Jughead (1987 Series) #204

January 17, 2011

Title: A Tan and Sandy Snooze (Jughead Jones, Semi-Private Eye Part Three)

Writer: Alex Simmons
Pencils: Rex Lindsey
Inks: Jim Amash
Colorist: Digikore Studios
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Cover: Rex Lindsey & Tyra WM
Editor: Victor Gorelick
Publisher: Archie Comics

Jughead’s new task as a private investigator takes him back to the Riverdale Amusement Pier, site of many a childhood binge. Several of the teen employees of the pier have found themselves fired without reason and without notice, so Jug decides to go undercover to figure out the truth. With a little help from Ethel, he begins to find some fishy goings on in the salt spray of the sea.

This has been a cute storyline, but this issue is a real knockout. Alex Simmons has really found the perfect synthesis between an old-school film noir detective story and the silly nature of Jughead’s world. The story itself is solid, the sort of thing that would have made for a decent pulp story back in the day. The script, especially Jughead’s running inner monologue, is just hysterical. I don’t want to know you if you don’t laugh at the line, “Something was wrong. As wrong as watching Weatherbee work out in a Speedo.”

Rex Lindsey and Jim Amash do a nice job with the art. Most of this issue takes place down at the Pier, away from the usual settings of Riverdale High or the Chocolate Shop, and so they get a chance to cut loose and do some new designs. The booths, rides, and attractions of the carnival look really good, better in fact than many carnivals I’ve seen in real life. The covers for this story have been particularly good – a funny, old-school cover with truly beautiful colors by “Tyra WM” (the only signature I could see) that set this apart from usual Archie Comics cover and turn it into something really beautiful.

I’ll be sorry to see this storyline end next issue. This is great stuff.

Rating: 8/10