Archie #20 review: Andrews and Reggie go over the edge
By Alex Widen
Archie Andrews and Reggie Mantle stage an ultimate showdown! Yet will they end up taking Betty down with them?
Archie #20
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Pete Woods
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While Mark Waid inserts a lot of humor into his Archie run, he’s also managed to make it more unpredictable. The classic incarnation of Archie is a slapstick comedy seemingly frozen in time from the 1950s. Since Archie Comics wisely allowed Waid to redefine it, it’s become a well orchestrated romantic “dramedy.” One of the chief examples is his handling of Archie’s antagonists. In particular, his treatment and evolution of Reggie Mantle, the thorn in the side of Riverdale.
Image by Archie Comics
Sometimes dubbing himself, “Mantle the Magnificent,” Reggie is as close as Archie has to an arch nemesis. In the classical canon, he’s typically on the level of a prankster, yet still one of “the gang.” Here, Archie lays out in no uncertain terms that he’s a bully with few scruples. His first major acts in this series were trying to weasel his way into Hiram Lodge’s good graces before tricking Betty and Jughead into getting him a fake ID. As a result, there is no love lost between the pair.
Image by Archie Comics
Reggie Takes Being a Drag to the Extreme!
Archie’s relationships remain in a precarious state. He and Veronica are just used to dating again, and his friendship with Betty has just been mended. it seems like any extra tension could fray some nerves and cause it to snap. What makes this issue most noteworthy is now innocently it begins. Betty and Archie are once again working on their perennial project of getting his clunker to work. It’s an abandoned 1969 Cobra which the pair have been working on since they were kids.
Image by Archie Comics
Veronica won’t dare dirty herself helping, and Archie’s endless klutziness always slows down progress. Yet when it stalls out in the middle of the street, it attracts the attention of Reggie as he rolls up. He goads Archie as he always does, yet when he makes a disparaging comment about Betty, things escalate. Before long, the usually passive red head is shoving Reggie in the middle the street and eager to throw down. As a result, Reggie sees his chance to steal the clunker.
Image by Archie Comics
Eager to make a spectacle of the event, Reggie challenges Archie to a drag race. Winner loses their car before the eyes of most of Riverdale High. Due to wanting to avoid having Reggie spill secrets about him to Veronica, Archie accepts the crazy deal. As a result, the Herculean task of the rest of his pals (Moose and Dilton) helping Betty finally restore the clunker is under a time table. Archie drives off with it, dejecting Betty, since taking their first ride together was their childhood promise.
Image by Archie Comics
Whoever Thought an Archie Comic Could Be This Good!?
There may have been some jokes at the start, but things get serious at the drag race—deadly serious. There’s an oil slick in the road, which Reggie has no intention of warning Archie about. Archie sees himself as a big hero for finally standing up to his school’s top bully. And Betty is speeding to the site in the opposite direction once she hears about the crazy bet. Ads promise this arc will leave one of Archie’s friends “forever changed,” and the cliffhanger certainly lives up to it.
Image by Archie Comics
Meanwhile, the subplot regarding the Blossom twins continues to wind through. Cheryl and Jason have learned the man they think is their father really isn’t. Normally, in superhero comics, this is very dramatic, and it’s almost as much so here. Their mother insists that she can keep a lid on things and finding out about their stepfather won’t harm them much. It seems like the secret Cheryl is on the verge of learning is that her biological father is actually in prison!
Image by Archie Comics
While I am wary of mainstream comic arcs promising things like “forever change,” Mark Waid whips up a tremendous issue here. He manages to juggle comedy, romance, and drama so deftly that it can be easy to forget that this new Archie is not as simple or predictable as the old. It can have Archie get trapped in a tent one minute, yet tell a poignant story about relationships the next. As the run nears its second year, Waid seems like he is upping the ante in terms of danger.
Image by Archie Comics
At Least the Ads Admit That Archie Is Obviously Safe!
Drag racing was a cliche of many “teen rebel” films of the 1950s and 1960s, during the height of its popularity. Despite the many dangers and lapse of time, it remains a part of some urban subcultures in California and Florida. Utilizing it here is a great way to shout out to the roots of Archie while also giving Reggie and Archie a way to duel without it being a fistfight. It also increases the likelihood of unintended tragedy, which is likely the moral of this arc from Waid.
Image by Archie Comics
Pete Woods continues on his current run as artist, inker, and colorist. Some of his line work and inks can get sketchy and lack detail. On the whole, however, his work here is as strong as it was at DC Comics. Women in the readership get an extended bit with a shirtless Archie, and he draws Reggie as smarmy and slick as ever. Woods also gets a lot of time with cars and drawing kinetic races and crashes. It’s not quite the “car fu” of Gunsmith Cats, but it seems pretty close for a bit.
Image by Archie Comics
Since this issue promises some potentially grueling change to someone in the cast, how about some guesses? In theory Betty co-headlines a series with Veronica, even if Adam Hughes is running way behind on it. Were Reggie to suffer some sort of calamity, I doubt many in the audience would have pity for it. Veronica and Jughead weren’t involved in the incident. Waid has admitted a fondness for Betty in letter columns, and this may be a way to test her mettle.
Image by Archie Comics
A Rare Relaunch Which Continues to Bare Fruit!
Naturally, the great thing is that this isn’t a superhero comic, so nobody is expected to die. That is usually what superhero comics mean when they vow a “change” is coming—a beloved character will die for a bit. Change could be anything: it could be a permanent injury or a scar; it coule be moving away from Riverdale; or it could be facing arrest. I never thought I would read an Archie comic with a cliffhanger, nor genuinely care about the fate of any of the gang. That’s the sign of true quality.
Image by Archie Comics
Next: Read that time Jughead and Veronica were pals in #19!
In conclusion, this issue symbolizes the greatness of this run from cover to cover. A franchise which had been as predictable as a diner menu is suddenly innovative and relevant. Characters who were as static as cartoons suddenly have life and emotional depth. The plots now move in arcs and subplots, instead of just being explanations for gags. Comedy, romance, and drama are carefully balanced and doled out in appropriate levels. This epic Archie run is not one to miss!