Archie 636
Reviewed by Will Morgan 19-Oct-12
Having attracted much attention and some controversy prior to its release, Archie 636’s “The Big Switcheroo!” turns out to be a gentle screwball comedy reminiscent of Thorne Smith’s whimsical supernatural romances of the 1930s.
EVERY OTHER INCH A LADY
Having attracted much attention and some controversy prior to its release, Archie 636’s “The Big Switcheroo!” turns out to be a gentle screwball comedy reminiscent of Thorne Smith’s whimsical supernatural romances of the 1930s.
After Sabrina Spellman (better known as Sabrina the Teenage Witch) and her familiar Salem are snubbed by Riverdale’s bad boy Reggie Mantle, Salem decides to teach Reggie more about consideration for women by having him – and the other citizens of Riverdale – walk a mile in each others’ shoes (or pumps).
The next morning, every gentleman in Riverdale is a lady, and vice versa.
Gender Politics, Riverdale style.
Scripter Tania Del Rio has considerable experience with Sabrina – see here and here for details – and she delivers a sweet parallel-world fable, introducing us to our gender-bent cast-list, some of whom are surprisingly different from their established versions (Big Moose is now a shy petite blonde nicknamed ‘Mouse’), and some of whom are relentlessly familiar (Reggie – or Regina – still is a knob, even when she no longer has one!).
Gisele Lagace’s artwork is delicious. I’ve praised her work before, and have since discovered her online strip Menage a 3, which I heartily recommend – though caution should be observed; it’s a smut strip, not suitable for the eyes of children, ladies or servants! Here, she delivers a rendition of the Archie crew that is faultlessly on-model while still brimming with her individual style – and having all the characters be instantly recognizable in their transgendered forms, no mean artistic achievement!
The plot doesn’t quite deliver what it promised, either due to Salem’s imperfect spellcasting (hey, he’s already trapped in a cat form because of previous misuse of magic, he’s bound to muck it up somehow…) or the writer’s cleverly-planned set-up for a sequel. (Absent-minded scripting? Surely not.)
A friend said he found Ms. Weatherbee "kinda hot"; heterosexuals say the darndest things...
Because “Archina” and her pals don’t realize the change has taken place, or remember that they were ever any different, there is no “lesson” to be taught or learned, and the very mild attempt at kid-friendly gender politics hinted at in the opening pages dies a’borning; however, what is here is a fun, charming read exploring the inversion of Riverdale’s beloved stereotypes, sorry, archetypes, and their various interactions.
And if ever the creators want to make a return trip to “Reversedale”, I for one would be delighted.
Even a gender-bent "Josie & The Pussycats" make a cameo appearance before Sabrina swoops down to fix Salem's sorcerous screw-up...
Regular readers of FA will know that I haven’t read much Archie, in fact a trawl through Will’s various reviews will show you which few I have actually read. This is one of them, following Will’s earlier hype (and a visit to 30th Century and asking Will for recommendations).
I must say that I really didn’t know what to expect, and as Will states, the end result is a lot softer than I anticipated. One aspect that did impress me was that it was NOT an imaginary story or one where “everything changes forever” (for six about six months), but one that fits very nicely into the series continuity, as described by Will, above.
As for what I thought of it, I found it a very enjoyable read, and whilst I wont be asking to have Archie included on my Standing Order at Daves Comics just yet, I will certainly be interested in seeing some more “offbeat” issues of this nature.
F’rinstance, when will you have the Occupy Riverdale issue back in stock, Will ???
Thanks for the kudos, Mike – I wouldn’t read every single Archie title myself, despite being a huge fan of the company’s output (I think only Nigel Fletcher has the fortitude for that), but I do like to check in with the gang regularly, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised that, while DC and Marvel have both been making noises about ‘Big Changes’, Archie Comics, of all people, have been *Genuinely* making changes with duration and consequence – the intro. of Kevin Keller and the Archie/Valerie romance with its consequent break-up of the Archie/Betty/Veronica love triangle, to name but two.
Oh, and the ‘occupy Riverdale’ issue? Now back in stock!