Reggie and Me

Reggie and Me (2016-2017) #1-5

by Tom DeFalco, Sandy Jarrell (Illustrator)

REGGIE AND ME is the collection of the bad boy's first New Riverdale miniseries. Comics legend Tom DeFalco (Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Girl) and artist Sandy Jarrell (Black Canary) shine the spotlight on Reggie Mantle and his best friend -- a devoted Dachshund named Vader.

There is no one more loved, revered, admired and adored in Riverdale than...Reggie Mantle? Well, at least Reggie doesn't think there's anyone as loved and admired as himself. And his best friend can back that idea up--his best friend, of course, being his dog, Vader. The unstoppable duo is known around town for pulling the funniest pranks, getting the hottest dates and throwing the best parties. And if anyone even dares to compete with them, there is going to be hell to pay. Come take a look at the life of your hero, the handsome, hilarious Reggie Mantle.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Dogs, Comedy

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 2017

About the author

Tom DeFalco is an American comics writer and editor, well-known for his association with Marvel Comics and Spider-Man.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vader is a cute mini-dacshund belonging to Reggie. It's the only thing that Reggie really cares about or pretends to care about. We get to see the perspective of Reggie from someone who really loves him, maybe too much. Vader can't see Reggie's flaws.

This works so well. I mean it's a brilliant storytelling device. We love the cute dog and he is so loyal and loving toward Reggie. Reggie is the villain of the story and seeing him through Vader's eyes helps to soften the character and I found myself somewhat rooting for Reggie at times, which has never happened.

We see childhood friends Archie, Betty and Reggie before they became frenemies. Reggie is devious and they don't shy away from that, but the ending is so warm and fuzzy and I just love this issue. I hope they will make more of these. We also find out that Reggie, not so secretly, pines for Midge - a character I haven't met or seen yet. She dates Moose and she is a good and decent person. She is nice to Reggie and Reggie is scheming to break them up. I like Midge and want to see more of her.

I am loving these new Archie comics. High enjoyment.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reggie and Me is a slice of life book about Reggie Mantle, Archie's arch-nemesis, as told by his adoring dog Vader. And it's pretty damn good.

Well, I never thought I'd come close to shedding a tear over an Archie book but here we are. Reggie tries to Red Harvest Archie and Moose in an attempt to get with Midge, lovingly narrated by his dog Vader. As a dog guy, I thought this was fantastic.

Sandy Jarrell's art is more akin to Hanna Barbera than classic Archie but fits the tale fairly well. While the characters aren't in the Dan DeCarlo style, they're still recognizable. Sandy's Moose was probably my favorite character visually with Reggie a close second.

Tom "How about we put Sue in a revealing outfit and put a helmet on The Thing" DeFalco writes a compelling tale here, giving new insight into why Reggie Mantle is a such a dickhead all the time, making Reggie a little more sympathetic with his absentee parents. He's still a dick, though.

As for the tear jerking moment I mentioned earlier, Vader adoringly narrates the tale until being yelled at by Reggie and running into traffic. Even a prick like Reggie has feelings, apparently. Fortunately, it's an Archie book so everything turns out okay.

Reggie & Me had some surprisingly powerful moments. Fortunately, Everything was Reggie again by the end. Five out of five adoring wiener dogs.

[Kelly K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute collection told from the perspective of Reggie's dog, Vader. If it had been told from Reggie's alone I probably wouldn't have been too interested.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so happy that this is the book I chose to kick off my 2018 reading year! It was so much fun and had a surprising amount of depth in the story.

Reggie and Me revolves around the life of Reggie Mantel, “the closest thing Riverdale has to a super-villain.” The story is told through the point of view of Reggie’s dog, Vader. This added a lot of humor to the story. The comic also features characters who are not always in the spotlight in other Archie comics. Moose, Midge, and even Jughead’s dog, Hot Dog, played prominent roles.

I love learning more about Reggie. In the other comics, he always shows resentment towards the Archie gang while still hanging out with them and even driving them places (Jughead Vol. One). The backstory about Reggie shown in this volume is pretty upsetting, but the comic still remains lighthearted and fun. It gives a great background to Reggie’s character and shows why he acts the way he does.

I also enjoyed seeing more of Moose! I have not read the one-shot about him yet, but after reading Reggie and Me, I hope to read it soon. Moose is typically viewed as the stereotypical airhead jock, but this comic shows more about his role within his family, how much he cares about Midge, and his motives for life after high school. His fierce loyalty also plays a role in the story. I have always enjoyed reading about Moose, and now he may be one of my favorite characters!

