To be honest, other than reading the newspaper strips at the barbershop when I was a kid, I never actually read any of the Archie comics. But I recently discovered these two ongoing comics under the Archie Horror brand and I love them.

Afterlife with Archie starts out with a zombie apocalypse in Riverdale caused by

Spoiler

Sabrina the Teenage Witch attempting to use the Necronomicon to bring Jughead's beloved dog back to life.

After that, your typical zombie mayhem ensues. The art is great and there is some good emotional moments by the main character. But what think I enjoy the most out of this so far is the supporting characters like Mr. Lodge and Sabrina, and the flashbacks for Mr. Lodge, Smithers, and a particularly good flashback told by Archie's mother. The Archie/Betty/Veronica love triangle is still there, which kind of annoys me given that there is more important stuff going on, but the triangle is a staple of the brand and isn't too insufferable. If the interlude with Sabrina in issue 6 doesn't hook you then I don't know what will.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is even better. It doesn't take place in the same continuity as Afterlife With Archie, but that is definitely not a problem. The magical world of Sabrina is much darker than the ABC sitcom. Make no mistake, this is a horror title. Making it a period piece in the sixties is really good for the tone and setting as well. I never thought I'd see Sabrina in this type of setting, but it works. There are only 4 issues out right now, but I don't think I"ll ever see Sabrina the Teenage Witch the same way again. Especially not Aunt Hilda and Aunt Zelda.

The only negative about these titles is the random release schedule. Apparently there are a lot of delays. Still, I'd say these comics are worth a read.

 

I'm a huge fan of both books and really most of the Archie line right now. They're an underrated bunch those kids from Riverdale. It should be noted that one of the big draws of Afterlife with Archie is the absolutely haunting art by Francesco Francavilla. He's one of my favorite artists working today.

 

All Archie series are really good right now. The reboot's first issue was even better than I was expecting it to be based on its creators.

I'm just waiting for a horror series starring Salem, either before he was transformed into a cat as a punishment for trying to conquer the world or after while he's trying to corrupt Sabrina in order to do it again.

 

It's been so long that I've forgotten what happened in these series, but both Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Afterlife With Archie will be getting new issues very soon. Sabrina will release issue No. 5 on May 18, and Afterlife With Archie will resume on June 1st.

I guess its time for a reread.

The writer of these comics has been working on the new Riverdale television show on the CW, so that's one explanation for the delays.