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Archie vs Predator II – The More Bizarre Sequel

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It’s not uncommon for different comic book companies to have multiple crossovers. Hell, Batman and TMNT have had three crossovers. But to give “Archie vs Predator” a sequel seems like an odd choice. The original story left the town destroyed and only three survivors – Betty, Veronica, and the teen Predator now physically transformed to look like Archie. It doesn’t seem like there is anywhere left to go after an intense ending like that. But it turns out there is one path. Make it bigger but even more insane than first by doing whatever you want.

Right from the first page of this story, you know your in for a wild ride. Because both Betty & Veronica break the Fourth Wall and speak to the reader! To be fair, I’m not a regular Archie Comics reader. And I don’t really read the main series. But this is the first time I’ve heard of any Archie comic turn full Deadpool like this. But shortly after that, they actually introduce an idea that’s actually kind of cool & clever. Apparently, the characters of Riverdale just have to walk down Memory Lane – an actual street in their town – and it resets the town and the residents back to normal. There are details later on in the story that make me question how much they actually do that and how that actually works. As well as question if that’s always been a thing. But it for sure was utilized in the story “Archie Marries Veronica/Archie Marries Betty” about a decade before this story. And it does help a long-running comic series like Archie maintain the status quo while still keeping a bunch of random events canon to varying degrees.

But when they try to do that, it turns out the road is closed. And they immediately recognize this as them being canceled. So…there is one thing to note about the original “Archie vs Predator” story. Around the time it was being published, Archie Comics was planning a relaunch of their Archie title. Restart from the beginning and have a modern take on their characters. And when the last issue of “Archie vs Predator” came out, the first issue of their relaunch came out roughly within the same month. You can quite literally say that the original crossover killed off the Classic Archie Universe. But there is good news – all three of them get in a car and find themselves in the new modern Riverdale with their modern counterparts! We have straight up entered the multiverse within the first issue of this story!

And when I say their other counterparts are modern, I mean that their actual modern title has them more grounded as well. They have no experiences with the supernatural, aliens, or anything like that. And when you hear the stuff that Classic Betty & Veronica – including summoning THE DEVIL! – it does make them come off as crazy and over the top. But the modern counterparts to agree to help them figure out what is going on. That is, until a bunch of other Predators show up with their dogs to attack everyone at the Halloween Dance.

Time to tackle the Predator aspect of the comic. Our teen Predator spends the time in Classic Archie’s body, but it’s not the Predator’s head on top. Probably due to the skin breaking off due to the shape and size of the Predator’s natural head. In the original story, the comic would occasionally give him text balloons that only had emojis in it. It was a neat way of getting across the gist of what he is trying to communicate. This is utilized a bit more in the sequel and it does flesh him out a bit more. Doesn’t make him the most complex character, but adds a bit extra to him. The other Predators in this comic are great. But there is one flaw that is hard to overlook. In this comic, the art is more in line with the art used for the modern Archie Comics. Specifically, more in line with what you might get from the Archie Horror imprint. It works for the most part. But the art does make it hard to tell what species these other Predators are. Since our main Predator is a teen, these could just be older members of his race. But since they have their dogs, these also could be the Super Predators as seen in the movies “Predators” & “The Predator”. The art doesn’t do a great job of clarifying that for the readers, but I think they are supposed to be the Super Predators and I’ll explain why later.

Classic Betty & Veronica are trying to figure out how to help. They start trying to text people they used to know back in their universe to see if any made it. And that includes Frank AKA THE PUNISHER! You see why I question how often they use their walking down Memory Lane trick or how it works? It befuddles me why Frank would want to stay in touch with a bunch of teens in a town from a different comic book company. But that’s not the most surprising thing that occurs with our main ladies. As they are hiding from the Super Predators during their Halloween Dance massacre, there is a moment that actually took me by surprise. Classic Veronica saves Classic Betty’s life and admits to how she probably wouldn’t have saved their Archie in the same way. But then Betty gets Veronica to admit that Archie hasn’t actually been her romantic focus in years. And then Betty brings Veronica in for an embrace and kisses her forehead. From the way it is drawn in the comic – combined with a couple of other moments of interactions later on in the story – this is confirmation that Classic Betty & Veronica are attracted to each other.

I feel like this could have been a divisive moment depending on what kind of Archie Comics fan you are. The brand and title have historically been defined by the love triangle of Archie, Betty & Veronica. And while certain writers might have slipped in a joke that generally links this kind of romance between the ladies, I’m not aware of anything significant to support the theory that the two are non-heterosexual. And there is something more unique about having two girls with a strong bond like Betty & Veronica’s be strictly platonic. But…there is a strong argument for how the two of them always fighting each other yet still be friendly did lay the seeds for a realization for the two girls. And they are teenagers, which means they probably didn’t even realize who they really are in that sense quite yet. Speaking for myself, I’m fully behind this relationship pairing. Even if it is for just this story that – unlike it’s predecessor – isn’t technically canon. At least for the more modern version of the Archie title.

Anyway, while all the modern Riverdale counterparts are fighting for their lives, Classic Betty & Veronica try summoning the Devil. And he arrives and recognizes them from their own universe! Although I think in the Classic Archie-Verse, he’s referred to as Mr. Inferno. As they helplessly watch the final explosion happen with their teen Predator friend who survived, Veronica & even Betty talk about how much this miss their old home and how these modern versions might even be better than them. Mr Inferno surprisingly enough actually gives them genuine advice. He tells them they should stop being stuck in the past, trying to reclaim their glory days, and move on to new adventures. Turn into the Betty & Veronica they can truly be. And with that, Mr. Inferno resets the Modern Archie-Verse back to normal, erasing the events of the comic for them. But Classic Betty & Veronica, along with their Predator friend, are adults living in New York. And the two ladies admit that they don’t miss being eternal teenagers.

