KISS has a long history in comic books, having appeared in a number of publications from Marvel (detailed here and here) and starring in series from Image Comics and Platinum Studios. The band’s appearance lends itself well to the comic form, their costumes and theatrics a natural match for the imaginative potential and possibility of four-color portrayals.
However, it’s pretty certain that no one ever anticipated this group of demonic rock stars appearing in Riverdale, the all-American small town, to join forces with the most famous cartoon band of all: The Archies.
The set-up is pretty simple, and fits well within the boundaries of established Archie lore. The gang are meeting in their clubhouse, getting ready for Halloween, and Sabrina (The Teenage Witch) is preparing a new protective spell to ensure that their trick-or-treating goes smoothly and safely. And of course, troublemakers Veronica and Reggie get jealous, and decide that they can figure out this magic thing and cast a spell of their own.
Predictably, this backfires. A group of extra-dimensional monsters are released and proceed to terrorize the city, turning everyone they meet into a mindless zombie and creating a culture of stultifying boredom…
And then KISS magically materialize, ready to battle the bogeymen and help save the minds and souls of Riverdale’s typical teenage population. They have kabuki make-up, magical abilities, and amplified instruments; they’ve tracked these evil beasties through time and space; they bring the power of rock ‘n’ roll. Nothing will stand in their way as they fight for truth and justice.
Alex Segura and Dan Parent have managed a difficult task here, respecting all the rules and traditions of Archie Comics and still spinning off in a new direction. Nearly every recognizable Archie mainstay is here, and fully in character: Dilton is smart and scientific, Reggie and Veronica are stuck-up and bratty, Sabrina is well-intentioned and scattered, Betty is sweet and resourceful, and Jughead is– well, mostly he’s just hungry. Segura’s script is full of wit and charm, and Parent’s art is crisp and stylish, depicting the fictional cast and the hard-rocking quartet with equal ease and aplomb.
Though it’s fundamentally a horror-comedy co-starring famous rock stars, there’s more than enough musical content woven in to place it fully in the classic tradition of wacky pop comics (alongside Gold Key’s Monkees comics, DC’s Maniaks series, or Archie’s own Josie & The Pussycats titles). Lyrics are scattered through the dialogue, songs drive home important plot points, and of course, there’s a giant climactic concert scene where good finally triumphs over evil and conformity…
And KISS and The Archies team up to play a rousing finale of “Riverdale Rock City”. What more could you ask, really?
Archie Meets Kiss originally ran in Archie #627 through #630. The individual issues are available from comic shops, and a collected edition is slated for release on April 11th, 2012.
All articles in the Pop Music Comics series can be found here.