Riverdale #1

Riverdale #1

by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Writer), Michael Grassi (Writer), Joe Eisma (Artist)

Set in the universe of the television series, Riverdale #1 tells untold stories that take place between episodes. In issue one, Archie, Betty, and Veronica are all being dragged through hell! With football and cheerleader Hell Weeks.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, High School, Graphic Novels Manga, Young Adult, Comic Book

30 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2017

About the author

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is an American playwright, screenwriter, and comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics and for the television series Glee, Big Love, Riverdale, and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. He is Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics.
Aguirre-Sacasa grew up liking comic books, recalling in 2003, "My mom would take us out to the 7-Eleven on River Road during the summer, and we would get Slurpees and buy comics off the spinning rack. I would read them all over and over again, and draw my own pictures and stuff."
He began writing for Marvel Comics, he explained, when "Marvel hired an editor to find new writers, and they hired her from a theatrical agency. So she started calling theaters and asking if they knew any playwrights who might be good for comic books. A couple of different theaters said she should look at me. So she called me, I sent her a couple of my plays and she said 'Great, would you like to pitch on a couple of comic books in the works?'"
His first submissions were "not what [they were] interested in for the character[s]" but eventually he was assigned an 11-page Fantastic Four story, "The True Meaning of...," for the Marvel Holiday Special 2004. He went on to write Fantastic Four stories in Marvel Knights 4, a spinoff of that superhero team's long-running title; and stories for Nightcrawler vol. 3; The Sensational Spider-Man vol. 2; and Dead of Night featuring Man-Thing.
In May 2008 Aguirre-Sacasa returned to the Fantastic Four with a miniseries tie-in to the company-wide "Secret Invasion" storyline concerning a years-long infiltration of Earth by the shape-shifting alien race, the Skrulls,and an Angel Revelations miniseries with artists Barry Kitson and Adam Polina, respectively. He adapted for comics the Stephen King novel The Stand.

In 2013, he created Afterlife with Archie, depicting Archie Andrews in the midst of a zombie apocalypse; the book's success led to Aguirre-Sacasa being named Archie Comics' chief creative officer.

Reviews

[Ahmed Ejaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am happy I didn't die reading this one.

2.5 Stars 😑

[Dianna ☾midnight reads☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this one a lot better than the Road to Riverdale series. Although they are set in the same tv series' Riverdale universe, this one has actual stories from the tv series, set between episodes. If you are like me who is a huge fan of the CW show, I bet you'll love this series too. In here we get a glimpse of Archie's football career and Betty and Veronica's struggles with cheerleading. I especially like how the second story wasn't centered only on Betty and Veronica but also on Cheryl, my fave girl. I can't wait to read the next issue!

[♛ Garima ♛ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would rather watch series - it is the same.

[chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

YES to that last scene. I love Betty & Veronica's friendship ❤️

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is entertaining (obviously since it’s the great Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa), but the illustrations don’t work for me. 😬

3/5🌟.

[Chrys Minter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Loving the comics. This author has done a great rendition of the story and how it all happened. Short but very thorough to those who followed the show as I did. On to the next.

[Miriam Passman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this comic. Betty and Veronica's friendship is awesome. Can't wait to read Riverdale #2

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars!

[Zach Teachout · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright

Felt like a bunch of subplots that were deemed not good enough for the television show. I hope the rest of the series is better than this.

[Imogen Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hells Week at Riverdale

It was nice to see more of Betty's life with not just Polly but with Veronica, Cheryl & Jason too

[SerenaBeReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the "old" school Archie comics (still got mine from the early 90s) and an even bigger fan of the television show. Was happy to see these comics on Hoopla Digital based on the television show. This was a good read and made me happy I'm done with high school. Loved the girl power with Betty and Veronica in the end. Love seeing them being friends instead of enemies. Poor Archie, he tries so hard and has big shoes to fill but handled his own during Hell Week. I love Jug Head, he's just looking at Archie like "Dude is it really worth it?" I need more Jug Head.

[Caleb Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories but where do they fall?

I have to say I love Riverdale and I love that there are companion comics.
These were great stories but I wish that they gave is where in the episodes these stories fall.
I enjoyed the end where we got to see the TV show up against the comic version. Great addition!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of the show, this series is a little added extra to the excitement of the series. It may not be as scandalous or captivating, but I still like it.

[Babs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Archie gets hazed as he takes Jason's place on the team.
Betty also has some tribulations at the hands of mental Cheryl.

[lucy ann hardwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

I like the story in each chapter it gave new insight to the characters. I can't wait to read the next one.

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

nnnnnnn

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is about the hell week for Archie (playing football for the Bulldogs) and Betty (as set by Cheryl for being part of the Vixen squad).

[Veronica Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

i started to read this today was okey

[Sonia R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally recommend it!!

[Anomaly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry but what the hell did I just witness?

