Open Mike Night - Afterlife with Archie #10

Afterlife with Archie #10

Written by: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art by: Francesco Francavilla
Lettered by: Jack Morelli

​Published by: Archie
Cover Price:  $3.99

Mike Maillaro: I know this sounds snarky, but whenever we get a new issue of Afterlife with Archie, it’s pretty exciting. Since the series started way back in October 2013, we have gotten only 10 issues, which is kind of absurd.  What makes this unpredictable release schedule so frustrating, is that quite often the main story is derailed by entire issues that are side stories.  This was the longest issue of Afterlife with Archie...and it doesn’t even touch on any of the characters in Afterlife with Archie.  Instead, we are given a very disturbing alternate history of Josie and the Pussycats.

But here’s the thing about Afterlife With Archie (and it’s sister book, Sabrina), when you do get a new issue, it is always a compelling piece of work that really jolts the reader.  I never thought I would get to write a review of a Josie and the Pussycats that works the KKK and Charles Manson into the narrative, but here we are…

Weaver: So in this telling, Josie grew up in a Dickensian (but not as romantic and well-written) orphanage starting in 1906 along with three friends who became the proto-Pussycats (then called the Cabot Sisters).  Approximately 17 years later, she becomes a vampire and turns two of her friends into vampires. The fourth friend was married off to their manager.  

Every ten years or so, they reinvent themselves as a new teen girl band, have a couple hits, then go back into hiding.  Meanwhile, Josie’s vampiric creator occasionally pops by to make life hell for them...and I’m not entirely sure why, since it’s not like she had a chance to make him mad at her.  He left before she was even fully aware of her new state.  Eventually, the fourth friend shows up, now an old cancer ridden woman, and begs to be made a vampire.  Josie explains that she can’t take away her pain, and decides to feast on her blood instead.  At the end, they head to Riverdale, only to discover it’s a riot scene, finally touching on the main story of Afterlife with Archie.

So, we have various pop songs across the decades wander through here, the Great Gatsby is directly referenced during the vampire creation scenes, music people forcing underage pseudo-relatives into marriage, the KKK, Charles Manson, and, well, just a lot of stuff.  I’m not sure all of it fits, but it is engaging.

Maillaro: I actually think that could be the tagline for Afterlife with Archie.  So many of the characters have changed so dramatically, and often in some real disturbing ways.  I loved Josie and the Pussycats as a kid.  I even liked Pussycats in Outer Space...which I am sure most people would rather forget.   There isn’t a lot here that I would immediately connect to Josie and the Pussycats, but it’s still a damn good read.

I was surprised by how much social commentary they worked in here.  The racist elements around Valerie were a particular surprise, and added some real depth to the character,

I definitely agree with you that the stuff with Josie’s “maker” felt off.  Towards the middle of the story, they drop the bomb that “he was the one responsible for killing Sharon Tate...and Charles Manson was just an innocent guy who got framed.”  It was a bit of a jolt to be honest.  Of all the people to “defend,” never thought I would see Charles Manson’s name come up.  It’s almost like someone saying “I am writing a work of fiction where Hitler was just really misunderstood.”

Weaver: Yeah, I didn’t care for that myself.  It felt like a bridge too far.  Then again, if you’re tossing Josie towards being a blood sucking vampire willing to kill various and sundry reporters over the years...well, I guess there aren’t many bridges further than that.  I’m not sure how you could write that whole thing off as a frame up because even assuming he isn’t involved in the Tate murders, there’s like a billion other indications of “dangerously crazy” that he was involved in. Anyway.

I also didn’t really like the “We’re a new band every exactly ten years.”  It felt like after five or six incarnations, you’d get bored with it and just sit back and count your money.  I can get occasional reunion tours and whatnot, but it’s hard to buy three vampires constantly reinventing themselves as pop stars.

It sounds like I didn’t like a lot in this issue, but actually, I thought it was pretty good...except for some things that really bugged me, as stated above.

Maillaro: I was just taking it as a VERY alternate reality.  If Cherry Blossom is a murdering incestous nutter, then Manson as a frame job is a little more believable.  Okay, yeah it’s still a hell of a stretch...

Weaver: I wish this had more to do with the core story of Afterlife.  It basically references everything but the series it’s actually a part of until the very end.  It would have been better as a one shot and not original series numbering, or coming out in pieces during Josie in Afterlife doing things, but like this, I dunno. Again, good issue, goes to some places that are a little too weird, but it’s so divorced from everything else that it’s hard to accept it as an installment of Afterlife.

Maillaro: It’s especially annoying since there is such a large gap between issues.  I don’t mind “fill-ins” when you are getting 10-12 full issues of a series a year.  But we’ve haven’t even gotten that over the nearly four years the series has been out, so that makes it even more frustrating to me.  I get that the art on this book takes some time, but there reaches a point where you have to decide what’s in the best interest for the series.  Saga resolves this by doing six straight issues, and then taking a break to catch up.  That is a far better system than this.

Like you said, I enjoyed what was here, but there are a lot of little things that take this from “awesome comic” to “really good comic with some odd choices.”

Scores?  I love the art.  Always have with this book.  5 out of 5.  Even if it is the cause of these hellacious delays.  For writing, I like a solid 3.5.  It’s a good book that could have been great if not for some nagging details that I just can’t ignore.

Weaver: I agree fully with those scores.  I like a lot of the background little touches in the various scenes, especially the Great Gatsby eye doctor billboard.  I wish I could justify bumping this up to a 4 or higher for writing, but there were just too many things holding it back.  Can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, but I feel like we got some eggshell in this omelette.

Maillaro: Man, we have hit a real patch of AVERAGE books in last few weeks.  Which is a shame, because I read a lot of pretty good comics, but I always try to cover something new or unique, not just “here’s the newest issue of Batman.”

My suggestion was next week is something very much in your wheelhouse.  It’s an Aftershock book called Alters...and features a transgendered hero!

“As the world struggles to accept the emergence of these Alters, a young woman begins her transition from male to female only to find herself also transitioning into a powerful Alter. Faced with persecution by the multi-powered fascist known only as Matter Man, she will face the world as Chalice–a hero for a new age. But as Chalice navigates the path to becoming her true self, she must juggle the complications of her civilian life and the responsibilities of her newfound power.”

Weaver: I don’t know whether to take that as a compliment or not, so I’ll take that as a compliment.  Let’s do it.

Summary: A very new version of the story of Josie and the Pussycats.  Lots of cool elements here, but at times it feels like it went a little too far. This probably would have worked better as a stand alone one-shot rather that a numbered issue of a long delayed main series.  The art is terrific and the writing is mostly solid, but it just falls short of being a great comic.
 

Final Scores