Jughead the Hunger #3
Writer: Frank Tieri
Artists: Pat & Tim Kennedy (p.1-10), Joe Eisma (p.11-20)
Colorist: Matt Herms
Inker: Bob Smith (p.1-10)
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Publisher: Archie Comic Publications
Jughead the Hunger #3 follows Jughead as he learns the truth about his cousin Bingo Wilkin. Archie, Betty and Bo continue to track down Jughead with the intent to hunt him down. Also, Reggie makes a drastic move to get back at Jughead for murdering him.
Jughead the Hunger #3 is a solid issue that moves the story along, while introducing new elements that up the ante. I’m not well-versed in Archie Comics, so there were times where I wasn’t sure who was who and what was what; however, I didn’t feel lost in the story being told. Of my little exposure to Archie and his friends, Jughead quickly became my favorite. And it has been nice to see his sense of humor and humanity remain intact throughout these events.
He is trying to come to terms with what is happening to him, and Bingo, who is of a different mindset, tries to convince him to embrace this new change. The heat gets turned up on these two as they are confronted again by Archie, Betty, and Bo. And, without spoiling anything, something happens in Jughead the Hunger #3 that could only happen in an alternate universe Archie horror tale. I like the way that, in spite of this being an alternate universe horror story, all the characters are derivative of their mainstream comic counterparts.
The art works well for this story. The panel backgrounds are mostly either a dark shade of green and gray or a bright blood-red. This is not for all-ages, like your typical Archie book, what with its blood and gore (don’t read this to the kids before bed!). The artist is definitely having fun with this concept, and it’s never more apparent than when Jughead the werewolf (Jug-Wolf? Were-head?) viciously attacks a deer, which is basically just a bunch of raw deer burgers, right? The pacing in Jughead the Hunger #3 is tight but gives plenty of time to all parties involved. The book ends with an interesting development that should prove to put the heat on our troubled titular hero.
Verdict:
Buy it. If you like seeing far-fetched alternate versions of your favorite Archie characters, buy Jughead the Hunger #3. However, if that’s not you, you may want to wait for the trade as each issue comes out about every two months.
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