Review: Reggie and Me
Quick Summary
Pros: This was a unique and fair look into the character of someone who is typically a villain in this universe. The book contains a wholesome and thoughtful message.
Cons: The narration over explains a lot, especially at the beginning of new issues.
Overall: This is a great character driven story with a very interesting premise. It takes the villain that Archie Comics fans love to hate and shows him in a brand new light. Sly comedy and touching feelings abound in this story narrated entirely from the perspective of Reggie’s dog. If you like Archie Comics at all then this is not a series to miss.
Story
In Reggie and Me, writer Tom DeFalco does the impossible, he actually makes readers care about Reggie Mantle. He peels back the layers of Riverdale’s biggest supervillain and shows that there is more to him than meets the eye. This journey is unique and interesting while also finding time for plenty of wholesomeness and comedy. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend jumping into this series with no knowledge of Archie Comics, since knowing Reggie’s place in Riverdale’s hierarchy is rather important. But anyone who has read Archie before will find plenty to love.
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The story in this book is pretty straightforward, Reggie likes a girl but she has a boyfriend. So he goes through a series of sneaky and deceitful tactics in order to break the two up, while simultaneously taking down Archie Andrews, his arch enemy. The plan ultimately blows up in Reggie’s face but, to his surprise, he actually ends up becoming closer to his friends by the end of it all.
The unique part about this story is that everything is viewed through the eyes of Reggie’s dog, Vader. Vader loves Reggie unconditionally, and so his narrative reflects it. All of Reggie’s actions and misdeeds seem justified through Vader and thus readers can start to see things that way too. Plus, it allows comedy to sneak into the story as Vader typically is able to find humor in things that others would not. It is a clever and unique way to look at things that really enhances the story as a whole.
The best part of this book is how it takes a character as unlikable and annoying as Reggie and manages to make the reader connect with him. This book presents Reggie in a way that doesn’t automatically make him a hero, but makes a case against him being pure evil. Readers see his absentee parents, his insecurities, and all of his self doubts. They can then understand why he isolates himself, even to his own friends. This perspective flip is excellent and is what solidifies the story as being a treasure among the “New Riverdale” line of comics.
The biggest problem I had with this volume is the way introductions are handled. In the book’s first few pages, the cast is introduced and their personalities are explained. However, in nearly every subsequent issue, this very same introduction is made again. I would understand this in a longer series, where introductions are made every couple of issues, but a five issue limited series has no need for this. It is distracting and a waste of time for anyone reading.
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Art
The art here, much like the art throughout the “New Riverdale” series of publications, manages to capture the feeling and look that match the series’ tone very well. Sandy Jarrell’s more distinct lines and Kelly Fitzpatrick’s use of more faded colors give the book a more somber and serious tone to match this “villain” based story. It also benefits the series in that it gives it a look that more heavily resembles the original Archie Comics as well. Overall the art works very well here. It might not be as pretty as Adam Hughes or Fiona Staple’s work in the other series, but it does what it needs to here and it does it well.
Continuity
Reggie and Me is a new series set in the “New Riverdale” universe. Currently, it is not entirely clear if the “New Riverdale” comic series are set in the same universe or not. If they are, then Reggie and Me seems to occur sometime after Archie Vol. 1 (Review), as indicated by Veronica and Archie’s relationship.
Overall though, you really do not have to have read anything prior to this to understand the story or characters. Reading the Archie series will give you a little better perspective on the characters and how they interact, but will not give you any additional information about their history in this comic.