delve deeply into the secret history of Riverdale and it’s inhabitants. We’re quickly learning that there are more fearsome things in the world than flesh eating zombies, and these things might be in their midst already.

The art by Francesco Francavilla (francavillarts) continues to astound me. It is his color choices that capture my attention the most. The book is vivid, pages bleed with color: reds, oranges and yellows, the colors of danger. Other times the pages are subdued, brought to life in cool blues and purples. In flashback sequences the colors are nearly sapped out, giving these scenes an old film feel. The mastery comes from his utilization of all color options. Each panel is treated with care and colored specifically, controlling how fast we read the page and what our eyes go to first. These choices add even further depth to the panels and scenes written by Aguirre-Sacs and rendered by Francavilla.

Stories like these come around once in a lifetime. The Archie Horror imprint is something to be reckoned with. Put all your doubts aside, Archie Comics is delivering some of the best character driven horror available in any medium. There’s no telling where this story will go, who will survive, and who won’t.

If you’re behind, pick up Afterlife with Archie Vol. 1: Escape from Riverdale and get in the know. And if your horror fang is still not satisfied delve deeper into the weird with The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

[Check out Afterlife With Archie #8 on comiXology]

Michael Crowe is a member of the digital assets/launch team. In his free time he enjoys reading, watching and writing science fiction and horror.