We’re back with more comic book reviews for the week, based on what I read on the subway ride home the night before. Today, we look at the last issue of the Street Fighter-GI Joe crossover and the latest issue of Jughead, as part of the new Archie reimagining.
Street Fighter x GI Joe 6
Written by Aubrey Sitterson
Art by Emilio Laiso and Khary Randfolph
Sometimes, my completionist tendencies can bite me in the ass, and that is absolutely what happened here. I enjoy Street Fighter. I have also always loved GI Joe. I even liked the Street Fighter action figures in the style of GI Joe more than 20 years ago. So I started reading this miniseries when it was released. The first five issues featured matches in a World Warrior tournament organized by M. Bison and his new partner, Destro, in order to build up Bison’s Psycho Drive. There was limited story, just lots of fighting artwork.
The tournament was eventually won by GI Joe Jinx after the Joes and the World Warriors combined to destroy the Psycho Drive and beat M. Bison. That was the last issue. So, what’s there to do this time around? Well, the Psycho Drive has been absorbed by Rufus, an overweight fighter introduced in Street Fighter IV. So, we get one more giant brawl with everyone coming together to bring down the new big bad.
What a waste of a miniseries. Although, the comic DID make me want to see a Street Fighter x GI Joe video game, where I can beat up Street Fighter characters with Snake Eyes. If this series leads to THAT happening, well, then I’ll call it a winner. Until that day, it was just something to ignore.
Jughead 8
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Art by Derek Charm
While Mark Waid’s new Archie series gets most of the attention in the company’s character modernization, the new adventures of Archie’s best pal has been right there alongside everyone’s favorite redhead. While the Jughead series has shown moments of brilliance, I haven’t felt like it’s lived up to the flagship title.
But it can still be a fun series, like the latest issue, which sees Jughead and Archie lost in the woods after leaving their camp. The pair are running from a Mantle family reunion while Archie has some ulterior motives involving an all-girl camp nearby. The pair are saved by now-former Principal Mr. Weatherbee, who has some of his own issues with the Mantle family to deal with.
Oh, and there’s also a bear.
The revamped Archie book is a lot of fun and feels different from the original. Jughead, though, I feel stays more true to the original characters while updating the look somewhat. This issue definitely should earn a read.