Written by: Patrick Horvath
Illustrated and lettered by: Tyler Crook
Coloring by: Francesco Segala
With flats by: Sabrina del Grosso
Cover by: Tyler Crook
Published by: Oni Press
Summary:
Archie in Hell starts off with the tone of your typical Archie comics that you would expect: youthful and with the feel of a slice-of-life comic. Archie in Hell takes a slight turn in tone towards the halfway point of the issue, showing a dead body in a closet, with a severed neck. The first part of this story focuses on a normal day in Riverdale, when it’s revealed that something more sinister is taking place in the town.
Archie is captured by a cult called the Order of A’ldrax that has chosen him to become a sacrifice for their ritual. Blood and gore are seen throughout this issue. Sabrina and Reggie find the hideout where Archie is being held and decide to intervene before the sacrifice.
Archie dies during the ritual and is sent back in time to 1690. The rest of the issue tells the story of how he is attempting to escape another dimension, another life.
I think Archie fans who also love horror will be interested in reading this series, as it’s a change of pace from the typical pace that you would usually encounter in an Archie book. Many side characters have an appearance in this one, such as Reggie and Sabrina.
Overall: 7/10
India Williams is a comic writer and reviewer based in Florida. She is a lifelong comics fan, with favorites including Thor, Conan, G.I. Joe, and Speed Racer. When she’s not writing comics or reviewing them, she enjoys toy photography.
