ARCHIE X ARMY OF DARKNESS #1 – New Comic Review

Archie X The Army of Darkness #1, by Dynamite Comics on 2/4/26: Reggie Mantle’s lake house party spirals into supernatural mayhem when Archie discovers a mysterious book in the basement.

Credits:

• Writer: Erik Burnham
• Artist: Bill Galvan, Ben Galvan
• Colorist: Ellie Wright
• Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
• Cover Artist: Robert Hack (cover A)
• Publisher: Dynamite Comics
• Release Date: February 4, 2026
• Comic Rating: Teen
• Cover Price: $4.99
• Page Count: 22
• Format: Single Issue

Covers:

Analysis of ARCHIE X ARMY OF DARKNESS #1:

First Impressions:

This crossover lands somewhere between clever premise and clumsy execution. The opening delivers solid comedic beats with natural Archie banter, but the pacing stumbles once Ash William enters the narrative, shifting tone without earning the transition. What should feel like a collision of two worlds reads more like an awkward meet-cute where both parties showed up late.

Plot Analysis (SPOILERS):

Archie and his friends gather at Reggie’s newly inherited lake house for a spring break party, where Reggie wastes no time bragging about his future lakefront property. While exploring upstairs, Archie discovers a hidden basement room filled with books, including a suspicious tome marked with sticky notes and a warning label. Archie half-reads an incantation from the book (“Klaatu, Barada…”), which triggers a supernatural event that kills or transforms party guests into deadites, though the other characters are slow to grasp what’s happening.

The comic then flashes back one month to the Riverdale Mall, where Archie becomes obsessed with obtaining Stormy Dogs collectible toys for Betty and Veronica. Jughead suggests he apply for a job at the newly opening S-Mart, where Archie is hired and meets his training manager. This manager turns out to be Ash Williams, who reveals his entire tragic backstory in an extended monologue about losing his hand, traveling through time to the Dark Ages, fighting an army of deadites, and being cursed to repeat this cycle wherever he goes.

Ash reveals he’s been stationed in Riverdale for six months without incident and believes his curse is finally broken. In the final panel, we see the deadites laugh menacingly, suggesting the curse has simply been dormant, setting up future complications. The comic ends on a “To Be Continued” note, leaving the actual collision between Archie’s party disaster and Ash’s arrival completely unresolved.

Story

The comic suffers from uneven pacing that sabotages its own premise. The first act establishes party atmosphere and mystery effectively through snappy dialogue between Archie, Jughead, and Reggie, with natural banter that feels authentic to these characters. However, the structure fractures immediately after the incantation moment. Rather than building tension or showing consequences, the comic cuts to a flashback that consumes roughly half the book. This decision undermines urgency and forces readers to emotionally reset just when the story should escalate.

The flashback to the mall contains serviceable comedic dialogue, but stretches its premise thin. Archie’s hunt for Stormy Dogs toys feels contrived compared to the deadite invasion, turning a toy procurement subplot into the main narrative focus. Ash’s monologue spanning multiple pages reads as exposition dump dressed in character voice. While the voice is distinctive, the dialogue prioritizes storytelling over natural conversation, creating an unbalanced info-delivery system that halts narrative momentum entirely.

Art

Bill Galvan’s pencil work maintains clarity throughout, with clean lines and readable panel layouts that track action effectively. Compositions are straightforward and functional, avoiding the dynamic angles or creative framing that might elevate visual storytelling. The art competently conveys who’s talking and what’s happening, but rarely exceeds a utilitarian standard.

Ellie Wright’s colors work adequately, shifting from warm party lighting to cooler basement tones to establish mood shifts. The palette distinguishes scenes clearly, though colors don’t generate much emotional resonance. Deadite designs appear appropriately grotesque, and Ash’s prosthetic hand reads as intended. The art never feels actively wrong, but it also never surprises or dazzles, settling into competent midrange execution that serves the story without enhancing it.

Characters

Archie displays consistent characterization rooted in his familiar archetype, though he’s sidelined by his own story once Ash arrives. His motivation to secure toy gifts feels thin and disconnected from the supernatural premise, making his job acquisition feel like wheel-spinning rather than character growth. Jughead lands his comedic beats reliably, but serves primarily as joke delivery rather than developed character.

Reggie functions as the antagonistic comic foil he always is, bragging about his new property with predictable arrogance. Betty and Veronica appear briefly, wanting collectibles but contributing nothing to plot or character dynamics. Ash represents the more substantial character work, with a complete internal arc spanning college student to cursed monster-hunter. However, his backstory dominates so thoroughly that it overshadows the Riverdale cast entirely, creating an imbalance where the guest star matters more than the home team.

Originality & Concept Execution

The core concept of crossing Archie’s wholesome teenage universe with Evil Dead’s horror-comedy tone possesses genuine promise. Mixing S-Mart mundanity with Riverdale nostalgia creates conceptual friction that could spark interesting commentary about how horror invades everyday spaces. However, the execution abandons this collision almost immediately. The flashback structure means Ash and Archie’s first meeting occurs off-page, robbing the title pairing of any actual interaction. The comic promises a mashup but delivers only a preview of what that mashup might eventually become.

The novelty of placing deadites in a 1950s-aesthetic setting goes largely unexplored. Instead of letting the visual and tonal clash generate creative possibilities, the story retreats into Ash’s familiar origin beats and Archie’s standard teen comedy framework. A first issue should establish why these worlds belong together; this one merely introduces them in separate chapters.

Positives

The strongest element is the opening party sequence, where natural dialogue and character familiarity create genuine amusement without relying on external references. Archie and Jughead’s back-and-forth exchanges demonstrate that the creative team understands these characters’ dynamic and can make them entertaining within their original context.

The mystery setup also works effectively, with the hidden room and mysterious book generating real intrigue before the execution falters. Bill Galvan’s clear artwork ensures nothing ever becomes visually confusing, a baseline competence that prevents the comic from becoming actively difficult to read. Ash Williams enters with genuine personality and a distinctive voice that makes his scenes entertaining, even if they derail the actual story. Ellie Wright’s color work capably handles the tonal shifts between locations and establishes clear visual hierarchy.

Negatives

The structural choice to flashback before resolving the primary conflict is a critical misstep that damages reader investment. We encounter the deadites, then immediately abandon them for an extended Stormy Dogs recruitment narrative that consumes roughly half the issue. This forces readers to hold two completely separate plots in their minds without understanding how they connect, creating confusion rather than anticipation.

The Ash Williams exposition, while character-building, reads as information delivery rather than organic storytelling. A character speaking his entire tragic history to a new hire within minutes of meeting him strains believability, transforming dialogue into a plot summary. The flashback structure obscures what should be the actual collision point between Archie’s world and Ash’s, leaving the title pairing unexplored. The Stormy Dogs subplot feels disconnected from the horror premise, making Archie’s employment at S-Mart feel arbitrary rather than integral to the story.

The cliffhanger ending offers minimal payoff, essentially restating that deadites will return without advancing the narrative beyond setup. As a complete story, this issue goes nowhere; it merely plants flags for future issues.

Art Samples:

The Scorecard:

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): [2/4]
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [2/4]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [1/2]

Final Thoughts:

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ARCHIE X ARMY OF DARKNESS #1 demonstrates that great ingredients don’t guarantee a great meal. A mashup with genuine conceptual appeal gets neutered by a structural decision that splits the book between party setup and extended backstory, leaving the actual crossover stranded in the flashback between them. You’re paying for a Ash-meets-Archie collision and receiving a Stormy Dogs recruitment subplot instead. The opening promises something entertaining, but the comic spends its energy establishing that promise rather than delivering on it.

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