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.
Zombies vs Robots by Chris Ryall and Ashley Wood
You can get The Complete Zombies vs Robots for just $2.99 during our ZvR sale!
The dead walk - and leap, fly and climb walls - when Marvel’s mightiest are transformed into flesh-eating monsters! After devouring every single person on Earth, the ravenous once-heroes set their sights higher - taking on Galactus, spreading into space, and breaking into new and delicious dimensions … including our own! Lock your doors and board up your windows - the Marvel Zombies are coming for you!
Halloween may only be tonight, but our Marvel Zombies sale runs all weekend!
“They’re coming to get you, Barbara”
Empire of the Dead #1
Romero and Maleev
We’ve got Romero & Maleev’s Empire of the Dead: Act One on sale all today only!
The first 5 issues of archiecomics, francavillarts & Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s terrifying take on the town of Riverdale has been collected into Afterlife With Archie Vol. 1: Escape from Riverdale, now available on comiXology!
A comiXologist Recommends:
Harris Smith recommends Afterlife With Archie #5
Afterlife With Archie isn’t just good for what it is, a comic about the Riverdale gang facing off (and, at times, turning into) zombies, it’s one of the best comics out there right now. The brilliance (and I don’t think it’s hyperbole to call this series brilliant) of creators Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla (francavillarts) is that they take a high-concept idea, one that easily could have degenerated into an in-jokey zombie parody, and play it totally straight. Rather than play off the familiar, superficial traits of the well-established Archie pantheon (Jughead likes food, Moose is dumb, Reggie’s a jerk), Aguirre-Sacasa and Francavilla delve deep into the inner lives of Archie and the gang, not just placing these characters out of a comedy context and into the horror genre, but giving vivid, thoughtful depictions of their emotional responses to seeing their friends and loved ones turned into shambling ghouls.
Many of the characters here (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, for instance) have never been portrayed with such depth before (though the dramatic Life With Archie often comes close) and it is a credit to Aguirre-Sacasa as a writer that he manages to do so with great knowledge and affection for the established characteristics of Archie and company. There’s an air of gothic horror here, and also a touch of Stephen King in the rich characterizations and small-town ambiance (Augirre-Sacasa previously adapted King’s The Stand).
Francavilla’s (again, without hyperbole, I’m going to call him one of the best artists working in comics today) artwork perfectly compliments the moodiness of Aguirre-Saca’s writing. Making excellent use of shadow and color, his work recalls the eerieness of Bernie Wrightson’s Swamp Thing, with a touch of the atmosphere of Frank Miller and Klaus Janson’s noirish early 80s run on Daredevil.
[Pick up Afterlife With Archie #5here!]
For fans of: zombies, horror, parody
Harris Smith is a Brooklyn-based comics and media professional. In addition to his role as a Senior Production Coordinator at comiXology, he edits several comics anthologies, including Jeans and Felony Comics, under the banner of Negative Pleasure Publications. He’s also the host of the weekly radio show Negative Pleasure on Newtown Radio.
A comiXologist Recommends:
Leah Wishnia recommends The Walking Dead #126
Part twelve of the All out War story arc, the finish line after a series of war games filled with surprising strategies, deceitful trickery, and of course, death, asks us to do something seemingly more difficult than taking down an army of grenade-bearing men or escape from a herd of the undead…. it asks us to trust. To trust in Rick, to trust in the remaining Saviors, even those who could do great harm, and to trust in humankind and its potential to rebuild itself from the ground up. Could we, the human race, conquer our greed, our hate, our fear, if we were given a clean slate? Or is self-destruction our only fate?
It’s probing questions like these that elevate The Walking Dead from being a simple genre-comic about zombies to a philosophical exploration of What Could Be and If So, Could You?
We don’t know how the future will pan out for Rick and his crew, but after ten years of following their various journeys, some futile, some less so, we can’t help but eagerly continue down the road with them, and see where the next ten years will take us all.
The Walking Dead #126, which comes out today, is a rewarding journey for veteran and new fans alike.
[Read The Walking Dead #126 on comiXology]
For fans of: post-apocalyptic, zombies
Leah Wishnia is an artist and cartoonist who acts as a micro-press publisher when not fulfilling her roll as Digital Assets Lead at ComiXology.
Keeping the zombie kick going for our #latenightreads with the shockingly amazing Afterlife With Archie.
Riverdale runs red with the blood of the Archie characters you grew up with!
My money is on Deadpool in any post-apocalyptic scenario.
comiXology Unbound’s 13 Days of Halloween **SPECIAL OFFER**
Day 13 - Marvel Zombies
It’s the nexus of all things good and Halloweeny! Marvel! Zombies! Sales!
GHOULISH GREETINGS FROM AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE
The zombie apocalypse has begun in Riverdale…and we’re just getting warmed up! After the smashing sold-out debut of Afterlife With Archie comes the next chapter of this white-hot ongoing series from dream team Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla. Feast your eyes on this special preview of Afterlife With Archie #2 for an early peek at the insanity threatening Archie and friends.
Jughead was the first to fall and rise again as the undead, but he won’t be the last as his appetite for burgers has been replaced by human flesh-and no one is safe! Who will make it out of Riverdale alive and who will be the next victim of the zombie contagion? You don’t want to miss a second as the horrors continue to multiply in the hit ongoing series Afterlife With Archie.
Treat yourself to a First Look this Halloween before the issue hits comic shops exclusively on 11/20!
Afterlife with Archie, the most anticipated new horror series of 2013, is exclusively available at your local comic shop and digitally on the Afterlife with Archie App.
We can’t wait for Afterlife With Archie #2! If you haven’t checked out #1 today is your last chance to get it for 99¢ on comixology.com!
comiXology Unbound’s 13 Days of Halloween! **SPECIAL OFFER**
Day 11 - Afterlife With Archie #1
Listen up! This isn’t the Archie you remember. This isn’t the grab-it-as-your-mom-is-checking-out-at-a-grocery-store Archie. This is blood-drenched-brain-eatin Archie! Rife with a pop culture quips and a brand new visual imagining of the classic characters, Afterlife With Archie might very well be the best book of the Halloween season. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla really killed it with this one.
_____________________________________
Discounts, credits, or other promotional consideration are valid only for qualifying purchases as described in the promotion.
ARCHIEZOMBIE99: Get $2.00 off Afterlife with Archie #1 at comiXology.com. Offer applies only to Afterlife with Archie #1. Offer expires on 10/31/2013 11:59PM EST. This offer is valid once per account. You must have or create a comiXology account to use the promotion, and you must enter the specified promotion code in shopping cart prior to checkout.
Promotion cannot be applied to sale items, bundles, prior purchases, purchase of gift cards, or purchases on websites, applications, or services not specified in the promotion. Promotion cannot be redeemed for cash or used in combination with any other promotion. Promotion offer cannot be transferred or shared other than as specifically described in the promotion. Promotion not valid where prohibited, restricted, or taxed. Promotion may be used only once per eligible account. ComiXology not responsible for lost or stolen discounts, credits, or other promotional consideration. Promotion may be terminated, changed, or limited at any time without prior notice. All decisions by comiXology are final.
Save up to 60% on The Walking Dead single issues, collections, & one seriously sweet Bundle this week.
It’s pretty much the largest Walking Dead sale we’ve ever had.
Save up to 60% on The Walking Dead single issues, collections, & one seriously sweet Bundle this week.
It’s pretty much the largest Walking Dead sale we’ve ever had.
Seriously…We even wrote a Press Release for it.
