GET OUT OF TOWN

Archie Andrews is on trial for murder, and his friends are determined to save him.

Cassidy Bullock and his friends terrorized Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica while they were spending the weekend in Shadow Lake, and when Cassidy is killed, Hiram Lodge frames Archie for it. Archie blames himself for ever getting involved in Hiram’s schemes, Veronica turns her back on her parents for the sake of love, Betty struggles to cope after learning that her father was the Black Hood serial killer, and Jughead becomes the new King of the Serpents biker gang after his father steps down. They attend a party at Reggie’s house, but distressing confrontations with others make them leave for Pop’s Chock’Lit Shoppe, where they decide to return to Shadow Lake to search for evidence to prove Archie’s innocence. Ostow’s (The Day Before, 2018, etc.) second Riverdale story offers a directionless plot that hints at future key points that are explored in the CW’s show. Through alternating perspectives, readers gain insight into characters other than the core four, including Reggie, who views Archie as his rival; Josie, who is focused on the success of the Pussycats; and Ethel, who is entranced by the mysterious Gargoyle King who promises happiness in exchange for her unwavering loyalty. With few physical descriptions, characters’ diversity is assumed to match the cast of the show.

Riverdale enthusiasts may appreciate this unnecessary literary adaptation.