Comics Review: Archie Milestones #28 Jughead Food Festival

I saw this on the Barnes & Noble newsstand and had to have it.  It’s a bunch of stories about Jughead eating; how could it not be fun?  In short, it was.  There were several stories drawn by Rex Lindsey inside, so you can enjoy his well-detailed artwork, and the fine work of other Jughead artists.

 

The opening story is conceptually the funniest.  Coach Keats recruits Jughead as a motivational speaker for the hockey team.  This works out about as well as you’d think.  At least concession sales went up.

 

Dan Parent introduces this attractive redhead.  Archie and Reggie strike out with her, but somehow she wants Jughead.  Of course, Jug’s attraction to her is food-related.  There’s no explanation why she’s after him, though.

 

It looks like Josie and Valerie make a cameo in this Samm Schwartz Jughead tale.  (Or maybe not.)  I love Samm’s panels of Jughead going berserk with food.

 

Fernando Ruiz shows a dashing, dancing Jughead, who’s promoting Mrs. Beazly’s ethnic dishes in the cafeteria.  Unfortunately, this attracts too much female attention for him.

 

I just love this Lindsey panel with Archie’s reaction to Jughead’s hot sauce.

 

Here’s another funny concept.  A modern “artist” decides to put Jughead on display as a work of art, The Jug.  I do have to admit, Lindsey is a great Jughead artist, but he’s better at drawing guys than girls, such as Betty and Veronica.  His characters are a bit too cartoony to make them as glamorous as most other Archie artists do.  I wonder if this is how Samm ended up drawing Jughead, as well.  For his character of Trula Twyst, Rex does puts more detail on her.  (At least I think he created her.  I can’t find any info on that.)    

   

I love this panel with the micro-burgers.  I feel like Lindsey lives next to a real life Pop’s Chocklit Shoppe for him to draw it so well.   

 

Here’s a rare sight: the girls smooching with Jughead.  This is pleasantly drawn by Bob White, an Archie artist I’m not that familiar with. 

I wonder if this story is from earlier in Rex Lindsey’s career.  It’s a little like an Archie comic trying to look like a 70’s Marvel comic.  In this story, Ethel rejects Jughead for a date, so she can do out with the guy with the suspenders.  I think she did Jughead a favor. 

 

Another Lindsey story details why there’s no high-end coffee shops in Riverdale.  It’s sort of reminiscent that Adam Hughes’ Betty & Veronica mini-series.  Both stories end with Pop’s being the town’s primary coffee shop.  

 

 

Finally, Jughead drags Archie all over town, as he chases after various food deals.  This is where all his calories go.    

 

Again, this one was a lot of fun.  It’s Jughead in his element: stuffing his face.  I’d glad I picked this one up.