Comics Review: Archie Jumbo Comics #10

When I reviewed a new Archie digest, I ran into a story that I’d read before.  That wasn’t unexpected.  I was surprised that I hadn’t blogged about that other digest when I’d read it.  I guess I missed it or didn’t think to do it. 

 

This volume came out in 2017 and features Archie versions of various fairy tales.  It’s a good fit for the characters.  I really love these themed digests, but I can’t find any more of them at my local Barnes & Noble.  First up, I have to mention, in spite of the lovely Frozen cover art, there’s no story adaption inside.  This is disappointing.  I don’t know where Chilled has been published.  It’s apparently not even in a trade paperback edition of Archie fairy stories.      

The stories inside mostly either feature Betty and Veronica as co-princesses (or female leads), or Betty as the princess with Veronica as the villain.  First up is Cinderellas.  The stories are introduced with a text page about the original story.  Dan Parent writes all of the stories in the volume and is clearly having fun updating these classic stories.  He does the art in about half the stories.  

Jeff Schultz does the art in the rest stories and does an excellent job, as in the next story, The Little Mermaids.  The girls are very appealing here, even Cheryl Blossom with a squid lower half.

This is consistent with the movie, but this is about as hardcore as Archie gets showing the villain getting eliminated.  Sleeping Betty is next.  It’s pretty fun. 

 

Rapunzels is the following story.  Betty looks pretty glam here with the long locks.  Next, There’s No Place Like Riverdale is an adaption of the Wizard of Oz.  I’d read this one in another digest a while back. 

I don’t think Rumpelstiltskin has made it into a movie, but it’s a well-known story and gets adapted as Reggiestiltskin.  That’s good casting with Reggie as the villain.  Once again, Schultz makes Cheryl look really good. 

Beauty and the Beast becomes Betty and the Beast with Archie as the Beast.  Betty is very nicely rendered here.  The Beast is mostly from the movie with some Archie features.  Betty in Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland) and Snow White and the Riverdale Dwarves finish the comic.  (Veronica, as the Wicked Witch, actually becomes ugly and goes up in flames in another harsh ending.)

 

Okay, this is a great volume.  If you can find this or another Archie fairy tale reprint trade, get it.  This is definitely great for kids and will amuse immature adults (such as myself).