by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Robert Hack
Sabrina has really developed into a fantastic series. It was great right off the bat, but now that it’s on issue number four it’s really found its niche. It’s dark, it’s spooky, and it’s really wonderful for any adult who grew up reading any Archie book. This is a more grown-up version of characters a lot of people grew up with, and it’s so fun to get into it.
This issue was probably the best of the series so far; it was gruesome, emotional, shocking… everything a dark book should be. Readers will gasp, cringe, maybe even start to tear up – a lot of things happen in just this one issue. It’s a really, really great read. The series overall is perfect, filled with all kinds of lore and spookiness, and this issue is no exception. The previous issue featured some of Sabrina’s past, and as a nice contrast, this one has some of Harvey’s.
Aguirre-Sacasa and Hack are the ideal team for this title. The story and the art mesh together seamlessly, and while both are incredible, neither seems to overshadow the other. That’s basically the formula for a great comic book.
There is no way to describe the art in this book other than that it’s perfect. His use of really similar colors in each panel, as well as simplistic backgrounds that don’t distract from what is happening, kind of lends a vintage horror movie vibe to each book – think low-budget, sixties or seventies, lots of screaming, maybe something in French with English subtitles, in the best way possible, of course. It’s exactly what this series needs and just makes it that much better. In fact, the whole story kind of has a vintage horror flick vibe. It’s easy to imagine the story happening in some eerie foreign film instead, and it still totally works.
There’s a nice little treat in this issue as well, involving some other characters everyone knows and loves. It seems as though it’s going to be a nice addition to the story, in the issue that will follow. The series in general seems like it’s going somewhere wonderful. Each issue gets better and better, and leaves the reader incredibly eager for the next issue (which are always worth the wait, no matter how long).
Sabrina is not really like anything else that’s out there – how often do you get to read a book with a title character from everyone’s childhood, in a grown-up book? It’s absolutely something that every comic fan should be reading. Not only that, but every horror fan should be reading it, and everyone who ever read a Sabrina story as a child. This is a book that could turn non-comic fans into comic fans, it’s that good.
I’m a long time Archie fan but I’m not much of a horror guy. Afterlife with Archie is campy so that one didn’t worry me. I love that. I was a little more skeptical about Sabrina because Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa said it would be creepier. He was right but I can’t turn away from it. The first 3 issues were awesome and I can’t wait for this one.