Most Beautiful Girl
Would I dare give a perfect rating to any comic in the Archie/Riverdale setting? I probably never thought that I would, but this issue really was quite good. On the surface there is the usual teenage hijinks as Sabrina's cat Salem casts a spell which revereses the gender of everyone in the town. Some typical thing unfold, and even some expected gender complaints (Archina complaining that women's shoes are uncomfortable.) Underneath it all though there is an interesting look at gender roles. J.J.'s eating habit seems more absurd (that would be the female Jughead), Ron's elitist view seems desperate (male version of Veronica) and Billy (male version of Betty) is praised for all the things that female Betty is ignored for. In the end characters say they get a lesson (even though it is not clear that they do) but for the reader looking a bit below the surface, this is a pretty deep issue as far as Archie goes.