This is definitely not what I was expecting for “Archie vs Predator II”. With all the references to past events in Classic Archie and they way it’s presented, it kind of has the vibe of a Grant Morrison story. The writer of both of these crossovers, Alex de Campi, admits to how she kind of became a bit meaner & cynical in between the two crossovers. She’s a fan of the Classic Archie title and the bizarre things that happened in their continuity. But to try and do a similar yet different story that involved the more modern version was a tough thing to figure out. So she essentially turned it into a love letter to the Classic Archie-Verse. As well as tell a meta-story about growing up and finding your place in the world. This is why I think the Super Predators were used in this story. Even though the Predator films never went through a full on reboot/remake, the Super Predators were introduced in recent years and could be seen as the studio finding a way to reboot the idea and creatures. So the teen Predator fighting back against them can be seen as the original version of the creature as we know it still maintaining it’s status and fighting back against being changed to that degree.

But the commentary about growing up despite drastic changes is stronger in regards to Betty & Veronica. Which makes this story surprisingly have a lot of depth. From the first which was a surreal and delightfully twisted slasher story to this story, a bizarre multiversal coming of age story about growing up and being more sure of yourself. Again, not what I was expecting at all. But I’ll admit that this is far better than it had any right to be.

Comics

The Predator Hunts…Archie?!

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Archie Comics has had a number of crossovers featuring their title character. Archie has met The Ramones, TMNT, Glee, The Punisher…just to name a few. And recent years have shown the company isn’t afraid to get more experimental when it comes to their characters. And thankfully, that applies to their crossovers. But even though Frank Castle traveled to Riverdale, I don’t think anyone was expecting this to actually materialize. Friends, allow me to tell about the time Archie and his friends went up against…The Predator.

First things first – yes, it did take me until after I finished the comic to realize this comic can be spelled as AVP. I’m not mad, the first AVP film is underrated. But enough about that. It is truly bizarre that Dark Horse Comics (who owned the comic right to the Predator franchise at the time) was willing to do this. But one thing that took advantage of that shock was the art work. The style used is very much the traditional style utilized for Archie and his crew. This cleverly lulls you into a false sense of security and familiarity. Even when the hunter begins killing people in the first 2 issues of the 4 issue mini-series, it still feels like that somehow our main characters are going to come out of this okay.

Speaking of which, let’s talk about the characters. Even though the title is “Archie vs Predator”, our main human focus is on Betty & Veronica. Although slightly more on Betty because the Predator turns out to have a crush on her. Yes, seriously. The comic points out that this specific hunter is a teenage version of the average Predator. And they are able to establish that because apparently they have been coming to Archie’s Earth for years and the government knew they existed. Now I’m developing a theory about how this comic takes place in the same continuity as the Predator movies. Anyway, Betty actually does get several moments to shine in a weirdly darkly comedic way. Veronica is more of a supporting character in a few scenes because of that. But she makes contributions to the story, both good and bad. Bad in the sense that she got Jughead to dress up like her in an attempt to lure out the Predator as part of a trap. That did not work. Side note – the teen Predator also has a crush on Veronica.

But let’s actually get to the other person mentioned in the title – Archie. The ginger does try and take some sort of leadership as the conflict reveals itself and begins to escalate. He goes up against the alien a couple of times over the course of the series. But unfortunately…he’s killed. Yea, the Predator actually wins the title fight and survives to the end. There was an Afterword in my copy that talked about how the team were uncertain if they should kill off Archie, for fear it would seem repetitive of the then recent “Death of Archie” story. But they ultimately decided that as long as he wasn’t shot, no one would really mind. And I have to hand it to them, I didn’t think that would actually happen. Archie is killed off along with most of Riverdale and the recognizable characters.

That is except for Betty & Veronica. They do in fact survive due to the teen hunter’s surprise affection for them. And after he does help them escape an explosion, it seems only fair to thank him…as well as get a little payback. So Betty uses an advanced medical room that Veronica’s father has to not just heal the Predator’s wounds, but also TURN THE PREDATOR INTO ARCHIE! Remember how I mentioned Betty has a handful of darkly comedic moments in the comic? Turns out that’s because she is secretly unhinged! But I guess that’s predictable when you spend decades in a love triangle with two of your closest friends. That surprise is certainly insane but also manages to fit into the surreal tone and fun experienced throughout the mini-series.

Is there anything worth criticizing? If I’m going to be nit-picky…there are a couple of things. A character named Dilton has this weird speech about how he’s been jealous of the attention Archie always gets from women and how he’s the only one of the friend group that never seems to ever date or be asked out. And that leads him to reveal a robot suit he made in his free time where the head is a replica of Archie’s. It’s weird and bizarre but more in a something is off and goes against the story kind of way. And Sabrina Spellman has a small role in one of the issues. The way the comic portrays her is weird. I think they were going for a version where she comes off as a weird and disturbing goth girl. But it didn’t feel at place in this specific story.

But putting that aside, this is highly enjoyable! There is plenty of blood and violence to satisfy any Predator fan. Seeing Archie and the gang try and be action heroes is certainly enjoyable for Archie fans to see. And the ending is so delightfully twisted! Please seek out and read this comic.