If Tales from Riverdale Digest #32 has a theme, it's mystery. Four of the nine stories presented here have some element of suspense.

The volume opens with George Gladir's "The Missing Manhole Covers." While the premise is solid and the crime a topical one readers can relate to, the story breaks into two parts that never quite jell. "Missing" begins well enough. Archie damages the band's van while swerving to avoid an uncovered manhole. This sets up the mystery and problem, but then the plot takes a detour to become a "Vain Reggie" story before quickly wrapping up the mystery with a solution that comes out of left field. One of two things would have made this story really work: less of "Vain Reggie" or more pages. As rendered by pencilor Fernando Ruiz and inker Jon D'Agostino, the cast is attractive. The backgrounds are simple, without being blank, and some panels are actually very good looking. I'm thinking in particular of the one showing Archie, Jughead and Hot Dog driving off under a full moon. It's simple, fits the mood of the moment, and Barry Grossman's coloring of it is spot on perfect.

After Archie overhears one of Mr. Lodge's conversations, he's convinced the multi-millionaire is out to get him in "The Arch Who Knew Too Much." This reprint features a smart mix of humor and physical comedy and is very enjoyable.

"Seafood Be Food" is a Weird Mysteries tribute to the Giant Monster movies of the 50s and 60s. You even get a "teenagers on the beach" scene! After a space rock mutates lobsters into giant crustaceans, a chase through Riverdale ensues – with Mr. Lodge leading the way. The dialog is smart and amusing and the art is downright gorgeous, looking in some ways like a DC Comics' "Animated Adventures" book – only better. The characters are lean and in constant motion. Rarely is there a straight-on headshot of a character. The readers are always seeing the action from above or below. Or even from an angled overhead shot from behind. The colors are darker and more subdued than those found in the usual Archie comic, giving a more dramatic aspect to the piece.

I assume "On the Spot" was an early attempt at giving Chuck a personality, as that's the only way to explain his starring in a story that would have been better suited to Reggie. When he learns Maria Rodriguez is the superstitious sort, Chuck decides to play a joke on her. Of course the joke ends up being on him. Note to Chuck: don't mess with the Assistant Principal's daughter. "On the Spot" is actually an amusing story that would have worked if Reggie had been the lead. Chuck just isn't the prankster type.

"The Chemists" stars Professor Flutesnoot and Mr. Weatherbee in a comedy of errors involving Archie and Jughead. A reprint from the 50s or early 60s, the vocabulary of the dialog is a bit more advanced than the typical Archie story of today and the art has an appealing "heft" to it. It doesn't just lie on the page, it has dimensionality. The panel showing Reggie making himself scarce is especially dynamic looking.

Miss Beazley takes center stage in George Gladir and Bob Bolling's "Lunchroom Lament," as she introduces Archie, Reggie, Jughead, and Chuck – and their personality quirks – to the new lunchroom lady. This would have made a great opening story for the digest, as it presents the characters in a way that new readers would find fun and memorable. Bolling's art is attractive, unique, and rubbery. The way his Archie moves reminds me of a young Dick Van Dyke – as in The Dick Van Dyke Show. The digest is worth getting just for the look of this story alone.

While I wouldn't characterize Tales from Riverdale Digest #32 as a "must have" issue, "Seafood Be Food" and "Lunchroom Lament" make it worth picking up.

---

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

---