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kkaste's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
raesock's review against another edition
2.0
So lame! I don’t really know why I kept reading til the end. I did love the art and how the girls were drawn. But the story wasn’t good and the jokes fell flat.
viera's review against another edition
1.0
Good art. Mediocre writing. It tries so hard in this weird stilted way. I’ll start to get sucked in by Melody and some misused slang or implausibly silly event will occur and I think, wow, even Boomerang Josie would question this weirdness. I get that it’s trying to be meta, but talking to the audience like they’re the target audience for Barney and friends does not play well. Calling attention to your incoherent writing in frame does not excuse it. And if you absolutely need to discuss it at length with the audience, that’s what those little yellow boxes are for. I don’t need Josie to turn to the camera and say, “Well golly gee, isn’t it hilarious that this flotation device has a laser in it? That doesn’t make sense in this, the third panel of the second chapter of this fictional book of which I am a part. Am I Deadpool yet? No? Then how about I reference 20 or so better films, tv shows, songs, and comics in pop culture to distract you from our increasingly shallow plots! Maybe an in-universe banner with the synopsis on the last page! Oh and can you say ‘Bye Felicia?’ because that’s what the cool kids say, right?” I’m glad this references Mean Girls, because this is so out of touch it must have been written by Regina’s mother. It’s even more of a pity, because I am in love with Audrey Mok’s work and want to see more of that style of art. It still gets a one star though because I had to keep setting it down and walking away out of frustration.
Oh! And also? That Archie comic at the end is the cutest. I’ve never read one before, but the chemistry between all the characters, the comedy, the dialogue, the visual gags? Amazing. I will definitely be checking it out in the future.
Oh! And also? That Archie comic at the end is the cutest. I’ve never read one before, but the chemistry between all the characters, the comedy, the dialogue, the visual gags? Amazing. I will definitely be checking it out in the future.
unladylike's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the tone and trajectory of issue #2, but from there on, Marguerite Bennett spends nearly all her writing focus on making multiple dad-joke-level puns in nearly every dialogue caption. A few of them made me smile or chuckle, but it gets to be too much. And LOTS of both pop culture references from Bennett's generational upbringing (she was born in '88) plus a lot of older literary references. The problem is quantity over quality, and the fact that several of these characters are supposed to be vastly different in personality, and yet end up making the exact same kinds of comments, so it feels like just Bennett throwing her own corny ideas through random characters' mouths. The art is fun, and despite the overload of recent comics featuring a girl band, this one is at least somewhat historical and brings some real insight and depth to issues of ego, interpersonal relationships, etc. within a cheeky comedy book.
The trade paperback is padded out with a lot of great variant cover art, followed by a whole issue of Jughead written by Ryan North! I read a bit of old school Archie comics leftover from the '60s when I was a little kid, and even saw the fantastic and underrated Josie and the Pussycats movie in the theaters when it came out in 2001. But the Riverdale world has not been one I've paid much attention to as an adult, so it came as a great surprise that I enjoyed the Jughead storyline and script probably more than the main Josie and the Pussycats arc. I credit that to the known fact that Ryan North is a genuinely clever, multi-tasking writer (If you like what he's done over the years in the margins of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, you'll probably love this too.) whereas Marguerite Bennett is like a stopped clock (right twice a day). She succeeds at setting up worlds, characters, and plots but is terribly inconsistent (or consistently terrible in some instances).
So now I'm more eager to pick up some full volumes of Jughead and Archie comics for the first time, and mayyyybe I'll read another volume of this title.
The trade paperback is padded out with a lot of great variant cover art, followed by a whole issue of Jughead written by Ryan North! I read a bit of old school Archie comics leftover from the '60s when I was a little kid, and even saw the fantastic and underrated Josie and the Pussycats movie in the theaters when it came out in 2001. But the Riverdale world has not been one I've paid much attention to as an adult, so it came as a great surprise that I enjoyed the Jughead storyline and script probably more than the main Josie and the Pussycats arc. I credit that to the known fact that Ryan North is a genuinely clever, multi-tasking writer (If you like what he's done over the years in the margins of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, you'll probably love this too.) whereas Marguerite Bennett is like a stopped clock (right twice a day). She succeeds at setting up worlds, characters, and plots but is terribly inconsistent (or consistently terrible in some instances).
So now I'm more eager to pick up some full volumes of Jughead and Archie comics for the first time, and mayyyybe I'll read another volume of this title.
jayykitty's review against another edition
2.0
The artwork is nice but there’s not really a discernible plot so it was hard to follow. DNF
jmkillackey's review against another edition
2.0
DNF - made it three issues in but oof it's not good my friends. Saw one review use the phrase "vapid" and I'm honestly inclined to agree. Feels all over the place, shallow, and I never thought I'd see the day where it feels like Melody is the most articulate and consistent character in a Josie comic. The Jughead and puppo in the background in issue one was nice though!
cfinnigan's review against another edition
4.0
This book is bonkers but delightful. There is plenty of 4th wall breaking mayhem but the book isn’t all fluff. The emotional punches, when they come, hit hard. Josie’s ride to fame wasn’t without personal consequences. Josie needs to face to face with question we all ask, am I a good person.
It’s a fun story and one that works very well in the comics medium. Tonally the comic is on a tightrope, too much fluff and distracts from serious real moments. IMO the author were handling the balance quite well. Though some of the pop culture references went over my Gen X head I was still invested in the characters and the story.
It’s a fun story and one that works very well in the comics medium. Tonally the comic is on a tightrope, too much fluff and distracts from serious real moments. IMO the author were handling the balance quite well. Though some of the pop culture references went over my Gen X head I was still invested in the characters and the story.
marimoose's review against another edition
4.0
This brings me back to a lot of the pop culture I grew up with, and now I've got the theme tune stuck in my head and it will not go away. The artwork is fantastic! I loved the numerous pop culture references, puns, and fourth wall breakage (it reminded me of the irreverence and parodic style of Ouran High School Host Club), but it did have the tendency to get out of hand. If things pick up in plot in later issues, it would be even awesomer!
akookieforyou's review against another edition
1.0
Bratz Readathon 2020
I've never read any of the Josie comics before, my only real experience with them is the 2001 movie, and I was a little excited to read this. Sadly this was so. very. boring. Even though it's less than 200 pages, it still somehow manages to be repetitive. Especially in regards to Josie, throughout she kept 'learning' her lesson, only to immediately forget it and be obnoxious again. The other characters weren't any better though, we just didn't spend as much time with the insufferable side cast. I'm also really disappointed with the lack of an overarching plot, even if it were something as simple as a romance slowly developing over the course of the series. The only things I enjoyed were the art style, and I found some of the jokes funny (though most were annoying). Definitely would not recommend.
I've never read any of the Josie comics before, my only real experience with them is the 2001 movie, and I was a little excited to read this. Sadly this was so. very. boring. Even though it's less than 200 pages, it still somehow manages to be repetitive. Especially in regards to Josie, throughout she kept 'learning' her lesson, only to immediately forget it and be obnoxious again. The other characters weren't any better though, we just didn't spend as much time with the insufferable side cast. I'm also really disappointed with the lack of an overarching plot, even if it were something as simple as a romance slowly developing over the course of the series. The only things I enjoyed were the art style, and I found some of the jokes funny (though most were annoying). Definitely would not recommend.