Comic Review: Jughead: The Hunger #9

Jughead: The Hunger #9

Archie Comics

Writer: Frank Tieri

Artist: Pat & Tim Kennedy, Joe Eisma

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two arcs of Jughead: The Hunger. It took the characters of Riverdale and gave them a fun horror story to work within. The results were enjoyable and had me eying the new story arc with excitement. The previous issue was more of a history lesson on Riverdale, and it’s werewolf problem than an extension of the narrative. It was forgivable, so now we see what is happening in this new story arc. Right?

For a series that was white-knuckle and fast-paced, since the conclusion of the last arc in issue #7 it has been spinning its wheels. This issue is suffering from that same problem in the first half. By the end of this issue, we are clear who the villains are for this story arc and how much of an uphill climb our heroes are in for. I still enjoy the group of protagonists that Tieri has given us. They still keep their personalities while working within this horror premise. It has been a nice ride so far and the final pages of this issue signal there is more fun to come.

Frank Tieri has done a great job so far using the Riverdale characters and inserting them in this supernatural storyline. The characters of Archie Comics are so well established that they fit so well in so many different backdrops. Tieri has capitalized on the werewolf concept and given us one of the best Archie spin-offs in years.

The art team on this book has been doing a good job. They especially shine when the werewolves are on the page, and this issue does not have a lot of them. That being said, their art is serviceable, and they capture the designs of our favorite Archie characters well. They didn’t have a lot to do in this issue, but the next issue should have more action and beasts in the panels.

This issue is starting us on our journey of the next story arc. The villains have been set, and now it is time to square off and handle business. This issue isn’t action-packed, but it is still necessary. If you are into Archie, and especially the Archie Horror series’, then this is still a must-pull.