Archie Comics Fan Forum

Everything Archie => Reviews => Topic started by: PTF on May 05, 2016, 02:09:06 PM

Title: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: PTF on May 05, 2016, 02:09:06 PM


Discovered something funny. Okay, I'm using Office 2003 because...well, I'm both cheap and/or poor. And the spellcheck (I kid you not it says "spellcheck" is incorrect) is pretty horrible. And I've found the spellcheck on the message board much better. And it is...except that it counts "Shultz" as incorrect and instead changes it to "Schultz".  So once again, any mistake I might have every made in past reviews is someone else's fault. But enough explaining my mistakes away, we've got a review to get to!

Things are coming together as Kelly is losing her mind, Jess's family reacts to Stewart, an ex-love returns, new love is blooming, and a case of mistaken identity are in this issue of Super Suckers  "Mirror, Mirror".




The Good:

Kelly. She's one of the funniest things in this issue because she is still looking like a drunk rodeo clown...and now she hasn't been sleeping so she's even more out there then normal. She goes around the campus dressed in her night clothes and even tries to turn into a bat. I got a lot of laughs from her this issue. Especially her attempted vampire transformation reaction. 
 
Jess. It's nice to get to know her family and some of her backstory. While sarcastic and a bit stand offish she does love her parents and doesn't want to disappoint them. She had a boyfriend who she still hasn't gotten over. And its fun putting the only sane character of the main cast into scenarios she has to deal with: parents think Stewart is her boyfriend to thinking he's her drug supplier. She's my favorite character in the series, so the more chaos the better. Plus she did the aside glance to the readers I love when Shultz did it for Betty and Veronica so bonus points.
 
The writing. Again it's a great job by Darin Henry. The humor is on point. And I like the pacing of the story. You have all the characters separated and now they're slowly coming back together. Like a Shakespeare play. Except with more vampires and a smell guy.  The best has to be Jess's parents as they react more and more negatively to Stewart. And Stewart is the wonderful amount of big ego that when the universe picks on him, you can chuckle without worrying about his feelings. And I've got to admit, Trevor and his reaction to "Jess' gift" was great. And again the sit-commercials were great. This issue really captures the sitcom vibe that the series is gunning for.
 

The art. Jeff Shultz is again doing a great job. It's kind of weird, but I think my favorite work of his is Vera because of how much manic energy he puts into her. Kelly is a fun mess to look at. So yeah, once again another great job. And Lonnie Milsap, Scott Ball and Josef Rubeinstein not only would make a great attorney firm, but do a great job with their work in the sit-commercials. The "Mating Season" was in issue one already, but I like it and I see repeat commercials a lot so I'll consider it being clever and allow it.
 
Color and Lettering. Once again Glen Whitmore knocks it out of the park and just can make anything work. And the lettering is fun in the sit-commercials and well placed in the main story. The best combination for both would have to be the last panel in Jess's dream sequence.





The bad:

The extra scene. I know it's an extra scene and it technically isn't part of the story, but it's in the issue and part of the purchase and I didn't like it at all. A pretty bad version of the "Who's on first" type name joke that didn't really work for me. There was some fun bits, like Stewart wondering who the two thugs were in the crowd, but the name joke went on to long and made me groan out loud. And just give Consuela an accent instead of just a caption telling me read her with a Spanish accent. I'm not super picky. Just have her say "Si" instead of "yes" and I'm content.

Adam. We really don't know much about him or why Jess likes him. All I know is he's a bland nice guy and wears a stupid hobbit hat. But with so much going on with Kelly being nuts, Stewart being a jerk, Jess and her family thinking she's in trouble, and the crazy guy who wants to kill Vera...not much time to devote to him. So it's understandable, but should still be noted. Again he's in the Trevor territory where I need to see where he goes. But he goes in the bad because of the stupid hobbit hat.


What I learned from what I read.



