Afterlife with Archie #10 Review

Afterlife with Archie #10

Writer: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Artist: Francesco Francavilla
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Editor: Victor Gorelick
Publisher: Archie Comics

A review by Amelia Wellman

Imagine a really great comic. It’s got amazing art, a unique story that’s chilling and disturbing, and it’s absolutely impossible to put down once you begin. Now imagine going a little bit crazy waiting month by month for this comic to come out because it doesn’t follow a set release schedule. That’s Afterlife with Archie! Between issues eight and nine, there was a full year’s wait. Between issues nine and ten: only three months! It’s almost like Christmas having another issue out so close to the last!

Afterlife with Archie #10 is an interlude with Josie and the Pussycats. Before the end of the world began, the female pop trio was setting music charts on fire. But in a world of the internet and TMZ paparazzi-driven media, the three women have kept their private lives a secret from everyone. Until now. A full-access interview promises the tragic and terrifying origin story of the band that’s been keeping such a closely guarded secret.

As Afterlife with Archie #10 is an interlude with the Pussycats, none of the regular story arc characters are here. Honestly, I’m a little disappointed. After issue nine ending the way it did, I’m dying to know where the main story is going. This small subversion to the main arc is interesting, but it’s come at a less than ideal time. I was willing to wait for the continuation of the main story, but this? Who knows how long it’ll be until the next issue and you’ve given me Josie and the Pussycats! I want more Archie/zombie/Elder Gods in my Afterlife with Archie and I want it now!

The story that’s told in Afterlife with Archie #10 follows Josie, Valerie, and Melody and the big secret they’ve been keeping. A surprise to no one familiar with this series, it’s a supernatural secret. Though it’s fairly obvious what their secret is based on the cover art, I won’t spoil it here. I will say is that this issue is very wordy. The story is the centrepiece and it’s literally just Josie telling it from the beginning to the end. Like I said above, it’s interesting, but not at all what I wanted after the last issue.

The art style is exactly the same as it is in the main story line, which, like the narrative in this issue itself, is a bit disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, Francavilla’s art within this series is always on point. But with such a story heavy issue the art doesn’t have much to add. It still creates a foreboding atmosphere and I love how the colour scheme never strays too far away from vivid oranges, blues, and purples, but a little experimentation to match the experimentation in the story wouldn’t have gone amiss.

The Verdict
Check It Out. I wanted more from Afterlife with Archie #10 than what I got, but that’s not to say there isn’t good stuff here. Fans of the series will want it for the good feelings that come with a complete set and it’s a fascinating addition to the universe that Afterlife with Archie inhabits. As long as it isn’t a year long wait between this and getting back to the Betty: RIP story line, I’m satisfied with this paranormal Pussycat related diversion.