Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art by Francesco Francavilla
Published by Archie Comics
Afterlife with Archie is finally back, with the third chapter of the ominously titled arc “Betty RIP.” So far the series has shown it is willing to expand its horror goals beyond mere zombies, first intertwining H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos into the series, and now paying homage to Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick’s paranoia filled tale, The Shining, with a healthy dose of Charles Dickens. The result is an issue that is more somber and dread-filled than previous issues, full of slow-burn fear and hidden threats.
After a Thanksgiving marred by violence and betrayal, the remaining survivors of Riverdale settle into the sinister Bradbury Hotel for Christmas. The building bears more than a passing resemblance to the iconic Overlook Hotel featured in The Shining. Artist Francesco Francavilla pays homage to the labyrinthine, distressing architecture and design of the Overlook without jarring the reader or pulling them too far out of the story. Swirling around outside the hotel is a blizzard, which serves to mask the gang from the pursuing zombie horde, but also traps them inside with ghosts both literal and figurative. Warmth and cold play a large part in Francavilla’s art with cooler colors and shadows dominating panels while warm highlights, such as Archie’s orange hair, or the soft lights illuminating the Bradbury’s hallways. This back and forth between the two serves to reveal the nature of the hotel itself: cozy familiar shelter from the hostile outside, but hiding both it’s own secrets and the secrets of the people inside.
Writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa dives deep into the mythology of Riverdale, taking the town’s wholesome and carefree history, and adding a chilling twist. Back during World War 2, the ancestors of Archie, Betty, and Jughead made a sinister deal with the devil to protect Riverdale’s innocence. During this glimpse into the past, Francavilla opts for a black-and-white color scheme with significantly more hatching and shading, turning the issue into a more pulpy, classic horror comic, if only briefly. Now, as the surviving members of Riverdale struggle every day to survive against undead hordes, Archie tries to keep the bonds of the town alive, despite the casualties they’ve suffered, and the loss of the physical town itself. Aguirre-Sacasa and Francavilla do a good job of maturing Archie, making him likable while simultaneously bearing the weight of leadership on his shoulders.
As Archie struggles with his decisions and their ramifications, Aguirre-Sacasa introduces the main supernatural aspect of this issue: the ghosts that haunt the Bradbury and it’s inhabitants. Never do the spirits outright attack the characters; rather, they take the shape of lost friends and loved ones. In Archie’s case, his pal Jughead returns to give Archie a chance to vent his feelings. Seeing the duo together again, even in this slightly warped context, is great, especially given the limited scenes the two had at the start of the series. Aguirre-Sacasa writes the two like old friends who’ve been apart for a long time, and instead of wallowing in greetings and formalities, settle right back into their old groove.
It’s via these ghosts of the past that the true horror of the issue comes to light. Through the spectral Jughead, Archie realizes that the true Riverdale isn’t the physical town – but with the people that grew up with it, and survived its untimely destruction. However, what is a liberating realization for Archie is a horrifying one for the readers, given the pact that the Andrews, the Coopers, and the Joneses made in World War 2. If the survivors decide that they themselves are Riverdale, then now they must live with the sinister curse that permeated the town’s history. Indeed, if a zombie apocalypse wasn’t the worst the gang had to live with, then Aguirre-Sacasa sets up terrifying ramifications for Archie and his fellow survivors going forward. Even as they huddle around a fire and make plans for the future, Aguirre-Sacasa opts for subtle dread and foreshadowing rather than beating the reader over the head with obvious scares. As the characters head out of Christmas and into a new year, whatever Aguirre-Sacasa and Francavilla plan on unleashing on Archie and his pals will be worth the wait if they can keep up this emotionally charged and chilling slow-burn of a tale.