So yeah, it was another great issue. My one complaint is the extra scene. And I can see why that was left out and put to Hardrive Heaven only to have risen like Jon Snow. Unfortunately I didn't like it and since it's included I have to count it. But everything else is great. You should definitely pick this book up. It's a fun series with great writing, amazing art. I highly recommend it.

Grade A-

And until next time...actually, I had to pay five hundred bucks for a new water well tank so...um, until the next several months when I have the money to buy the next issue, see you then for Super Suckers 2.3!! SAME TIME, SAME BAT CHANNEL!
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: irishmoxie on May 05, 2016, 08:27:57 PM
I want to reread all these before the next part comes out.
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: BettyReggie on May 05, 2016, 09:07:05 PM
I saw it on Amazon, it's good. I wish it was real comic not just digital.
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: irishmoxie on May 05, 2016, 09:26:24 PM
Quote from: BettyReggie on May 05, 2016, 09:07:05 PM
I saw it on Amazon, it's good. I wish it was real comic not just digital.


Did you read it digitally? Part 2.3 is out now.
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: PTF on May 05, 2016, 09:55:37 PM
I'm pretty sure something was mentioned about there being a print version eventually.
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: BettyReggie on May 05, 2016, 10:37:17 PM
If it's digital I hope the Google Play Store has it.
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: Sitcomics on May 14, 2016, 04:11:22 AM
Print version of SS 2 (with only one cover and no deleted scene) is at the printer and issues 1 & 2 should be available to buy at Sitcomics.net by mid-June.  Theyre in our unique, 68 page Binge Book format which means all three parts in one meaty package.



Jeff and I are hard at work on issue 3.3 and it's shaping up to be our best issue yet, and PTF, send in a letter and you might get it printed in issue 3.1.  Free Super 'Suckers sticker in it for everyone who sends in a printable letter.


Thanks very much for reading, everybody.  It really means a lot.  :smitten:
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: daren on May 14, 2016, 10:03:10 PM
This last issue was awesome (again!)


Jeff Shultz's parody of the Archie main five in their famous pose:


(https://www.archiefans.com/index.php?media/file/supersuckersarchiepose.482/preview/)
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on May 15, 2016, 01:28:01 AM
Quote from: daren on May 14, 2016, 10:03:10 PM
This last issue was awesome (again!)


Jeff Shultz's parody of the Archie main five in their famous pose:


(https://www.archiefans.com/index.php?media/file/supersuckersarchiepose.482/preview/)

Which is what parallel counterpart of which?  I didn't see that at all.  I guess Stewart's a little bit of an Archie/Jughead mashup and Kelly's sort of a Melody/? mashup, but I didn't see any attempt to satirize the Archie main cast there in any way.
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: irishmoxie on May 15, 2016, 02:54:41 PM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on May 15, 2016, 01:28:01 AM
Quote from: daren on May 14, 2016, 10:03:10 PM
This last issue was awesome (again!)


Jeff Shultz's parody of the Archie main five in their famous pose:


(https://www.archiefans.com/index.php?media/file/supersuckersarchiepose.482/preview/)

Which is what parallel counterpart of which?  I didn't see that at all.  I guess Stewart's a little bit of an Archie/Jughead mashup and Kelly's sort of a Melody/? mashup, but I didn't see any attempt to satirize the Archie main cast there in any way.

It's the pose of 2 people fighting over one person. Like Betty and Veronica fighting over Archie.
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on May 15, 2016, 06:22:01 PM
Quote from: irishmoxie on May 15, 2016, 02:54:41 PM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on May 15, 2016, 01:28:01 AM
Quote from: daren on May 14, 2016, 10:03:10 PM
This last issue was awesome (again!)


Jeff Shultz's parody of the Archie main five in their famous pose:


(https://www.archiefans.com/index.php?media/file/supersuckersarchiepose.482/preview/)

Which is what parallel counterpart of which?  I didn't see that at all.  I guess Stewart's a little bit of an Archie/Jughead mashup and Kelly's sort of a Melody/? mashup, but I didn't see any attempt to satirize the Archie main cast there in any way.

