Archie's Weird Mysteries - Halloween of Horror

Archie's Weird Mysteries was an animated series that ran for 40 episodes between 1999-2000. It was distributed in the US by DIC Entertainment and first aired on the PAX network. Remember the PAX network? Yeah, I don't blame you.

The series focused on the Riverdale teens encountering all sorts of strange stuff like zombies, ghosts, and even UFOs after a lab accident goes wrong and turns the town into a weirdness magnet! It also spawned a tie-in comic series in 2000 that ran for 34 issues, although it eventually dropped the "Weird" and switched to mundane mysteries.

 

 

Among the 40 episodes were a few multi-part story arcs including a 3-parter called Vampire Night where the climax takes place at a Halloween Party!

Comic Review - Vampironica

The Archie Horror imprint has slowly been making its way through the popular monsters. Afterlife with Archie started it all off five years ago with zombies taking over Riverdale (I even wrote about it!), then came a wicked twist on Sabrina followed by Jughead going full werewolf. Last week brought the newest member: Vampironica.

There are story spoilers ahead but I don't think it would ruin anything for you. This first issue isn't exactly packed with plot twists.

The book opens with some vamps crashing a party being thrown by Cheryl Blossom (how dare they!). Hot on their heels is vampire Veronica Lodge who has the fashion of Buffy Summers and the vamp-ness of Marvel's Blade. Undead butt kicking ensues.

After the bad-assery, we flash back three days for some Riverdale teen drama which results in a scorned Veronica making Reggie take her out. As Veronica is leaving the house that night for her date, she finds her parents on the floor, victims of a vamp attack. The vamp attacks her and she manages to fight him off, but not before he's able to bite her.

She hops in a car and starts speeding away only to see the vamp in front of her. She floors it and over the car he goes! She glances back at her victory only to collide head-on (apply directly to the forehead!) with Reggie! After the crash, she goes to check on Reggie only to have the first symptoms of her new condition manifest itself.

She keeps her appetite in check and stumbles off into the woods where she notices her wounds from the accident are healing themselves. Back at the wreck, Reggie starts to come to as the vampire approaches.
Dun-dun-DUUUUNNNNN!

And that's it. As a first issue, I was a tiny bit underwhelmed. I get it's an origin issue and things need to be setup but it just wasn't "there" for me. With Archie Horror's previous track record I have no doubt it will get more interesting as it goes on and we learn more about Mr Vampire Man.

 Also, a lot of the fun of these horror books is seeing familiar characters in new, unreal situations so I'm really looking forward to see how Veronica comes to terms with being a vampire. You don't have to know the regular Archie-verse to read this but it will definitely help if you're somewhat familiar with the characters.

The artwork is on point. It's appropriately dark, bloody, and creepy where it needs to be. There are some alternate covers out there including my favorite one by Francesco Francavilla, who does the art for Afterlife with Archie. I dig this one because it reminds me of Vampirella.

Vampironica #1 gets 3.5 out of 5 wooden stakes

If you want your Archie on the go, grab the Archie Comics app for Android and iOS.

Archie Comics' Sabrina is Getting a Makeover

Ok, so I'm a month behind the rest of the internet with this, but maybe you're like me and don't know everything about everything.

Hot on the rotting heels of Archie Comics' critically acclaimed alternate Riverdale zom-pocalypse Afterlife with Archie series, and just in time for October, Sabrina is getting a creepy makeover. She had a brief appearance in Afterlife hinting at darker arts but her new series will be in its own alternate reality set in the retro 60s.

Series writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who also pens Afterlife promises this book will be darker than Afterlife with the scary stuff being more psychological and spiritual in nature, which is pretty exciting. He also told USA Today that Sabrina is destined to be the Archie-vere equivalent of Marvel's Dr. Strange, who is one of my favorite comic characters.

Taking Riverdale into zombie land might not have been such a stretch given how zombies have squirmed their way into pop culture in recent years. I think taking Sabrina into a darker world is a bit riskier but hopefully just as rewarding. As someone that's always been drawn to magic using characters and horror, this seems like a match made...well, somewhere.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina debuts in October.

Afterlife with Archie

*** Minor spoilers ahead! ***

After spending a few days reviewing the history of horror in comic books I thought it'd be neat to kind of bring it full circle and talk about the latest (and biggest) news in horror comics. This is one of those things like the Deaths of Superman or Peter Parker that has been picked up by mass media outlets because it's a Comics Event.

Back in the day, before I really got into Marvel or DC, I had my fair share of Archie comics. I've always had a thing for the 50s' vibe: the music, the cars, Happy Days. I love it!

It's been a few decades since I've visited Riverdale but I've heard about the big events like Kevin Keller and the alternate futures of Archie marrying Veronica and Betty. Then a few months ago I heard there was going to be an Archie horror comic. Sure they've crossed paths with KISS and even Marvel's The Punisher, so what would the gimmick be this time?

Turns out, they're actually doing an honest to goodness undead uprising in Riverdale!

Spoiler-y parts below!

Jughead's best bud, and pet, Hot Dog is involved in a hit and run. He rushes Hot Dog to Sabrina's house hoping her or her aunts can work some mojo and save him. But it's too late, Hot Dog has already passed. The aunts stress the dangers of trying to resurrect him and tell Jughead "sometimes dead is better". But Sabrina empathizes because of her relationship with Salem. She has Jughead meet her and bury Hot Dog while she recites a spell from the Necronomicon! As you can imagine, things go downhill from there.

Before picking this up, I was expecting it to be in a traditional Archie art-style but it isn't. The artwork is great and gives an almost Walking Dead comic edge to a place I'd only ever seen as a cartoon world. The story is pretty much out of Pet Sematary but I think it's a logical way to introduce zombies to the Archie-verse. I can't wait to see where they're going to go with it!

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