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Archie & Friends #75 Archie's Pals 'n' Gals Double Digest #79 Betty and Veronica Digest #142 Jughead's Double Digest #98 Sabrina the Teenage Witch #50 Archie & Friends #75 Script: Mike Pellowski Pencils: Rex Lindsey Inking: Rich Koslowski Archie Comics, 32 color pages, $2.19 If this comic was a TV show, this would be the "let's see if we can set up a spinoff" episode. Archie's worrying about college (even though he'll never age enough to get there), so Reggie, of all people, suggests he try out a simulation program. Most of the issue is set inside this virtual world, where an older, non-freckled redhead named Andrew Archer attends class and ogles college girls. Archer tries to pledge a wild fraternity, finds out that the blonde in his chemistry class is also a biker, and attends a college party. By the end of the story, we're left with a generic, white-washed college romp and the mystery of which of Archie's friends were playing Gina. (We know it's one of five girls; I knew Jughead would be too daring a choice). It'd be interesting to see Archie Comics try some older-skewing stories, but I suspect they wouldn't be willing to capture the risks of today's college experiences. It was interesting, though, to read a story where Archie was a cool guy, not a loser. Archie's Pals 'n' Gals Double Digest #79 Archie Comics, 192 color pages, $3.59 My favorite Archie read, due to the diversity of both stories and art styles. There are stories about the regular gang of characters, but also those featuring Sabrina, Mr. Weatherbee, one-shot characters, Cricket O'Dell, Dilton's Wonder Car, and even Katy Keene. A story from the 70s deals with violence in sports. An 80s piece satirizes KNIGHT RIDER. Archie is the Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. in a story inspired by the spy shows of the 60s. Older stories revolve around the kids pranking each other constantly or trying to break records as a fundraiser. I really wish I knew who drew some of these reprints. I can recognize the styles, but I can't put names with the art, and I'd like to. There are lots of Reggie stories in this volume, which makes for some fun tension. All this entertainment and a ton of stories for the same price as a Marvel comic is a great value. Betty and Veronica Digest #142 Archie Comics, 96 color pages, $2.39 The new story this issue features the girls going out for the day with the daughter of a rock superstar. She doesn't want anyone to know who she is, so when they're treated badly by salespeople and waiters, Veronica just has to be quiet and take it... until she figures out that she's got bragging rights of her own as the daughter of a billionaire. The idea that the women only deserve good service based on their fathers is a regressive one, but the story also illustrates how unfriendly and rude people are as a matter of course nowadays. Makes you wonder why anyone would want to go incognito when they could get special service. I much more enjoyed a later story that focused on Betty's possible career choices. After the obligatory supermodel dream, she's shown as a possible executive, scientist, doctor, and professional athlete. The part I liked best, though, was when she says she thinks one parent should stay home with the kids, but it doesn't matter which parent. Cut to Archie making dinner and rustling kids while Betty comes home from work. Other stories make fun of Veronica's choice of fashionable footwear, or her inability to get a summer job without spending more money than she makes, or how silly Betty and Veronica behave when they take turns being each other's maids, or how shallow Cheryl Blossom is -- the usual mix of plots. Jughead's Double Digest #98 Archie Comics, 192 color pages, $3.59 The new story, by Mike Pellowski, Fernando Ruiz, and Rudy Lapick, is dementedly funny. Jughead decides he wants some cereal, so he gets to choose among Fruit Scoops, Cuckoo Plops, and Rice Klinkies, with the elves Plop, Snapple, and Cracked. I know that silly names are a low form of humor, but heck, they made me laugh. The next story was slapstick about why Jughead shouldn't wear ties. I like a lot of the other characters better, but there's something about Jughead stories that makes them some of the most entertaining. I'm impressed that writers keep turning out new variations on Jughead eating a lot, Jughead being lazy, Jughead being cheap, and Jughead and his dog. This comic is nothing but straightforward humor, entertaining for all ages. Sabrina the Teenage Witch #50 Script: Abby Denson Pencils: Holly G! Inking: Al Nickerson Archie Comics, 32 color pages, $2.19 Sabrina's writing an advice column for an other-realm magazine, so she ends up dealing with love problems for teenage monsters. It's a cute concept, marred by odd phraseology. She gets a problem from what's called a fairy but looks like a 50s movie Martian. The square-headed monster is referred to as "a teen Frankenstein creature", while the young vampire is a "teen Dracula". What's wrong with "monster" and "vampire", and who calls themselves a "teen" anything? Anyway, it all works out well, with Sabrina getting everyone hooked up and still making it to the Halloween party on time. I was a bit surprised that the lead story in the 50th issue didn't feature any of the regular cast beyond Salem, but that's my anniversary issue conditioning leading me to make assumptions. The backup story (script by Bill Golliher) is Salem-focused, with him being put into a kennel. It's a contrived premise but a great excuse for animal humor. I liked the way the artist drew all the different breeds as well. The last short piece, also by Mr. Golliher, has Sabrina babysitting a bratty younger witch cousin's sleepover. -- Johanna Draper Carlson Reviews of Comics Worth Reading -- http://www.comicsworthreading.com New: Kolchak, Silencers, World of Darkness: Vampire the Masquerade, BOP!, Killer Stunts, Motion Pictures, The Norm, Rummblestrips
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