It's the pose of 2 people fighting over one person. Like Betty and Veronica fighting over Archie.


It's hard for me to recognize. It looks like four people fighting over two people (Kelly and Jess). Or maybe it's Stewart, Vera and Kelly versus Adam and Trevor, fighting over Jess. At any rate, it's a group fight with so many people involved. Maybe Sitcomics just invented the "Love Hexagon"?
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: BettyReggie on May 15, 2016, 09:51:26 PM
Stewart & Adam look cute. Does this comic take place in RiverDale?
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: PTF on May 15, 2016, 11:27:10 PM
It takes place in Pennsylvania. Home of giant cracked bells, angry bird fans who pelt Santa Claus with snowballs, and where all cheese steaks are manufactured. :)
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on May 16, 2016, 01:31:07 AM
Quote from: BettyReggie on May 15, 2016, 09:51:26 PM
Stewart & Adam look cute. Does this comic take place in RiverDale?

No, they can't use Riverdale. It's published by Sitcomics, not Archie Comics, and Riverdale is undoubtedly trademarked by ACP (and the CW).
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on May 16, 2016, 01:32:49 AM
Quote from: PTF on May 15, 2016, 11:27:10 PM
It takes place in Pennsylvania. Home of giant cracked bells, angry bird fans who pelt Santa Claus with snowballs, and where all cheese steaks are manufactured. :)

I can't remember the name of the college. I think everything in the first issue seemed to take place on or near the campus. Didn't realize what state it was (but haven't read #2 yet).
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: PTF on May 16, 2016, 02:11:19 AM
Dixon College.
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: invisifan on May 16, 2016, 02:29:38 AM
It occurred to me that Kelly has an obvious (for her generation) solution to her make-up problem, but it will also be complicated by being a vampire in an unexpected way ...
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on May 16, 2016, 02:31:18 AM
Quote from: invisifan on May 16, 2016, 02:29:38 AM
It occurred to me that Kelly has an obvious (for her generation) solution to her make-up problem, but it will also be complicated by being a vampire in an unexpected way ...

You just enjoy being cryptic, don't you?  ;D
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: invisifan on May 16, 2016, 02:44:29 AM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on May 16, 2016, 02:31:18 AM
Quote from: invisifan on May 16, 2016, 02:29:38 AM
It occurred to me that Kelly has an obvious (for her generation) solution to her make-up problem, but it will also be complicated by being a vampire in an unexpected way ...

You just enjoy being cryptic, don't you?  ;D
It's fun at times ;) but there's always an answer ... Oh, and mushrooms btw
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on May 16, 2016, 03:43:53 AM
Quote from: invisifan on May 16, 2016, 02:44:29 AM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on May 16, 2016, 02:31:18 AM
Quote from: invisifan on May 16, 2016, 02:29:38 AM
It occurred to me that Kelly has an obvious (for her generation) solution to her make-up problem, but it will also be complicated by being a vampire in an unexpected way ...

You just enjoy being cryptic, don't you?  ;D
It's fun at times ;) but there's always an answer ... Oh, and mushrooms btw

Perhaps if you just explained how mushrooms connect with makeup (and the fact that being a vampire, Kelly can't see her reflection to apply the makeup), it would be clearer. Even when you supply the supposed answer to being cryptic, you're still being cryptic. I can never tell how many levels there are involved.

Seems to me the solution to Kelly's (and Jess') vampire makeup problem is staring them in the face. Or rather, the solution is for them to stare at each others' face, and each do the other's makeup. Problem solved.
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: daren on May 16, 2016, 03:55:12 AM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on May 15, 2016, 06:22:01 PM
Quote from: irishmoxie on May 15, 2016, 02:54:41 PM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on May 15, 2016, 01:28:01 AM
Quote from: daren on May 14, 2016, 10:03:10 PM
This last issue was awesome (again!)


