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The nostalgia is strong with this one. I remember being a kid and anticipating the moment that I would receive a new Archie comic from my mother as she got home from work. Every once in a while she would bring home a new Archie digest and I would be ecstatic. I loved reading Archie, in fact, Archie was my first exploration into the world of comics. Whether it be Archie, Betty & Veronica or Jughead, I was always excited to start reading more about Archie and his friends at Riverdale High School.

The second I heard about this new and revamped Archie series, I automatically added it to my list of comics to buy ASAP. How could I not? Archie was a huge part of my childhood and the excitement was real. On top of the overall excitement regarding the new series as a whole, I became even more excited when I noticed that the artwork was created by the one and only Fiona Staples who is also responsible for the amazing artwork within the comic book series Saga. Everything was leading me to believe that this new Archie was going to be amazing and I’m happy to say that I absolutely loved it!

I may be biased because of my overall love for this story and its characters, but I absolutely adored this take on the classic Archie! It felt new and refreshed and even though I already knew who the characters were, it felt like I was learning about them all over again. There were many familiar characters such as Archie (duh), Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie and even Moose made a quick appearance! There were also a few characters that I wasn’t too familiar with. I had heard of Kevin beforehand, but I had never actually read any Archie issues or digests with him in them before, despite their insane popularity. I hope I get to learn a little bit more about him as this series continues!

Can I just say that I think I might be in love with Jughead? Yup, I’m in love with Jughead. I remember thinking he was hilarious when I was a kid and nothing has changed. He is great comic relief, but he’s also a great friend. He is completely loyal to his best friends Archie & Betty and he respects both of their wishes after their break-up, even when the rest of their friends try to get them back together regardless of Jughead’s pleas to just leave them alone. Jughead is definitely my most favourite character within the world of Archie.

The artwork within these series is beyond wonderful, but I mean I had no doubt that Fiona Staples would absolutely kill it…and I mean that in the best of ways possible. She modernized each character without taking away their signature features that made them who they are. Archie needs his red-headed locks and Jughead needs his crown and slightly large nose. Hell, even Reggie is still as greasy as ever. Fiona Staples did a fantastic job of re-creating the characters in her own personal art style while still keeping them familiar and recognizable.

Now, we can’t leave Mark Waid out of this review. He did an amazing job in writing this story in a new and creative way while also keeping the same tone and feel as the originals. Archie is still a giant klutz and slightly naive, Betty is still the girl next door, Veronica is still the slightly conceited princess, Jughead is still food-crazy and hilarious and Reggie is still a slimy human being. These are the characters that we all know and love. In a world where there are so many Archie comics that already exist, Mark Waid found a way to write something new and creative.

As you probably may have noticed by now, I love Archie and I loved this take on the classic characters. It was a wonderful introduction into a new world of Archie and I cannot wait to dive into the rest of the series!