Review: Reggie and Me Issue 1
Quick Summary
Pros: This was a thoughtful and fair look into the character of someone who is typically a villain in this universe. It also features a more introspective and thoughtful look at some of the characters who will be in this series.
Cons: The comic doesn’t contain a lot of humor, which is a change up from the rest of the “New Riverdale” universe.
Overall: This is a great start to this new series and a good indicator that this is going to be a book to watch. The story is very character driven so far and that is a very good thing. This first issue peels away multiple layers from the biggest villain this universe has, yet does so in a way that is both compelling and intriguing. If you liked Archie but cared more about the characters than what was happening in Riverdale then you will love this first issue.
Story
After reading Archie Vol. 1 (Review) I thought there was no way that some book focused on Reggie could be any good. Reggie is the villain, he’s a bad guy, how could anyone like him? By the end of this one issue I realized how wrong I was. This is a great start to the series and ends up actually getting the audience to connect with Reggie. It makes you feel for him and become interested in his story, while still not turning his character around and making him a hero all of a sudden. If the rest of the series plays out like this first issue did then this may end up being one of the better “New Riverdale” books.
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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. In this way, it actually ends up feeling a lot like Marvel’s Darth Vader series (Review). This book presents Reggie in a way that doesn’t automatically make him a heroic nice guy who is simply misunderstood. Instead it simply shows that there is more to him and his actions than meets the eye. This includes the fact that he struggles intensely with some deep personal issues that prevent him from making friends, possibly stemming from the fact that his parents are never around. Finding out things like this really make this story and will hopefully be built upon as this series progresses.
The only thing that really feels off about this issue is that it ends up not being that funny. While the rest of the “New Riverdale” universe is filled with characters cracking jokes or getting into hijinks on nearly every page, this issue ended up being a little more somber. It simply did not end up having too many humorous moments in it. This may have been because the issue was a little exposition heavy or it may simply be that this series is attempting to go for a different tone. Time will tell what the rest of the series ends up being like.
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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. The more distinct lines and lack of vivid colors give the book a more somber and series tone to match this exposition heavy first issue. 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
This story is the first issue in the Reggie and Me series of the “New Riverdale” universe. It seems to occur somewhere after Archie Vol. 1 (Review), 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 earlier Archie Comics (particularly the Archie’s Rival 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 relaunched comic.