Stunt casting. It can appear in comic books and the results vary. Archie and his friends are very adept at doing the improbable. They’ve previously met The Punisher, Predator and other things that clearly do not belong in Riverdale. That is the appeal behind these mash ups. Archie and his friends behave the same way regardless of which fish happens to be out of water. In Archie Meets Ramones our gang finds themselves in modern day times about to compete in a band contest.
After a brief and horrible practice Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica and Reggie go backstage where they fight. Archie has a visit from Sabrina who brings him a record from her aunt’s collection. It’s the self titled first album from the Ramones and something strange happens when Archie plays it. When each member of his band hears the music they disappear and are magically transported to 1976 in New York City.
They’re beside one of the great bands of all time and introduce themselves as The Archies, a rock band. The Ramones introduce themselves and ask their new rock friends if they’d like to open for them because their opener just bailed on them.
Suffice it to say, The Archies, playing their brand of rock, did not win over the battle of the bands crowd at Max’s Kansas City in 1976. When they ask the Ramones for tips on being more punk they’re given a list of things that they must do in order to be ‘punk’. What follows is a tongue in cheek, greatest hits tour of NYC that visits titles referenced in Ramones songs.
They go to a pet cemetery, visit rock and roll high school, Rockaway Beach, the intersection of 53rd and 3rd and other puns that Ramones fans will grin at. Actually, comic book fans will grin throughout Archie Meets Ramones. The content is OK for all ages and it’s drawn in a pseudo-classic Archie style. It’s not as modern as the Archie reboot, but is more modern than classic Archie. It’s also very funny in parts and has lessons that anybody will be able to relate to and learn from.
Don’t give up, embrace change, cherish your friends and take risks. Sure it sounds like the stuff of a campy infomercial, but they’re lessons that anybody, especially young readers needs to learn. If you haven’t read Archie in a while this is a fun experience and lets you know that its character continuity is alive and well in Riverdale. This is a warm and surprisingly funny story that they’ll enjoy, even if they don’t know (?!) about the Ramones.
Fans of the Ramones who go into the comic book with the right attitude will laugh too. The band members in the comic book are direct, but polite, slightly droll and funny. The Ramones, funny? Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that. Archie Meets Ramones was done in conjunction with Ramones Productions, Inc, has the look that you know and the trademark font that is associated with the band.
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