Written by: Alex De Campi
Art by: Fernando Ruiz
Publisher: Archie Comics/Dark Horse Comics
Archie comics have for a long time been associated with good ole wholesome fun with their bright visuals, zany characters and funny gags. Archie Vs. Predator starts off just like any all ages Archie comic would with Reggie being his arrogant self, Jughead eating, Betty and Veronica fighting over Archie and Archie being his typical clueless self. However, this is not your typical Archie comic and things escalate rather quickly and for one scene in particular rather violently.
The script is written by Alex De Campi and it revolves around the gang winning a trip to Los Perdidos beach and their interactions their. Reggie is generally a very creepy and shallow character but in this comic his inhibitions are multiplied a ten fold. In fact Dec Campi writes pretty much all members of the Archie gang with their personalities amped up to eleven and it really allows the comic to seamlessly transition to a more mature Archie adventure. Of all the characters that pop up in the book Cheryl and Jason are easily the most annoying and lets just say that their fate in this opening issue is not one that I’m overly distraught about.
There is a fair amount of blood in this book, as is to be expected in any book featuring the Predator, although surprisingly the first instance of it involves Betty and Veronica and not The Predator. After their altercation Betty runs of into the forest and discovers an ancient temple where she finds a mysterious dagger. She takes the dagger thinking it to be a nice trinket, although unbeknownst to her that dagger is the property of non other than the Predator himself. The discovery of the dagger makes for a good, if somewhat convenient tie in with the Predator and sets up the rest of the series rather well.
For a book called Archie Vs. Predator there is a bit of a lack of panel time for The Predator as he is slinking in the shadows and not really doing much of anything although apparently he communicates through emoji’s which is strangely hilarious.
The man drawing the emoji’s as well as the rest of the book is non other than Archie regular, Fernando Ruiz. The fact that this book is drawn like the regular kid friendly Archie series is a little unnerving in the best possible way. Ruiz’s art is clean and crisp and the gang looks dynamic as always. Also his Predator is really eerily cool and I have to say that his portrayal of gore has really Blossomed (pun intended).
Archie Vs. Predator #1 is unlike any book on the stands today and considering the roll that Archie and Dark Horse have been on this past little while it shouldn’t come as a surprise. De Campi and Ruiz nail this first issue and effectively set the stage for a big encounter in the small town of Riverdale. Let’s hope there’s a town left after the Predator strikes.
