How appropriate is it that on April 1st… April Fool’s Day, I’m posting a page featuring Riverdale’s most persistent prankster, Reggie Mantle? It wasn’t planned this way. I assure you!
It’s Fan Fiction Friday, Folks… and today we pick up on what’s been going on with Moose, Midge and Reggie… and it’s not looking good for Archie’s rival, Reggie! One of my favorite recurring gags in the Archie universe is the one where Moose is psychotically protective of his girlfriend, Midge and he would murder anyone who even looked at the short-haired temptress. The danger involved in pursuing the mighty Moose’ girlfriend has never been a deterrent for Reggie who chases the fair raven haired Midge at every opportunity … even though the end result was always the same where Reggie ended up getting flattened… sometimes literally!… by Moose! Reggie would learn nothing from this beating and before long, he’d be chasing after Midge once again. On this page, Afterlife With Archie #1 takes a look at that familiar old trope. How will it turn out? Spoiler alert!! We’ve got the next TWO pages to find out!
Speaking of the next two pages, this pages, Page 15, leaves us with FIVE more pages in this first issue of my Afterlife With Archie fan fiction! How’s it been going? Have you been enjoying it? Should I keep going? Please let me know in the Comments below! Incidentally… another word about the future… Once I wrap up these initial twenty pages, I’m going to tackle a short five page traditional Archie story where I celebrate Archie’s 80th anniversary! I hope everyone will be on board for that one!
Don’t forget to check in this Saturday for Secret Origin Saturday. This week we’ll be taking a look at our very first female super hero! Don’t miss this historic milestone. It’s going to be… “super!”
Now for this page’s Director’s Cut Commentary... With this page we switch scenes back to Moose’s house and the zombie horde surrounding it is loaded with Easter eggs and cameos. First and foremost in Panel 1, that foreground zombie at the far left is one of my students at the Kubert School and Fan Fiction Friday’s biggest supporter, James Kruithoff. James is emerging as an eminent collector of original art. He’s grabbed up many of my pieces including every page of both Fan Fiction Friday and Secret Origin Saturday. James asked to be included as a zombie so I was very happy to oblige. Incidentally, peeking into the panel on James’ shirt is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, of which James is also a big fan.
Next to James, we see Alexander Cabot III from the Josie & The Pussycats cartoon. This is the animated version of Alexander and not the one from the comics… who might still turn up! You never know! Next we see a faceless chick in a Riverdale High cheerleader uniform. She’s nobody. The muscular bald guy with the shard in his head is Big Vic, one of the new characters added during the “New Kids” storyline. On the far right, we have Eugene from The New Archie’s cartoon of the early 90’s.
In Panel 2, in the background, we see a framed photo on the wall of “Little Moose.” Moose rarely turned up in the Little Archie stories and I think even more rarely during the Bob Bolling era. I think his role as the big strong volatile bully was usurped by Fangs Fogarty. Regardless, I added a Little Moose drawn in the style of my preferred Little Archie artist, the great Dexter Taylor.
That’s it for this week. As we’ve accumulated a good number of pages, I might save the recap for the upcoming… not too far off now… Page 20, this “issue’s” last page. If you like the recaps and would like me to retain them, please let me know in the Comments below!
I live to please!
Thanks, Everybody!
