It seems like one of the happiest little towns in the world… but have you ever wondered WHY? Your Major Spoilers review of Chilling Adventures Presents… Welcome To Riverdale #1 from Archie Comics awaits!
CHILLING ADVENTURES PRESENTS… WELCOME TO RIVERDALE #1
Writer: Amy Chase
Artist: Liana Kangas
Colorist: Ellie Wright
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Editor: Jamie Lee Rotante
Publisher: Archie Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 11, 2023
Previously in Welcome To Riverdale: When Ginger Snapp finds herself in the town of Riverdale, a town she’s fanatically read about growing up, she’s amazed by how wholesome and welcoming it truly is. But she can’t help but shake the uncanny valley feeling she has with every new person she meets. How can everyone be THIS nice? And could the kindness drive someone to the brink of madness, if it hasn’t already?
ANOTHER PERFECT DAY IN RIVERDALE!
As this issue opens, we join Ginger Snapp (the star of her own series and issues of Zip Comics back in the Golden Age) as she arrives in Riverdale to visit her friend, Nancy. She’s heard nothing but good things about Nancy’s hometown of Riverdale, and is excited to see the utopian little town for herself. Things get a tiny bit awkward when she makes a slightly tasteless joke, but Nancy and new friend Veronica brush past it to take her to Pop’s for one of his world-famous hamburgers. It’s even free, making the perfect first impression… until she tries to look in her compact mirror. Veronica slaps it from her hand with a cry of shock, and not long after, a passing stranger mumbles for Ginger to get out while she still can. That night, the stranger comes to her room, introducing herself as Carla Teal and asking if Ginger has noticed what’s wrong in their nice little town, and that’s when the horror really kicks in.
THE OUTER LIMITS ENDING
The Chilling Adventures Presents one-shots have so far been a bit puzzling to me as a reader, since they each take place in their own little world but still share the cast of Archie Comics. Given that Afterlife With Archie, Jughead: The Hunger, Vamperonica and other books are already providing horror stories (not to mention the Riverdale TV show), each new take adds new wrinkles that are harder to keep straight. This issue has more than a little in common with the CW live-action Archie gang, but the most intriguing parts of the setup (like the erasure of the envy, gluttony, vanity, and such from the central Archie cast) don’t get any follow-through, as the issue chooses to leave the effects of Ginger and Carla’s actions off-screen. The use of Carla is interesting, as she is one of the “New Kids” of Riverdale, introduced in the 2010s, and her visual impairment is what makes her immune to what’s happening in Riverdale. Kangas’ art makes interesting use of her tinted glasses for dramatic effect, and when the player behind the whole scheme is revealed, they also look really amazing.
BOTTOM LINE: VERY AWKWARD DENOUEMENT
There are some weaknesses in the clarity of visual storytelling in Chilling Adventures Presents… Welcome To Riverdale #1, which required me to read through more than once to get everything straight, but it’s the abruptness of the ending that really affects my enjoyment of the story, rounding out to 2.5 out of 5 stars overall. There’s a secondary issue with the cruel Outer Limits style ending, but that’s more a question of preference than a weakness with this issue.
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WELCOME TO RIVERDALE #1
Ginger Snapp's foray into Riverdale sets up some interesting horror tropes, but then just sort of... ends? It's not bad, but it's not satisfying, either.
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Writing3
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Art6
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Coloring7
Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.