KISS preforms live in this issue of Archie for the conclusion of Archie Meets Kiss.
The Good
On the last page, Kevin Keller has Eric Carr's makeup on. An ode to my favorite of all of KISS' drummers. Yes, I like him more than Peter Criss.
Any comic book that features a KISS concert is right up my alley. Not only does KISS play some sweet rockin' tunes for the town of Riverdale, but the Riverdale gang gets together to also kick out the jams. Sorry for the MC5 reference.
Speaking of kicking, I never thought I'd see Archie jump kick someone in a book. Now, I've seen it all. Well, he's more jump kicking an amulet than anything else, but it's still a super-sweet splash page drawn by Dan Parent, who has been awesome on this storyline.
Since the first issue of this storyline, writer Alex Segura has found a way to keep these two completely opposite concepts, in the same universe, mesh well with each other, and more importantly, the writing has been entertaining, and downright funny throughout the run.
While the regular covers of this book are entertaining and fun, the variant covers, drawn by Francesco Francavil are some of the coolest covers I've seen in a long time. It's the only time I've ever picked up a whole run of variant covers because I thought it was that awesome. I know this may sound nutty, but I wouldn't mind seeing Francavil draw an issue of Archie in the style he displays on the covers.
The Bad
The vampire uses a magic box to try and get the Demon to "play something slower, with less of a beat." The Demon does nothing. What he should have done was play Beth or Hard Luck Woman. I'm just saying.
Well, it's not a great jumping on point for new readers. I suggest picking up this book at issue 627 where this story line starts so you too can get in on the fun.
The Verdict
I never thought I'd be this excited to read an Archie comic book. I loved this story line, and yes, it's mainly because KISS was in it. Aside from that, it truly is a great, fun, colorful read that appeals to all ages. The story has been a delight and the cover art for the variant covers is downright awesome. My only downsides to this issue is that it's not a good place to jump on for obvious reasons, and that no one "played" Hard Luck Woman; however, Lick It Up was mentioned, which I think is a tad racy (and hilarious) for an Archie comic. I loved this series, and I give it a recommendation to you all, even if you're not a KISS fan.