I bought this as a gift for a huge KISS fan and only gave it a quick read. My only experience with KISS would be this:
http://my-retrospace.blogspot.com/2009/10/spreading-love-for-paul-lynde-halloween.htmlhttp://my-retrospace.blogspot.com/2009/10/spreading-love-for-paul-lynde-halloween_22.htmlOtherwise, my only interest in this would Sabrina’s guest appearance. She was sporting her “modern” look in this story, which some fans may like as much as the “classic” look, but I actually prefer it. (Must be my fondness for the TV show.) The rest of the artwork was okay.
More problematical for me was that the whole Archie gang knows that Sabrina is a witch and that they are all part of sort of anti-monster club. This all seems to beg some backstory. Not to mention, in one scene, they’re all sitting around casting a spell. First, this walks all over Sabrina’s character niche. Second, it’s just really creepy, in relation to the rest of the gang, on several levels. It’s like DC doing something uncomfortably weird with Superman, like having him threaten to renounce his US citizenship. (Except that actually happened. But then they rebooted the universe, so it never happened. Sigh. Comic books are doomed.) She does mention later that shouldn’t have been casting the spell, but if it’s just a metaphor for kids getting in trouble, it’s a far stretch to attach it to real life.
If you’re buying this for a KISS fan, they’re not going to care about any of this continuity or character stuff though (perhaps most Archie fans won’t either). The KISS fan might be more disappointed by KISS’ single scene in the book, where they run off after introducing themselves. I trust they’ll be more interesting in the succeeding issues. In other words, this series is being paced for the trade.
Anyway, monsters are unleashed on Riverdale. Oh, sorry. Spoilers. (Yeah, like you’re reading this for the story.) The stakes seem absurdly low for the drama, but by the end, Josie has made a cameo, as a zombie! And she’s not alone. Cheryl has become a drooling, hunched monster, as has Weatherbee, and even Lil’ Jinx. Admittedly, my favorite visual of the issue is zombie Ginger walking into a lamppost. I like Ginger and this humiliation was completely undeserved, but it was still funny.
My recommendation? If you’re a KISS fan, or buying this for one, you’ve probably already got it. (And judging by the reaction I got, they’ll love it.) For everyone else, okay, it’s not Archie Meets the Punisher, but it’s an event. Buy it and bag it, Fanboy!
December 08, 2010, 11:09:35 PM
