The Archies #4
Writers: Alex Segura and Matthew Rosenberg
Artist: Joe Eisma
Colourist: Matt Herms
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Publisher: Archie Comics
Review by Josh Rose
I was listening to the Monkees music while I read this. I remember some of the songs from watching Monkees reruns as a kid, but some of the songs referenced in The Archies #4 I had to look up. What was really neat about these two bands is that the Monkees and the Archies were both created for TV by Don Kirshner, a music producer. The Archies are in the middle of a gig and things aren’t going so well for them. Archie has a shoe thrown at him, knocking him out and sending us into his dream.
Alex Segura and Matthew Rosenberg have written a story that seems chaotic, but it falls in line with the zany adventures of 60’s sitcoms and dreams. Superhero costumes, rescuing Davy Jones, and Battle of the Bands in a volcano. Only in these retro adventures could we see leads for rescuing someone pop out of thin air and not really question it. Segura and Rosenberg also talk briefly about the state of the current music industry–particularly manufactured (see autotune and electronic) versus acoustic music.
Joe Eisma does a great job of drawing in two different styles. It’s a modern and more edgy style when Archie’s awake, and the dream is in the classic cartoonish Archie style. The clothes the Archies wear are even what they wore in The Archie Show. Matt Herms also does a great job adapting to the different styles with his colours. His colours are darker in the real world in comparison to the vibrant and bold colours in the dream.
The Verdict: Buy it.
The Archies #4 is a fun story that harkens back to the old Monkees and Archie shows of the late 60’s, all while incorporating classic Archie elements from over the decades. You don’t have to know who the Monkees are, or have read previous issues of The Archies or any other Archie comics, to enjoy this adventure in bubblegum pop.
