I didn’t start reading Afterlife with Archie until last month. I had heard all the buzz, but never found my way to it until issue #4 and it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was crazy good. I went back and caught up and waited, impatiently, for the next issue. It is finally here and I’m not going to wait to tell you this: issue #5 is the perfect ending to the first arc.
In this issue, we get the story told mainly from the point of the point of view of Smithers, the Lodge’s butler. We get a flashback of his upbringing and how he was raised to serve this family. It reminded me of another famous comic book butler. Putting those two together would be worth a pretty penny.
The zombies have converged on Lodge Manor and the surviving gang must make a decision to fight or flee. This opens up lots of clashes between friends and rivals and tempers flare. It’s still so fresh and interesting to see these characters like this. It shouldn’t work. It really shouldn’t, but darn if it doesn’t.
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has once again delivered a script that is captivating, heartbreaking and full of tension. You feel that the characters are all at their breaking points and that comes across in many well written scenes.
Francesco Francavilla and Jack Morelli also deliver a beautiful book that uses limited pops of color to great effect. I don’t know that I’ve read a series that uses color as part of the story as much as this one. It calls your attention to that character and helps with the mood of what you are reading.
This book is a master class of doing something different to great success. The risks of this series were huge and I can’t even imagine the pitch process here. Afterlife with Archie is required reading for comic book fans. You won’t be disappointed.
Script: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art: Francesco Francavilla, Jack Morelli
Cover: Francesco Francavilla
Variant Cover: Andrew Pepoy, Jason Millet
On Sale at Comic Specialty Shops: 5/14
32-page, full color comic
$2.99 U.S.
