AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #6 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla
The first thing I noticed about this issue was that it is labeled the first chapter of “Betty RIP”. While this will no doubt be included in the next trade paperback, it’s technically not the start of a new arc. Rather, a one-shot of sorts that follows what happened to Sabrina after the events of
Afterlife With Archie #1. If you’re not up to date with the series, here’s what I’m referring to in a nutshell: Sabrina resurrected Jughead’s canine pal, Hot Dog, using dark magic. The undead pooch was the vanguard of the zombie apocalypse that has since become Riverdale’s ruin. For her unsanctioned actions, she was exiled to witch purgatory.
We join Sabrina in a dream that is more vibrant than what we’ve become accustomed to seeing from Francavilla’s art thus far. It soon descends into a nightmare, which she is recounting to her overtly named shrink, Dr. Lovecraft. She’s in some kind of institute, experiencing supposed hallucinations, and she and other patients suspect that something sinister is afoot. It turns out that something nefarious is, in fact, going down and she is being used for…. I can’t tell you. I won’t.
It’s best that I not discuss the issue’s big twist and you read it for yourself. This really is one of those moments that I don’t want to ruin for the reader. I’ll just say this: Cradle of Filth’s “Cthulhu Dawn” (which I will link below) was playing in my head while reading this. It makes me wonder if the events of this issue will tie into a grand scheme of what’s to come in the future of the title.
Also included is a short preview of Sabrina’s upcoming horror title, which I can’t wait for. It looks like it is unrelated to
Afterlife With Archie, but will likely be just as good considering that it’s also written by Aguirre-Sacasa.
Afterlife With Archie #6 can be enjoyed as a standalone horror masterpiece in the medium of comics, but I recommend that you pick up the first trade paperback along with this before we get to the rotten meat of “Betty RIP”.
Score: 9.5/10
Listen to Cradle of Filth's "Cthulhu Dawn" on Youtube.