Super Suckers is best summed up as Archie meets vampires. Not “Archie” in the sense that it’s high school, but rather in the art style and sometimes the storytelling. Creator/writer Darin Henry and co-writer Robin Taylor have essentially cracked the “Archie Code” and because of that is able to produce stories that feel like Archie, but with more maturity. Which is where we find Jess as she’s caught by her parents sucking Stewart’s blood. To pass it off she tells them they’re lovers which repulses her father. The gag is that they’re not repulsed by her being sexually active, just that she’s sexy active with Stewart. They bag on Stewart for four more panels and it’s all hilarious.

Meanwhile, Vera, who often times is annoying, assumes the picture of a toe is for her… it is a toe though I’m sure we can all figure out what that’s replacing. She flirts back with Jess’ secret admirer which is interrupted by a character from the first chapter aka Super Suckers #2.1. Oh and Kelly still can’t do her makeup and Vera threw out all her frozen blood because Vera is just that person in the story.

I love and hate Vera. She’s so bumbling and oblivious that she doesn’t realize the effect she has on other people’s lives. While the story kind of needs her, having meet real people like that in life I tend to instantly dislike them in fictional stories. What saves her for me is the ridiculous dialogue that she has and her interaction with sub-character.

Overall the writing is really good on this issue. The jokes hit and while we’re just building up Jess’ story at the moment, it’s interesting and worth following. I hope the same is done for Kelly so that she’s not put more in a supporting character role, but we’ll see. The gags about Stewart were all really good this time around. Even the ones that he inadvertently delivers about himself.

The art of course is great because it’s still the “Archie” house style, but not. There’s more detail to the backgrounds and of course there’s an air of maturity to the art as well. The character designs stand out as being modern and yet classic. A new character is introduced and he wears a beanie on the back of his head like an asshat and it’s just a great fit to the art.

This series is doing exactly what it needs to do to be successful. Be Archie without being Archie. It’s not vulgar, it’s not violent, it’s just cheesy dialogue with some maturity that you wouldn’t imagine being paired up with this style of art. I may not always run out to review the book, but it is one of those pure enjoyments in comics.

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