A 2015 Top Ten Great Graphic Novel for Teens
When Jughead's much loved pup, Hot Dog, is killed in a hit and run right before Halloween, Jughead naturally turns to Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and her aunts to bring him back. Her aunts refuse, but Sabrina secretly uses dark magic to bring Hot Dog back. But Hot Dog is no longer the same, and neither is Jughead after he gets bitten by his dog. Now Jughead has a taste for flesh... human flesh... and soon Riverdale is overrun with shambling, hungry zombies. Retreating to Veronica's mansion, the safest place Archie and his pals know, they must decide: ride out the zombies and let everyone they know die, or head out to find help.
You might think that mixing Archie, that bastion of mid-century wholesome Americana, with zombies, the monster-du-jour, might come off as hokey or silly, but in this case, you would be absolutely wrong. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa writes Afterlife with Archie like a good horror movie, and Francesco Francavilla's art drives it home. And let's talk about that art! Incredibly atmospheric and haunting, Francavilla updates the look of the Archie characters from their cartoon-y selves while still paying homage to the classic designs, and then he paints them all in inky black shadows and bright splatters of blood red, and it just ups the creep factor to 11. This book seriously blew me away. Don't let the thought of Archie meeting zombies keep you from dismissing this one, especially if you're into horror.
(Read as part of YALSA's Hub Reading Challenge.)
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