There are a couple of different stories going on in Archie #701, the main plot involves the possible murder of the editor of Riverdale’s newspaper. Jughead shows up at the office and discovers that it is trashed and there is blood on the floor. The police arrive and begin to question Jughead. The plot involving Archie sees him and his new girlfriend talking about how they want to keep things about their relationship quiet in the upcoming year. Who is Archie’s new girlfriend? You have to read it to find out. The Betty and Veronica story is linked to the Jughead one where they come to his defense. So much is going on in Riverdale and Archie and his friends will never be the same.

Archie #701
Written By: Nick Spencer
Art By: Marguerite Sauvage
Published By: Archie Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 1/2/2019

After a summer vacation spent mostly apart, Archie and his friends are getting ready for a brand new school year.

There are a couple of different stories going on in Archie #701, the main plot involves the possible murder of the editor of Riverdale’s newspaper. Jughead shows up at the office and discovers that it is trashed and there is blood on the floor. The police arrive and begin to question Jughead. The plot involving Archie sees him and his new girlfriend talking about how they want to keep things about their relationship quiet in the upcoming year. Who is Archie’s new girlfriend? You have to read it to find out. The Betty and Veronica story is linked to the Jughead one where they come to his defense. So much is going on in Riverdale and Archie and his friends will never be the same.

The story by Nick Spencer is very intriguing as well as entertaining. As I was reading, I found myself enjoying Archie’s story the most. His new girlfriend is an Archie mainstay and readers will root for the relationship. His girlfriend makes him vulnerable and that only propels his character further. The Jughead story is the typical whodunit with someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The only twist to it, is that Betty and Veronica come to his defense. There is even a Cheryl Blossom subplot about her running for student office that seemed to come out of no where and feels out of place to everything going on. I do enjoy Nick Spencer and his writing but I feel that he might not be the best writer for these characters.

Where the story may falter here and there, the art by Marguerite Sauvage soars. I enjoyed the way she updated the characters for the modern era while staying close to their roots. Betty and Veronica look stunning as usual but the standout here are the panels that feature Archie and his girlfriend. The panels are beautiful and Sauvage does an amazing job capturing their relationship and the blossoming love between them. It’s hard not to cheer for these two when the art captures them so perfectly. Sometimes people say that the art carries the book and in this case it’s true.

I really wanted to like this book but at the end of the day I found it lacking.

3 Falsely accused Jugheads out of 5