Not only is the premise ridiculous, but the things which happen here cannot possibly be canon despite this being marketed as happening between episodes. The events are too character-shaping to just skate by unmentioned in the show and in some cases are contradictory to actual show canon.

For example: Archie, Reggie, and Moose are hazed together by the Bulldogs. Among other things like vandalism and streaking, they have to swim in the frigid waters of Sweetwater River. Archie does this twice, one time being for Moose who can't swim. Ultimately, the three of them get benched regardless.

Also, Archie has multiple hallucinations of Jason's corpse and seems hellbent on his dedication to football even when Jug points out his musical interests. Wasn't Archie's whole thing that he didn't know which one to choose at that point...?

And that's the "realistic" one, if you can call it such. I can almost accept that the boys are so stupid and maybe they were quiet about it out of fear or whatever - the same way college frat boys are about the demeaning hazing they endure. Sure, fine, whatever. But no way in hell do I believe what Betty endured actually happened in canon. No way, no how, nuh-uh.

Let's start with an aside that I'm kind of mad that they threw in Cheryl's cronies saying Betty "exceeds the weight requirements" when she is absolutely the same size, if not smaller, than Veronica and several other cheerleaders in the show (and the comic!). It's gross and while realistic it really shouldn't have been put in there - not with the body image issues her television actress has experienced. So, yeah. Really dislike that. Even moreso when we get to see the shape of her body; it leaves a viciously sour taste in my mouth that she's drawn even skinnier than Lili Reinhart and still being called fat when Lili herself isn't even anywhere near fat.

Betty gets hazed, but not Veronica. (Cheryl hates B but not V. Yet Cheryl gets pretty racist with her by saying "not you, señorita" when Veronica asks what they'll have to do to earn their spots on the Vixens team.)



Yet it's not even hazing so much as pure insanity which would have altered Betty a whole lot and should have been reflected in the show if it were canon. Not to mention, it would have been intercepted long before it escalated.

First task: Betty has to wear a small uniform which barely could even class as underwear. Her breasts are barely covered and the skirt barely even manages to cover the end of her crotch. We also get Jughead saying "hashtag hot betty," which just... no. That's not how he speaks.



Seriously, she walks through school wearing that. It's bad enough that we get outfits like Toni's and teen!Alice's in the show, which nobody would ever be allowed to wear in school due to how revealing they are. But this? Fucking seriously?!?!

Second task: stealing a dumb trophy from Baxter High. Cheryl calls the cops, and it says Betty is grounded for a month. Pretty sure her mom didn't even KNOW she was a cheerleader yet at that point, but the lecture Alice gives outright mentions them. Also, why is Sheriff Keller of Riverdale jurisdiction catching kids breaking into a Greendale school?

Third task: Betty has to stand atop the edge of the school roof at the end of the day for five minutes. A hoard of students and a school bus watch while she does it - including people like Chuck, Reggie, Jug, Archie, and Dilton. If this were canon, surely at least one of them would have mentioned it at some point! No teachers intervene, either.

Overall, it'd be alright as a standalone continuity inspired by the show. It's not great and it's highly unrealistic, but it's not terrible on its own. As an attempt to expand the show's canon, however, it's a complete failure. Since it's marketed as the latter, that's how I'm rating it.

[Anuradha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new age twist on a classic that actually worked !

I saw Riverdale on Netflix before I read the comics. I was floored by how smoothly the characters I grew up with were transitioned from carefree, innocent, harmless teens to real, 3D individuals with varying shades of gray. The plot twists are also very interesting & refreshing.

[Vanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

Good but lacked substance. It was all about hell week and none about the mystery of Jason Blossom. Are we just learning more into the characters? I suppose we are but it's not what I really wanted.

[Matthew Kalik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright

Far to short. Even for a comic and not nearly as gritty as the Archie and Chilling adventures comics. I know they wanted to swing more to the Riverdale audience, but the show is heavier than this. Ha!

[chandrasekar · Rating 5 out of 5]

F f f f f s s h. S j s g d j. D h d h f g g. H h h e h d. Y

Nice book
Teens and youngsters
A a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a

[sarah williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell Week

Sure, he'll week goes on in college, part of the Greek bell week. But , high school hell week? New take on beloved comics. Read and enjoy!

[Nicola Dowse · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st comic book read

So far so good, easy afternoon read. Read in less than 10 mins.Haven't seen the tv show but I'm intrigued to read more.

[TheNatalieAnnC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet

I would have liked this to be a bit longer like the previous graphic novel.
It was still enjoyable however

[christian ଓ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5🌟
la mia esperienza con i fumetti finisce qui

[Makena;) · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!! Obsessed with Riverdale and when I got this in a 3 pack I died!!
Hope you enjoy!!
P.S. Highly recommend watching the show if you like small towns with murders. Different Murder every season!!

[Swiftie 21 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple cómo el otro, pero encanto tiene.