By Andrew A. Smith
Tribune Content Agency
If there's one comics character I wouldn't mind being, it's Jughead Jones. And never moreso than now, when he's been re-invented for a new generation.
And he isn't alone.
Archie Comics, once famous for being risk-averse, is now one of the most dynamic publishers in comics. And one of their latest forays is the reboot of their flagship character and his friends.
Three months ago saw the advent of a new "Archie" #1, with Riverdale's famous redhead re-imagined by the all-star team of artist Fiona Staples (Saga) and writer Mark Waid (everything else). Archie, Betty, Veronica, Reggie and the rest have all been updated for the 21st century -- and very cleverly, too.
Naturally, that includes Forsythe P. "Jughead" Jones -- that oddest of creatures, a teenager comfortable in his own skin. Yes, he still loves food. Yes, he's still lazy. Yes, he still wears that weird beanie. In the most obvious ways, the "new" Jughead is much like the old.
But in a recent issue of the new Archie, which came out a few weeks ago, Waid re-imagined Jughead to make this legendary individualist more three-dimensional than before. Instead of his 1940s origins as Archie's hard-luck buddy from the wrong side of the tracks -- something of a stock character in those days -- the new Jughead was wealthy as a child. His father lost all that wealth, but not before his son learned the greatest lesson of all, that money doesn't make you happy. The new Jughead knows he's rich in the important sense, by having friends like Archie and Betty. He is thus content, and that contentedness -- his lack of ambition, of aggression, of greed -- is what makes folks think he's weird.
The lesson, which everyone in Riverdale misses, is that we would all be happier if we were equally "weird."
Barring that, we can still follow our old buddy in his new life, beginning with Jughead #1, which shipped Oct. 7. And we should, because we not only re-unite with an old friend, but because the comic book genuinely funny.
The lead story, which has several laugh-out-loud moments, puts Juggie in his natural habitat (Riverdale High) indulging in his usual behavior (apathy). Meanwhile, his fellow creatures are following their natural inclinations, with Betty being earnest and ambitious, and Archie being ... well, Archie.
But all is not well in Riverdale. A new principal has displaced the venerable Mr. Weatherbee. And not only does the new guy take an immediate dislike to the sloppy kid in the beanie, but he messes with the one thing Jughead cares about: food. On the new principal's order, the cafeteria will serve a strict regimen of bland, healthy foods.
This, as Bugs Bunny would say, means war.
That's the story. The art is by Erica Henderson (Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) and I have to say it's not soup yet. I'm sure Henderson will eventually find her footing, but right now Juggie's famous needle nose has been de-cartoonized so as to be plausible, but is still badly exaggerated enough to look like a birth defect. Overall the art as a whole owes a bit more to the newly popular "primitive" style than I prefer.
Jughead #1 has a quick remedy for that, with a reprint from Archie's Pal Jughead #1 from 1949. The art in the still-amusing "Experiment Perilous" is by Samm Schwartz, a consummate cartoonist who ended up being Jughead's main artist for the following few decades. Schwartz was already good in 1949, with hints of how good he'd become.
Art aside, the new Jughead -- like the new Archie before it -- hits the ball out of the park in story, characterization and character history. Riverdale has video games and wi-fi now, but the new Jughead and the gang are as familiar and comfortable as ... well, on old beanie.
Elsewhere:
New publisher Z2 Comics has dropped two more creator-owned graphic novels as it gears up for three ongoing series debuting in the weeks ahead.
Pawn Shop ($19.99) is the story of four New Yorkers whose lives unknowingly intersect at a pawn shop. It's written by Joey Esposito (Footprints) and drawn by Sean Von (Toe Tag Riot).
That's not a unique set-up, but it's usually an entertaining one, if for no other reason than that careful reading rewards with cameos and vignettes of various characters in the background as their stories overlap. And as Pulp Fiction proved, everyday audiences can easily follow -- and enthusiastically enjoy -- non-linear stories that bump into each other.
Of course, they must be executed well, and Esposito does so here. The four stories follow a lonley widower, a Long Island Railroad employee with a disabled brother, a faint-hearted hospice nurse and a punk addict with an abusive boyfriend. Their stories meet in big ways and small, but as noted, in rewarding ways.
All four stories are emotionally engaging, with a couple that are genuinely moving. All four come to conclusions of a sort, meaning four stories for the price of one.
Again, my only criticism is the art. While I appreciate Von's effort -- watercolors laid over digital art -- it, too, owes much to the "primitive" style. Some like it, but I find that it looks unfinished and a bit schizophrenic, as if the artist can't decide whether to go realistic or cartoony. But unlike some art in this style, Von's is very serviceable, with all characters instantly recognizable in stories that flow well.
I was less impressed with Ashes: A Firefighter's Tale ($19.99), written by Mario Candelaria and drawn by Karl Slominski.
Once again I didn't care for the art, which in this case aimed for realism and simply missed. Faces weren't always consistent and over-rendering sometimes devolved into unreadable. That can be tough to follow, especially in black and white comics, as is the case here.
And the story, while sincere and heartfelt, felt a bit ham-handed. It's about a firefighter who loses a leg, and learns that he can overcome his handicap with the help of friends and family. Um, OK. Is that really a story crying to be told?
And while I hate to pile on, the story felt cliched even before the lead character's accident, as the dialogue is more a catalog of firefighter salary arguments than anything real people say. This story is set in New York (of course), but I've read identical remarks in my local newspaper made by firefighter reps at city council meetings. That's not dialogue; it's a soapbox.
Which is not to say that "Ashes" doesn't have some fine moments and an admirable intent. It does. But I suspect the only people who will enjoy it cover to cover are firefighters and their relatives.
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