For my 300th post, I decided to review one of my favorite properties since I was 8. Archie! And what ebtter than the Best Archie Comic Ever!!!!

Made up of three stories by talented writers and artists, this best comic ever explores the various universes in the Archie universe to its most comedic effect.

We Used to be Heroes by Fred Van Lente starts off strong (and turns out to be my favorite in this anthology) as it brings Archie face to face with his alter ego Pureheart the Powerful and his enemy, Imposter Syndrome. It’s a funny tale that pokes at Archie’s good guy heart though it is not always appreciated by Betty and Veronica who are in awe of the blue and orange superhero.

Like I said it’s humorous with its well-balanced modern references like Pureheart and Archie re-enacting the Spiderman meme. All done masterfully with Tim Seeley’s art that blends the modern Archie with the superheroics of action comics.

It manages to tap the modern zeigest in a way that doesn’t feel like the writers are trying too hard.

Jugheard the Barbarian by Aubrey Sitterson is a tale of a restless barbarian travelling far to defeat the evil wizard Reginald the who is holding his “Sweet Bliss” in captivity. The story uses few words but its detailed period-accurate art by Jed Dougherty and DnD-like melodramatic speeches make it a riveting piece with an end you can see coming but its delightful all the same.

Operatives by Ruben Najera puts a more realistic James Bond-twist to Betty and Veronica as Spy Girls. Gone are the crazy gadgets for two of the C.A.I’s top agents but they still hold their own with a bunch of fish puns as they seek to capture a big mob boss. I’ll admit while Sposito’s art is engaging, some of the dialogue felt more like padding. It’s the part of the spy movie where people spend most of the time slinking around and trading quips rather than action but it does its job in updating a classic Archie property.

Is this the best Archie comic ever? That’s subjective. I really enjoyed the fist story more than the others but I feel like any fan will enjoy how it takes the many threads of the Archie universe to pay homage to and update it all at once.