ARCHIE #700
Written by: Nick Spencer
Art by: Marguerite Sauvage
Colors by: Marguerite Sauvage
Letters by: Jack Morelli
Edited by: Alex Segura and Jamie Lee Rotante
Published by: Archie Comics
What it’s about…
A brand new era of ARCHIE begins in this landmark 700th issue of our flagship series! Join the new creative team of writer Nick Spencer (The Amazing Spider-Man) and artist Marguerite Sauvage (DC’s Bombshells) as they take a trip to Riverdale and bring Archie, Betty & Veronica, Jughead, and the rest of the town along for a wild ride complete with new mysteries, new relationships, and much more!

What I thought about it…
Archie #700 serves as a soft reboot of the classic Archie characters. Maybe its the Riverdale effect, who knows? But this issue sets up a new era for Archie and friends with a more mature tone and central plot. However, it’s important to point out that the heart of these characters is still there. Some things are different, but many things remain the same. The issue even opens with a sarcastic Jughead monologue while he shares a couple of burgers with Archie.
Surprisingly, Archie #700 has its fair share of plot twists. The first of which cames in the opening pages when Jughead reveals he got a job over the summer break, leaving Archie speechless. Some other nice elements in this issue happen as we learn what Betty, Veronica, and Reggie were up to during the summer. It’s in these sequences where we find out none of them have heard from Archie since school got out, and Archie isn’t ready to talk about it.
Writer Nick Spencer surprised me yet again with this comic. He first surprised me with his current run on Amazing Spider-Man, and here I can tell Spencer knows how to write Archie and friends without destroying the core of the character. Too bad he didn’t do that with Captain America. Some of the best moments in Archie #700 are simple conversations like the one between Betty and Ronnie in the car or the slow dance between Betty and Archie. And the ending, it even fooled me.
The “new era” for Archie is brought to life by the art of Marguerite Sauvage. To put it mildly, her art is stunning, with a unique blend of timeless and modern aspects. The various characters of the issue each have their own little visual flairs that make them stand out. The panel layout is also worthy of praise, with every little detail in the backgrounds impeccably drawn. Even if you don’t buy a copy of Archie #700, do yourself a favor and flip through it to check out Sauvage’s amazing artwork.
I bought Archie #700 only because it was 20% off on Black Friday. I probably wouldn’t have picked it up otherwise, but I’m very glad I did. I’ve already added Archie to my pull list so I can see these plotlines resolved. At the end of the day, this latest soft reboot is not a completely drastic change I had feared, and so far it shows quite a lot of promise.
Archie #700 score: A