Comic Review: Archie V Predator

As you know, I am all about Archie.  One of their latest offerings was their limited series: Archie V Predator.  I have made mention of the mini series in some posts here and on our FB page.  As the final issue came out this week, I wanted to recap the series.

The set up is that the Riverdale Gang wins a trip to an exotic island for Spring Break. Unbeknownst to the gang, the Predator is also on the island and somehow Cheryl Blossom happens upon an ancient weapon which draws the Predator to the Riverdale Gang.  The predator kills Cheryl but the weapon had been moved to Betty's luggage so the Predator follows the gang back to Riverdale.  Once Predator arrives in Riverdale, the books turns into these hilariously, ridiculous scenarios where most of your favorites get killed in brutal fashion.  I'm talking decapitation, heads being blown off, people being impaled with the spines ripped out.  Its bloody and brutal, but also very comic- book like and should not be scary for kids to read( my 8 year old daughter read it and thought it was a hoot).

Good Bye Pop Tate

As more and more of their friends are being killed, the gang seeks out the help of Sabrina the Teenage Witch who attempts a spell to halt the Predator.  It does not work!

So the gang develops an attack plan to deal with the situation.  All the role players from the Riverdale gang from Chuck Clayton to Moose arm themselves up to the hilt to attack the Predator and their attack is met with the results you would imagine.

All mixed in between is this social commentary by the books writers about how violent situations are handled and how minorities are portrayed in these situations.

The survivors wind up back at Riverdale High ( Betty, Veronica, Archie, Jughead, and Dilton).  Predator begins to pick them off one by one and Jughead meets quite the brutal death.  This finally inspires Archie to take down the Predator.  Luckily, Dilton has built an Amazing Archie Battle Suit for this type of emergency situation( he designed it to look like Archie because, jealously, Everything is about Archie. Ouch).

Dilton powers it up and has some success fighting off Predator , but not for long.
The final book of the series is the most disappointing.  They wrap the conclusion very quickly and its not nearly as witty and entertaining as the previous three.  The final survivors, of course, are Archie, Betty, and Veronica. Archie is hurt and somehow put in some machine that makes him bigger and stronger so as to fight the Predator and save the girls( Everything is Archie).  But when the Predator finally does kill Archie, this pisses the girls off and they go HAM on the Predator!

Unable to fully kill him, Veronica sets up the self destruct button in the Lodge Panic Room and blow up the Predator.

Pretty much the series in a whole. I enjoyed the three issues before the finale.  Its fun and gory and highly entertaining.  If you are a fan of Archie's non mainstream universe, I would highly recommend it.

-The Producer