That may sound a bit hyperbolic to be sure, but anyone who has read the touching and terrifying fourth issue of Afterlife with Archie will agree with the assessment that the comic explodes with creative potential. If you have been following Den of Geek’s updates about this issue, then you know that Archie encounters a zombified loved one in its pages. While I wouldn’t dare to reveal the who, when, and whys of this meeting, I will say that it results in the second of two deaths in the issue that are absolutely devastating. The writing of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa here is a series best to date, while Francesco Francavilla’s illustrative flashbacks to better times are handled with subtlety and infused with a warm richness that is otherwise absent from Riverdale’s now-apocalyptic landscape. The only slight downside to this issue is that its brief glimpse into the increasingly twisted/incestuous lives of Cheryl and Jason Blossom are somewhat tonally out of whack with the emotional weight of the main story. The “Blossoms in the Attic” storyline (a brilliant marketing description cooked up by Archie’s publicity department) is intriguing to be sure, but it would have been better placed in a later issue where it wouldn’t have been overshadowed by the stunning lead narrative. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that’s your thing!
