Afterlife with Archie

It all starts with a crossover between Riverdale – Archie – and Greendale – Sabrina. Panicked, Jughead comes to the witch Sabrina to have her dog wounded by a car treated, but neither she nor her aunts can do anything. Moved by the sadness of Riverdale's joyful drill, Sabrina resorts to black magic yet forbidden. But fate goes wrong. The gentle dog turned zombie spreads the virus by bite like rabies. The clown of the group is the first infected and becomes a bloodthirsty beast. Sabrina cannot help because she is exiled for a year for her use of necromancy. The reader then finds himself at the Halloween ball with Archie where the teens are naively having fun but the reader knows that it will go wrong because the countdown to the contagion is present, which creates suspense.

Along with Vamperonica, Afterlife with Archie is part of Archie comics' horror collection, including the great idea of taking horror figures and plunging them into the candy pink world of Riverdale. These first two titles were a great public success in the United States. Afterlife with Archie is the work of Riverdale writer-architect Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla, a cartoonist known for his unique style and sharp colorization. It all started with an alternative cover of Francavilla that made the screenwriter want to match the inside with the outside. The Italian cartoonist creates a very expressionist universe and uses few colors with a strong presence of black and shapes as if the album was drawn with fine felt. He is therefore often on thriller or horror series. His drawing oscillates between symbolism and realism according to the boxes. In addition to the various sketches, an unpublished bonus tells the story of the various alternative covers.

Classic Archie elements reassure the fan. There are characters. As always in Riverdale, Archie is split between Veronica and Betty. Each wants to invite him by asking him to choose a sexy and gothic outfit. The Blossom twins, from the wealthy high school in the nearby town, arrive not for fun but to create trouble for the girls. The culprit of the accident that drove the car that hit the dog is quarterback Reggie. However, in this rather conservative shared universe, all the habits of the old reader are turned upside down. Jughead remains Veronica's fiercest enemy, but this time he wants to devour her. The Blossom twins here are an incestuous couple. There's even a joke about the lack of change: Archie admits that in 70 years, he will continue to hesitate between the blonde Betty and the brunette Veronica. The dinner at Pop is still a place of flirting but the narrative is modernized. Two high school girls Nancy and Ginger find themselves there because as lesbians, they have to hide to see each other. Strangely, there are many parts about the strong relationships humans have with their dog.

The horror fan finds his bearings: a group of high school students take refuge in a closed place while enjoying the equipment but they also find themselves trapped in this mansion surrounded by zombies. These teenagers cannot trust authority figures. A father is infected. The widower Lodge finds his beloved wife but she comes out of his grave to devour him. Teachers are hungry for students. This disturbance of landmarks then pushes a teenager to kill his father.