Vampironica # 1
Archie Horror
Writers: Greg Smallwood and Meg Smallwood
Artist: Greg Smallwood
Lettering: Jack Morelli
Release Date: 3/14/18
What happens when you intertwine the 1992 cult hit movie Buffy The Vampire Slayer with the outright blood and gore of HBO’S twisted Vampire tale True Blood? You get Vampironica. The ever so lovable and gorgeous Veronica Lodge from our favorite fictional town of Riverdale has a taste for blood. No spoiler there if you couldn’t figure that out from the title of this comic created by Greg and Meg Smallwood. It seems only right that Veronica would get her own horror comic. Archie has “Afterlife” and Jughead “The Hunger” and of course there is Sabrina with The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina under the Archie Horror Imprint. The time has come for the guys to step aside again and let another women show you what the dark side is all about.
The story starts off in the present where a house party hosted by Cheryl Blossom is being interrupted by the most gruesome twosome this side 
of a tombstone. As these creatures are enjoying the flesh buffet before them out of nowhere comes Veronica. Doing her best Buffy imitation she takes down these two and makes a meal for herself in the pool. This is where the present ends and we jump back in time to a somewhat normal day in Riverdale. You know the usual happenings that include Betty and Veronica clamoring over their pride and joy Archie. However, the day will take a tragic turn and all hell breaks out in Veronica’s spoiled life.
This comic was an enjoyable read. It gave us just a little sampler of Veronica’s origin into becoming Vampironica. Greg and Meg Smallwood gave us a lot of panels with no words, but as the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words. However, they left us clinging to our seats waiting for issue two. That absolutely drives me nuts, but at the same time, I understand it because it’s an ongoing series. Always leave your reader craving more. The art was done with a lot of vibrant plasma red and had a very dark tone behind it. I would expect nothing less from a Vampire tale. I look forward to seeing how this comic develops and what other dastardly situations arise in such a wonderful town as Riverdale.