It All Comes Down To Burgers In Jughead’s Time Police #5

Jugheads from far and wide have all gathered together at the end of time for an epic battle. The original 1940s Jughead has manipulated them to this moment while the current Jughead is trying to stay alive. Will cooler heads prevail? Or will this be the end of all Jugheads as we know it?

I want to take a minute to fully appreciate the sheer variety of Jugheads at work in this issue. Artist Derek Charm brings in everyone from werewolf Jughead to Lil Jughead and everyone in between. Even Cole Sprouse from The CW’s Riverdale makes an appearance. It goes to show all the different wacky adventures this character has had over the past 70+ years.
The Cole Sprouse version is particularly fun because he’s drawn in a grittier, more realistic style. It’s like the lights go down and shadows rise up when we focus on him. He starts talking in a rather morose tone, going on about the severity of this situation. Under other circumstances, this would be a little dreary, but in this case, it’s hilarious. Colorist Matt Herms did a great job differentiating not just this Jughead, but all of them in this huge showdown. For example, the werewolf and undead Jughead versions are a little darker, while the cartoony ones are brighter.

Writer Sina Grace peppers in these kind of gags throughout the entirety of Jughead’s Time Police #5. This character has been through a lot, as we can tell by all the different versions of him, but more importantly, he’s just a tad absurd. That’s captured perfectly in this book, especially with how the final battle comes to a close. In perfect Jughead fashion, it comes down to a burger.
A big part of the closing moments of this fight come with a quirky and funny sound effect. Letterer Jack Morelli spins these around the page to highlight the sci-fi nature of the experience. We’re dealing with time travel after all.

There’s a great message of friendship that comes into play with this finale. It could have come through as a little heavy handed. Instead, it’s got a nice amount of humor as it comes from Jughead and his bizarre way of seeing the world. Everything revolves around food which is definitely something I can get behind.
Jughead’s Time Police is wacky, hilarious, and heartfelt. It’s pure fun in comic book form. Like any good story of this nature, the door is left open for more adventures and I sincerely hope we get another romp through time like this.
Jughead’s Time Police #5 from Archie Comics is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.