After Stranger’s ousting, Jughead is ready to go back to his normal schedule of video games and burritos (and burgers, and chicken wings, and milkshakes, and fries, and bacon, and popcorn and you get the idea) all summer long. Until his Dad kicks him out to hang out in the fresh air and sun.

So he recruits his best friend, Archie to leave the bikini babes at the pool and go hang out at Dilton’s cabin in the woods. Now here’s Zdarsky utilizes the disconnect between Archie and Jughead between their separate series as a way for the teens to reconnect as Jughead is feeling the loneliness of Archie paying too much attention to Betty, Veronica and anyone else wearing a skirt.

However, their bro-time is interrupted by the Mantle family reunion next door. Oh yeah, as much of a nightmare as you can imagine. Especially when they try to escape by trooping and getting lost in the woods. I won’t spill how things end and how Weatherbee is involved but I do enjoy the fight that errupts between Jughead and Archie derived from real concerns in their friendship while also affirming it by the end.

Plus it has a funny moment with Weatherbee admitting he knows circus commands because it’s so useful as a high school principle among teens.

Now onto the main event on the cover! I know that’s what you really want to get into.

Here Zdarsky exits the issue to let Ryan North take over for his equally fun take on Jughead.

And know what;s fun? Sabrina and Jughead. Of course, Jughead’s interest in Sabrina initially stems from a love of the burger mascot costume that Sabrina is wearing while she works in Pop’s. It’s with this fresh in his mind that he accepts Sabrina’s invitation to a date and he completely freaks out when she comes as a girl (cuz of course. Who’d wear a burger costume to a date?), completely ignorant of Jughead’s primal desire to hang out with a real life burger.

In fact, it is Jughead’s freak out of having feelings at all (even before seeing Sabrina face to face) is hilarious in itsef and leads to funny love advice from Archie saying it’s an adventure, Veronica says its like shopping and Reggie says its posssession and Betty’s advice not to overthink while delivering increasingly convulated suggestions.

But even so, North makes Sabrina and Jughead realy work with Sabrina admiring Jughead’s special way of talking about food. In fact, she encourages it which makes Jughead feel at ease. Sabrina is used to quirky so for them to have fun conversation creates a nice rapport.

Ohh but Jughead believing in all the romantic expectations of his friends completely blows and garners Sabrina’s wrath with surprising results. I won’t get into the hilarity and mistakes and magic of it all but it once more delivers why Jughead may just be the secret heart of Riverdale. I’ll just say, don’t worry guys, there’s more Sabrina and Jughead interactions in the future.

There’s also Reggie and Jughead bonding. It’s amazing.

As for the art, I’m much more of a fan of Charm’s work with its smoothness, solid colors and lines that also add to the hilarity and sweetness of the dialogue. It makes up for the lack of imagination spots that were so prevalent in volume one. But the magic makes up for it a ton.

Just another great volume bringing that Jughead (well really Sabrina) magic.