Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • BTFT: Joe Kubert and the Other Mr. T

      Penny Kenny
      January 26, 2015
      Bin There Found That, Columns
    Recent
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

      Daniel Gehen
      October 27, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • 4.0

      Sunday Slugfest - Generation M #1

      Penny Kenny
      November 27, 2005
      Big Two Reviews, Marvel Comics, Reviews, Slugfest
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Stan Lee

      nguyen ly
      November 7, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • Interview: Camilla d'Errico Lives Her Dreams

      Penny Kenny
      April 26, 2016
      Indie, Interviews
    Recent
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • 4.5

      TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      October 29, 2020
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 5.0

      Comic Book Artist #6: Special Will Eisner Tribute Issue

      Penny Kenny
      February 23, 2006
      Reviews
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Rita Gorgoni: Putting the "Pieces" Together to Tell a Frightening Tale

      Penny Kenny
      August 27, 2009
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • The New Mike Sekowsky: Appreciating His Radical Years, Part Two: The Metal Shines

      Penny Kenny
      May 23, 2014
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Exclusive Marvel Preview: Nova #31

      Penny Kenny
      May 21, 2015
      Previews
    Recent
    • 2020 Ringo Awards Winners Announced

      Daniel Gehen
      October 26, 2020
    • BAD IDEA Announces 2021 Publishing Slate

      Daniel Gehen
      September 29, 2020
    • A Full Replay of NCSFest 2020 is now Available

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2020
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Preview: 'An Unreliable History of Tattoos' from NoBrow Press

      Penny Kenny
      March 30, 2016
      Books, News, Previews
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: If I win Powerball, I will buy Amazing Fantasy 15
  • DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)
  • Collecting Profile: Batwoman
  • Collecting Profile: Daredevil
  • Collecting Profile: Floronic Man
  • Review of Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Reviews

Jughead Double Digest #176

Penny Kenny
December 13, 2011
Reviews

 

ADVANCE REVIEW! Jughead Double Digest #176 will go on sale Wednesday, December 14, 2011.

Jughead Double Digests are generally worth picking up just because they feature one of the Archieverse's most individual and intriguing characters, but issue #176 is even better than most. 

The issue starts out strong with Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz's "The Christmas Challenge." When Jellybean disappears at the carnival, Jughead loses all interest in the "Cupcake Challenge" eating competition — much to Reggie's dismay. DeFalco does a superb job of capturing Jughead's relationship with his little sister. He adores her. It's evident in the way he holds her and tries to make her happy.

But he's also a typical teen, meaning that sometimes he doesn't have his priorities straight and that causes problems. 

"The Christmas Challenge" also introduces a fascinating new character in the person of "Two-Fisted Toni Topaz." Here is a female who "gets" Jughead. While she comes off a bit scary at first, it quickly becomes clear that she's a caring person. DeFalco's script is smart. He mixes drama and humor in just the right proportion. While Jughead's role in the search for Jellybean is played straight, with all the attendant concerns and fears, Reggie's part is strictly comic. As his situation gets worse and worse, it gets funnier and funnier. Ron Frenz and inker Al Milgrom give the cast a slightly more realistic look, which works well for this story. New kid Vic and his mother are especially good-looking in this style. The expressions are easy to read, but not overly exaggerated. There's a montage of Jughead and Jellybean that's just beautiful and a panel of Toni and Jughead together that's poster worthy.

The fabulous Craig Boldman, Rex Lindsey, Rich Koslowski, Barry Grossman, and various letterers provide several tales. This team always comes up with smart, funny stories that capture Jughead's quirky character. While "Fast Friends," a tale of Archie trying to track down Jughead, is very enjoyable with its clever dialog, I think I might like "Wrist Watching!" just a tad more. Here, Jughead agrees to become a model — mainly to annoy Veronica. The story takes a neat twist and turns the tables on Veronica's friendly tormentor. Lindsey and Koslowski have a very clean, attractive art style that's a pleasure to look at. 

Jughead dreams that he's a billionaire crime fighter on the trail of the nefarious crew that's stolen his crown in Margopolous, Gene Colan, and Lapick's "Hatman the Crowned Crusader." This is a pretty good take on the Michael Keaton Batman movie. Mr. Weatherbee makes a great heavy and Mr. Lodge as a butler is a neat reversal of character. I particularly like his line "The mop is actually my weapon of choice." Gene Colan's art is, of course, polished and attractive and gives the story some weight.

Pellowski, Ruiz, and Nickerson's "Bird Brainer" shows Jughead's softer side, while Doyle and Schwartz's classic "The Catalyst" demonstrates Jughead's ability to make things happen without even trying. 

In "A Season to Remember" by George Gladir, Stan Goldberg, and Jim Amash, Jughead shares his essay on the trials of the previous winter with his class. Thought that might not sound like a particularly interesting concept for a story, Gladir makes it clever and fun. I know there's a literary term for the way Jughead/Gladir start a sentence one way, then take it in a different direction, but it's escaping me at the moment.

Goldberg and Amash's Jughead is slightly older, taller and beefier than the usual model, but he looks good. The artists bring a relaxed, easy feel to the panels by using loose and flowing lines. 

The stories collected here make Jughead Double Digest #176 the perfect early Christmas present for readers who enjoy smart humor and characters who march to the beat of their own drummer.

 


 

For the past 13 years, Penny Kenny has been an elementary library paraprofessional in a rural school district. For the seven years prior to that, she headed a reading-math program designed to help first grade students with learning difficulties. Her book reviews regularly appeared in Starlog from 1993 to the magazine's unfortunate demise in 2009 and she has published several e-novellas under a pen name. She has been a reviewer with Comics Bulletin since 2007. 

ArchieJughead Double DigestPenny Kenny

Share On:
Tweet
ADVANCE REVIEW: Kull: The Cat and the Skull #3
ADVANCE REVIEW: Baltimore: The Curse Bells #5

About The Author

Penny Kenny
Penny Kenny

For the past thirteen years, Penny Kenny has been an elementary library paraprofessional in a rural school district. For the seven years prior to that, she headed a reading-math program designed to help first grade students with learning difficulties. Her book reviews regularly appeared in Starlog from 1993 to the magazine’s unfortunate demise in 2009 and she has published several e-novellas under a pen name. She has been a reviewer with Comics Bulletin since 2007.

Related Posts

  • What Looks Good For the Week of December 4, 2019

    Daniel Gehen
    December 2, 2019
  • 4.5

    Review: Sabrina The Teenage Witch #3 Is A Spell Of An Issue

    Jason Jeffords Jr.
    June 19, 2019

Latest Reviews

  • 4.5

    DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    January 22, 2021
  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

    Daniel Gehen
    December 14, 2020
  • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

    Daniel Gehen
    December 3, 2020
  • 4.5

    TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    October 29, 2020
  • 4.5

    Micro Review: Commanders in Crisis #1

    Jason Jeffords Jr.
    October 12, 2020
  • 3.0

    Review: GHOST WRITER Fights the Spectre of Unevenness

    Daniel Gehen
    September 3, 2020
  • 3.5

    Review: Strange Skies Over East Berlin

    Yavi Mohan
    August 11, 2020
  • DRAWING BLOOD: A Hyper-Stylized, Fictional Autobiography

    Ben Bishop, Brittany Peer, David Avallone, Drawing Blood, Kevin Eastman, Tomi Varga
    August 9, 2020
  • 3.0

    Alien: The Original Script #1 – This One’s For The Fans

    Jason Jeffords Jr.
    August 7, 2020
  • Singles Going Steady: Why? Lettering!

    Daniel Gehen
    July 28, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders