A new teacher and a new drama/literature class mean trouble for Jughead when he's cast as Cyrano in Alex Simmons' “The Archie Drama Club Presents Cyrano Jones" the first of several enjoyable stories in this latest digest.

Dynamic new drama/literature teacher Petra Lauriette may just be the best new character of the year. Coming across as a female version of Robin Williams' character in The Dead Poets' Society, she's a dynamo of a woman, passionate about her subject and determined to inspire her students with that same love. I really like what Simmons does with her. It's great to see the classroom setting and learning playing such an important role in the story. Sure, we often see the gang in class, but they're usually not interacting with the teacher or subject in a meaningful way. Here it feels like they're really in class. An idealized class to be sure, but still a class. Simmons throws in lots of literary references, but not in a dull or pedantic way. He uses them for humorous effect and as ways of revealing character. Petra's, "And I have to paint the roses red, follow the yellow brick road, and...extract gym shorts from the dog that ate them," brings her character vividly to life.

Petra really isn't the focus of the story, however. That honor goes to Jughead and Simmons has a pretty good handle on his character. He's a bit of a smart aleck, concerned about what his nemesis Trula Twyst might be up to, and uncomfortable around girls who are genuinely interested in him. He also seems to have something on his mind he isn't sharing with his friends. What is missing in this story is Jughead's intelligence, his habit of being two steps ahead of everyone else. That might, however, come into play later on.

Simmons does an excellent job of referencing Jughead's past relationships, while still making the story accessible to new readers. Ethel's eagerness to be paired with Jug for a trust exercise tells readers she likes this guy without her blurting out that fact, while Sandy's referring to something that happened in The Matchmakers mini-series is written in such a way readers understand what happened without having to have read the story.

The art team of Fernando Ruiz, the late Jon D'Agostino, letterer John Workman, and colorist Barry Grossman do a fabulous job for the most part on the art. The characters dash, twist, and bound across the page. Someone is always in motion doing something. I don't think there's a still panel in the story. The action flows fluidly. The panels are crammed with background stories and humor without being over crowded or distracting from the main action.

Though she has blue-black hair and granny glasses, Petra reminds me of the classic Sabrina the teen-age witch design. There's something about the way she smiles and holds her head that suggests there's more to her than meets the eye. The witch angle most likely suggests itself to me because of the way her first appearance is handled. In the third panel of her introduction, Ruiz and D'Agostino show her face in close-up, heavily shadowed. There's a glint off her glasses as she quotes from Edgar Allen Poe's “The Raven.” It's eerie and evocative.

My only complaint with the art is that Sandy and Trula look too much alike. While this might be a subtle comment on Jughead's type, it causes confusion at times.

Beside the opening story, several of the reprints collected here deal with Jughead's performing. In "Bird Brains," he's preparing for a magic show. This story takes an interesting twist toward the end and features an absolutely adorable panel of Jughead kissing a bird. "A Very Uplifting Experience" also deals with magic. In this case, a trick that goes wrong. This is an uneven story. Too much time is spent explaining how the trick works. It slows the pace. Still, it's enjoyable. "Flash in the Pan" is a light story about flash mobs and pizza and the two-part "Purple Haze" has Jughead dressing up as "Bippy the Purple Dinosaur" and saving the day.

Two of my favorite reprints are "Taste Sensation" and "Hot Lips." In the former, a bump on the head gives Jughead synesthesia and has him experiencing taste through touch. This is a fairly recent story and feels like a Craig Boldman/Rex Lindsey collaboration. "Hot Lips" has Jug rescuing a little girl from a snowbank and getting an embarrassing reward.

The digest also contains two Christmas themed stories, two "That Wilkin Boy" reprints, pin-ups, and puzzles.

With its mix of new and old stories, Jughead Double Digest #165 makes an enjoyable and convenient package for readers looking for some light reading.

---

What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!

---