Jeff Shultz's parody of the Archie main five in their famous pose:


(https://www.archiefans.com/index.php?media/file/supersuckersarchiepose.482/preview/)

Which is what parallel counterpart of which?  I didn't see that at all.  I guess Stewart's a little bit of an Archie/Jughead mashup and Kelly's sort of a Melody/? mashup, but I didn't see any attempt to satirize the Archie main cast there in any way.

It's the pose of 2 people fighting over one person. Like Betty and Veronica fighting over Archie.


It's hard for me to recognize. It looks like four people fighting over two people (Kelly and Jess). Or maybe it's Stewart, Vera and Kelly versus Adam and Trevor, fighting over Jess. At any rate, it's a group fight with so many people involved. Maybe Sitcomics just invented the "Love Hexagon"?


Maybe! The picture is based on a famous image used on stuff like comic covers, it's almost like a logo.


(https://www.archiefans.com/index.php?media/file/quadrangleplusone.488/preview/)




Sorry it's so blurry, like I said it's like a logo so it's small.
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on May 16, 2016, 05:24:37 AM
Quote from: daren on May 16, 2016, 03:55:12 AM

(https://www.archiefans.com/index.php?media/file/quadrangleplusone.488/preview/)

Sorry it's so blurry, like I said it's like a logo so it's small.

I'm glad you posted that, Daren, because it gives me an excuse to talk about these little mini-scenes (taken directly from the interior artwork of one of the stories appearing in that issue) that Archie used to use as a regular feature atop their title logos in the 1960s. I'm not entirely certain exactly when that cover policy was discontinued, but sometime before the 1970s. I absolutely LOVE those!

I believe that small image falls under the category of what's known (for indexing purposes) as a "vignette". Usually that refers to something like "floating heads", for instance on a cover of THE AVENGERS that shows a pitched battle between two (or a small group) of characters, surrounded by the floating heads of other Avengers characters not directly involved in that scene. But I believe the term would apply to these small "preview" images that Archie Comics placed above their logos, beginning (as best I can determine) in July 1965 with ARCHIE #156. In all cases, the small images on those covers was taken directly from the interior artwork of a story appearing in that issue.

(https://d1466nnw0ex81e.cloudfront.net/n_iv/600/776719.jpg)

What is significant (other than the start of that "vignette image above the logo" policy) about that particular comic? It contains the following story (which is detailed at length in Bart Beatty's book, Twelve Cent Archie):

QuoteWhen Archie breaks a date with Betty again, she snaps and decides to murder him. After Betty makes several attempts on Archie's life, involving falling trees and wagons full of bricks, Jughead suggests that Archie try to pacify her in "Woman Scorned"!

But I digress. This really probably belongs in another thread. I've just posted the full story "Woman Scorned" over on the Crazy Betty thread, if you care to take a look at it.
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: invisifan on May 16, 2016, 04:19:21 PM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on May 16, 2016, 03:43:53 AM
Perhaps if you just explained how mushrooms connect with makeup (and the fact that being a vampire, Kelly can't see her reflection to apply the makeup), it would be clearer. Even when you supply the supposed answer to being cryptic, you're still being cryptic. I can never tell how many levels there are involved.
Ah, but that wasn't this answer, that was that last one (cryptozoology) ... the largest animal (as you stated) is the blue whale, and for the record the largest plant is the giant redwood, but we've know for ½ a century that there are (at least) 3 taxonomic kingdoms in evolutionary biology — the third being the mycota which incidentally much more closely resemble animals at the genetic level ... there is vast divergence, just as with flora and fauna, and the branch that includes the mushrooms lives primarily underground, just extending small capped stalks above ground for reproductive distribution; the body of the organism is buried and extends many stalks — what appears to be a cluster of mushrooms is in fact general;y multiple "branches" of the same creature.  I's very difficult to track, but there are know to be several (one in Oregon, another in Michigan at the very least) are genetically homogeneous and interjoined (ie. a single organism) that underlie quite a number of square miles to an unknown depth ...

QuoteSeems to me the solution to Kelly's (and Jess') vampire makeup problem is staring them in the face. Or rather, the solution is for them to stare at each others' face, and each do the other's makeup. Problem solved.
Provided they trust each other (and their make-up judgement) and expect to always be together whenever either one needs ... an update ...  :-\   
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on May 16, 2016, 06:25:26 PM
Quote from: invisifan on May 16, 2016, 04:19:21 PM
I's very difficult to track


You IS very difficult to track. You're jumping around connecting dots in a non-sequitur way that makes your train of thought impossible to follow.
What do mushrooms (yeah, technical classifications aside, very few people are going to characterize mushrooms as a "creature") have to do with cryptozoology? Mushrooms are KNOWN, cryptids are UNknown. Therefore whether fungi can be considered a group organism is completely irrelevant. And why DO you insist on answering a straightforward question with a riddle in the form of the answer to a previous cryptic remark of yours that I've long since forgotten about? That was rhetorical. Don't you DARE answer, since I'm sure you'll think you're being clever, but you'll just be being annoying again.


Oh, why would you just be unobfuscating and just explain what you meant about the makeup? Obviously too much to ask.
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: invisifan on May 16, 2016, 07:23:33 PM
The answer should be obvious to many (if not most) girls of her generation with very little effort (in fact the basics were used by Fred Saberhagen in his Dracula series of novels in the 1970s to allow him to shave conveniently) and that is the tablet (or even smartphone) with a front facing camera — almost universal these days on tablets (for skype & such as well as facial recognition) and common for phones too.  Where Dracula had a large video camera mounted over a monitor and had to train himself to switch (back) right-to-left, the modern device is hand held and can generate a mirror image for display automatically ...

Does she need to get a computer genius to write that software for her? Well, if you enter "hand mirror" in the search at Google playstore you'll get about 30 apps that do exactly that, plus options to zoom, brighten, illuminate, freeze, snapshot, flip, try effects and more ...
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on May 16, 2016, 09:49:57 PM
Quote from: invisifan on May 16, 2016, 07:23:33 PM
The answer should be obvious to many (if not most) girls of her generation with very little effort (in fact the basics were used by Fred Saberhagen in his Dracula series of novels in the 1970s to allow him to shave conveniently) and that is the tablet (or even smartphone) with a front facing camera — almost universal these days on tablets (for skype & such as well as facial recognition) and common for phones too.  Where Dracula had a large video camera mounted over a monitor and had to train himself to switch (back) right-to-left, the modern device is hand held and can generate a mirror image for display automatically ...

Does she need to get a computer genius to write that software for her? Well, if you enter "hand mirror" in the search at Google playstore you'll get about 30 apps that do exactly that, plus options to zoom, brighten, illuminate, freeze, snapshot, flip, try effects and more ...


Jury's still out on whether or not vampires can be photographed. It varies depending on who's writing them. The minute you start mixing science and technology with the supernatural, then you're forced dredge up questions about "The Way Things Work", and ask questions about why IS it exactly, that vampires cast no reflections?

But what if you misplaced your tablet/phone or forgot to charge it? Left in the car or the bathroom before going somewhere else, and then you have to fix your makeup? Not so much more reliable than depending on your BVFF (best vampire friend forever) to check it for you. Kelly and Jess might as well learn to depend on each other. Fixing each other's makeup is just going to be a minor example of a lot of different ways that they're going to need to rely on each other's help not to blow their cover, and to protect each other from threats small and large.
Title: Re: PTF Review Super Suckers 2.2
Post by: daren on May 17, 2016, 03:20:02 PM
They end up with a really good solution.