Archie, Volume 2
Mark Waid, writer
Veronica Fish and Thomas Pitilli, artist
It’s been a little while since the first trade of the revamped Archie came out, and now there’s a whole new part of the story in Archie Volume 2. This one, like its predecessor, is packed full of drama but manages to keep it light. Though, if you want all the drama possible, read Betty & Veronica; issue 1 is conveniently tucked in the back of the trade.
Archie and Veronica are still trying to sneak around Mr. Lodge, who hates Archie. Reggie Mantle is dishing dirt on Archie to him, but eventually gets out of the way. Mr.Lodge still wants Archie gone, but to no avail. When Veronica comes to the Andrews residence things get out of hand.
Then Lodge decides to run for mayor against Betty’s uncle. Archie’s loyalties are tested in this 
political war. Another contest of wills goes on in the battle of the bands, the Ronnies vs. the Bettys. In the end everyone is hurt and things look bleak for Archie and Veronica, while Betty gets a little bit closer to Archie.
This trade is filled with humour and suspense thanks to Mark Waid. Despite the powerful first release of a whole new Archie paradigm, this one keeps the good times rolling. Some comics over the course of their first 10 or 20 issues may lose the artist or the writers, but with this comic they are invested. This comic has the potential to run for another 77 years until the bitter end, like the previous Archie universe. This is a good read for anyone, and Archie may be a good way to start up a comic collection.
Veronica Fish continues to produce stunning visuals which capture the emotion of the moment. Overall this is a valuable addition to the Archie Comics collection and creates a lot of anticipation for the next volume.
Conor Carroll
