This is the first issue of a new series featuring new and classic stories of the Archie crew with a heavy emphasis on action (hence the title).

First up is a 5-page story written by Daniel Kibblesmith and drawn by Ryan Jampole called ARCHIE’S SUPER MECHA TEENS. This is a sci-fi story, that re-imagines Archie as Mecha anime characters. Set in a future time (the year “202X”) where Archie is a cadet in the Mecha Teen Project, run by Commander Weatherbee, as they’re trained to pilot giant robots that…well, they fight other giant alien robots…for reasons. Part of the premise is that each robot has two co-pilots, and they’re assigned as partners by their “neural compatibility” which makes sure that their mental decisions are in sync. But Archie’s been tested and is a rare “blank slate,” which means he would be compatible with anyone, so he gets to choose whom he wants to partner with, and his top two choices are cadet Veronica Lodge with her mech, Killer Couture, or cadet Betty Cooper with her mech, Alpha Betsy. It’s a fun little story with a creative sci-fi twist on the classic Betty or Veronica story. I won’t spoil whom Archie chooses.

Bill Golliher writer and the Kennedy Bros. draw  CRISIS ON RIVERDALE EARTHS.  A version of Jughead from the Time Police appears on Archie’s doorstep and informs him that he needs his help to defeat a couple of supervillains from alternate timelines who’ve teamed up for some dastardly plan to control the spacetime continuum…or something. Okay, it’s a little confusing, but it’s fun as our tour heroes hope across dimensions and encounter, or at least reference, different versions of Archie, from Little Archie to The New Archies, to the superhero version of Archie. It’s fun stuff and would have been interesting if this were the plot of a full miniseries, rather than just a 10-page short story so they could have explored these other versions even more.

INTO THE RIVERDALE TRIANGLE is a 2-part 11-page story written by Rich Margopoulos and drawn by Rex Lindsey, where Archie and his father go on a fishing trip with Veronica and her father, on Mr. Lodge’s expensive cabin cruiser but get lost in the Riverdale Triangle, an obvious analogy of the Bermuda Triangle, and end up stranded on a hidden island that’s filled with dinosaurs. It’s going to take some fast thinking and ingenuity to get out of that mess.

This is a creative collection of all-ages Archie tales for old and new fans alike! Chacebook rating: FIVE STARS

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