Shawn Hopkins
04-25-2010, 11:14 PM
http://www.img.archiecomics.com/covers/a608.150.jpg (http://www.img.archiecomics.com/covers/a608.650.jpg)
ARCHIE #608
"It Starts With a Kiss": It's the double-bill of the century, as the Archies and Josie & the Pussycats co-headline a major concert tour... or so they think! Alex and Alexandra have sneaked behind everyone's backs to ensure that Josie & the Pussycats are the main act while the Archies are merely the opening band. But the Archies have made Veronica's cousin Marcy their manager and the ruse is soon exposed. Will the bands get through this dis-chord and once again find harmony?
SCRIPT: Dan Parent
ART: Bill Galvan
Shipping Date: April 14th, 2010
On Sale at Comic Shops: April 21st, 2010
Newsstands: May 4th, 2010
32-page, 40 lb glossy stock, full color comic
$2.99 US
Since no one else has made one and I want to talk about it without being bogged down with all the Spire Comics talk that filled the announcement thread, this is a talkback for Archie 608, the first issue of the big Archies and Josie and The Pussycats Crossover. Anyone else read it? What did you think?
I read this last night and have to say it's quite enjoyable. It won't set the world on fire and no one would ever notice the interracial dating aspect of it if wasn't for the fact that this is an Archie comic.
The story is straightforward. The Archies go on tour. It's announced without any explanation why that they will be on a double-bill with another A-List act. Reggie speculates asking if it will be Lady Gaga (I'd love to see that), The Black-Eyed Peas, or Beyonce and Archie says "No! Josie and The Pussycats!" to which Betty responds "Even Better!" There's not even the usual mild Archie snark in this issue, it's pretty much go-go-go optimism all the way through and it's taken as a given that the Archies and the Pussycats are both huge bands with equal followings.
Since even Reggie and Veronica are acting like sweethearts it's up to Alex and Alexandra Cabot to inject some drama into the proceedings. They do this by having Alex offer Alexandra a spot as the fourth Pussycat if she will switch contracts to one where the Archies are relegated to opening act. Alexandra screws this up in a slapstick fashion. Actually, I guess she succeeds in a slapstick screwup fashion, but the forgery is so bad it's easily caught and undone.
So the attempted felony contract fraud is forgiven after a mild scolding and the Archies and Pussycats start practicing together. And because everyone is tired for some reason that's not too clear only Archie and Valerie have the energy to stay really late practicing. There's a couple of pages where they write a song together and discover things they have in common, like Archie liking girls that burp loudly after eating a lot of pizza and Valerie eating a lot of pizza and burping like a longshoreman. And then they part with a cute kiss goodnight, start to walk away, but turn and run into each others arms for a passionate embrace.
Anyway, it was nice to see the Archies interact with the Pussycats, even if there wasn't that much room for the interplay of personalities with anyone but Archie and Valerie. From the cover of 609 it looks like they break up next issue, so I wouldn't count on a longterm thing.
http://westfieldcomics.com/comic-books/Archie/10031212
Some random notes.
To get herself out of a jam, Alexandra asks Archie out on a date. He seems to agree, so that actually makes this issue a two-fer for Archie and Pussycats women. I've seen him date Sabrina, too. The boy really gets around.
Is Alexandra a witch or not? I'm never clear on whether she's still supposed to have powers in the comics. She doesn't use them in this issue.
Where the heck is Alan M? He's not in this issue at all.
Archie and Valerie write a song called "More Than Words." Uh, I think that title's kind of taken by another popular song.
They keep advertising something called "Betty the Vampire Slayer Vs. Vampironica" lately. That's such a convergence of my geeky interests my head might explode if I think about it too much, but apparently it's download only. I can download it to my PSP but this is really something I'd like a physical copy of.
ARCHIE #608
"It Starts With a Kiss": It's the double-bill of the century, as the Archies and Josie & the Pussycats co-headline a major concert tour... or so they think! Alex and Alexandra have sneaked behind everyone's backs to ensure that Josie & the Pussycats are the main act while the Archies are merely the opening band. But the Archies have made Veronica's cousin Marcy their manager and the ruse is soon exposed. Will the bands get through this dis-chord and once again find harmony?
SCRIPT: Dan Parent
ART: Bill Galvan
Shipping Date: April 14th, 2010
On Sale at Comic Shops: April 21st, 2010
Newsstands: May 4th, 2010
32-page, 40 lb glossy stock, full color comic
$2.99 US
Since no one else has made one and I want to talk about it without being bogged down with all the Spire Comics talk that filled the announcement thread, this is a talkback for Archie 608, the first issue of the big Archies and Josie and The Pussycats Crossover. Anyone else read it? What did you think?
I read this last night and have to say it's quite enjoyable. It won't set the world on fire and no one would ever notice the interracial dating aspect of it if wasn't for the fact that this is an Archie comic.
The story is straightforward. The Archies go on tour. It's announced without any explanation why that they will be on a double-bill with another A-List act. Reggie speculates asking if it will be Lady Gaga (I'd love to see that), The Black-Eyed Peas, or Beyonce and Archie says "No! Josie and The Pussycats!" to which Betty responds "Even Better!" There's not even the usual mild Archie snark in this issue, it's pretty much go-go-go optimism all the way through and it's taken as a given that the Archies and the Pussycats are both huge bands with equal followings.
Since even Reggie and Veronica are acting like sweethearts it's up to Alex and Alexandra Cabot to inject some drama into the proceedings. They do this by having Alex offer Alexandra a spot as the fourth Pussycat if she will switch contracts to one where the Archies are relegated to opening act. Alexandra screws this up in a slapstick fashion. Actually, I guess she succeeds in a slapstick screwup fashion, but the forgery is so bad it's easily caught and undone.
So the attempted felony contract fraud is forgiven after a mild scolding and the Archies and Pussycats start practicing together. And because everyone is tired for some reason that's not too clear only Archie and Valerie have the energy to stay really late practicing. There's a couple of pages where they write a song together and discover things they have in common, like Archie liking girls that burp loudly after eating a lot of pizza and Valerie eating a lot of pizza and burping like a longshoreman. And then they part with a cute kiss goodnight, start to walk away, but turn and run into each others arms for a passionate embrace.
Anyway, it was nice to see the Archies interact with the Pussycats, even if there wasn't that much room for the interplay of personalities with anyone but Archie and Valerie. From the cover of 609 it looks like they break up next issue, so I wouldn't count on a longterm thing.
http://westfieldcomics.com/comic-books/Archie/10031212
Some random notes.
To get herself out of a jam, Alexandra asks Archie out on a date. He seems to agree, so that actually makes this issue a two-fer for Archie and Pussycats women. I've seen him date Sabrina, too. The boy really gets around.
Is Alexandra a witch or not? I'm never clear on whether she's still supposed to have powers in the comics. She doesn't use them in this issue.
Where the heck is Alan M? He's not in this issue at all.
Archie and Valerie write a song called "More Than Words." Uh, I think that title's kind of taken by another popular song.
They keep advertising something called "Betty the Vampire Slayer Vs. Vampironica" lately. That's such a convergence of my geeky interests my head might explode if I think about it too much, but apparently it's download only. I can download it to my PSP but this is really something I'd like a physical copy of.