Reading the story through Vader’s perspective was also fun, and I liked how the four main Archie characters still play a role in the volume without being the centers of attention. Some of the usual supporting characters in the comics had their chance to shine in this issue. Personally, this is my favorite volume from Archie Comics to date. I hope they release more stories centering around Reggie and Vader.

As for the extras in the back of the issue, I highly recommend checking them out. The alternative covers are great and truly embody Reggie. The first issue bonus of Your Pal Archie is enjoyable as well and made me want to pick up that volume next.

[Namratha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was beyond precious.
And this is not a sentiment that I would ever have associated with Reggie *The Jerk* Mantle.

Told from the POV of Reggie’s scrappy wee rescue dog, Vader, the book gives us an insight into what makes Reggie tick. The Prince of Darkness is far from dark and has enticing shades of grey to his character. As the layers unfurl with unexpected twists, you almost get the answers to many questions. Why does Reggie resent Archie so much when they initially started off as childhood friends? Why does Vader consider Riverdale’s sweetheart, Betty Cooper, to be a thorn in his master’s side? Does Reggie like Midge so much that he is even willing to jeopardize their fond friendship and take on the ire of the mighty Moose Mason?

Get a sneak peek into the mind of Riverdale’s supervillain through the melting eyes of one adorable and biased four-legged narrator.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nobody can beat Charlie Brown and Snoopy when it comes to iconic boys and their even more iconic dogs. That doesn't stop Reggie Mantle and his faithful friend Vader from trying, though.

Unfortunately, they don't quite succeed.

There really wasn't a coherent story line to get me invested in, and the artwork was just sort of meh. I did like that the author tried to balance Reggie's hidden good side with his more well-known mischievous nature. However, it just didn't work for me.

I'll take Charlie Brown and Snoopy any day.

[Brianda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was funny. I liked the perspective of the dog, I just wasn't too crazy abt the artwork and the plot wasn't amazing, but it was fun and cute.

[Douglas Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Waid’s Archie reboot has been so enjoyable that it prompted me to read some of the other Archie related titles.
This volume does a great job of setting Reggie up as a great anti-hero while also co-starring the rest of the Riverdale gang that we know and love. The action is narrated by Reggie’s dog, Vader, who serves as the “me” from the book’s title, and it’s a cute convention but I could see its limits if the title continued. The art is excellent and Reggie is hot

[Meliss · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fine, but I wasn't super engaged by the story.

[Slaa!!! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reggie’s not really a fave character but I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! Loved the dog ❤️ and how DARE they do that to me at the end!!

[Ramon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has a simple plot: after being ditched in a party at his house, our protagonist tries to take revenge on Archie, especially after he broke his first rule: “No one ever pities Reggie Mantle.”
Read more at Multiversity Comics

[Emma Lindhagen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely my favorite out of the New Riverdale stuff so far. The whole idea of telling the story from Vader's perspective is wonderfully eccentric and a lot of fun! The story wasn't bad either, and it was set up in a way where you actually both feel bad for Reggie and find him to be a total jerk at the same time.

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reggie has an adorable dog and despite being a jerk, manages to make some friends. Sorta. He's a total dick, and doesn't deserve those friends, but this has been the case for basically the entire run of Archie. Though the writers are attempting to humanise him a bit. Maybe he learns?

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially, I loved this. It was fun and quirky and the idea of having it told from the perspective of Reggie's dachshund was surprisingly effective. However, the last issue was stupid and kind of tore the whole thing down.

[Jesse Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it for the most part, but what made it 3 stars for me was the narration. The whole volume was narrated from the POV of Reggie's dog. WTF? I'm here for Reggie, not his dog.

Ditch the dog in the next volume or I'm out!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable! Great reminder of what a classic character Reggie is, with heartwarming twists thanks to thoughtful backstory and the adoring narration of his loving dog Vader. Though I find it hard to believe Reggie would name a sweet dachshund Vader...

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a whole lot better than I thought. I mean, who really wants to read about Reggie Mantle? But have it narrated by his adorable dog, and I'm hooked! I really liked the story, it surprisingly had some heart to it. And Vader might be my favourite Riverdale canine, with no offense to Hot Dog.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the extra insight into Reggie! And told from the POV of Vader? Best choice. The only downfall is that this is all there is! Reggie will always be Reggie in some way, but I really felt like this look into his life opened a door for more development for him.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the characters so this was fine. However, It wasn't particularly engaging and didn't really resolve. Also, enough with dog narrators. I was more into the bonus issue of Your Pal Archie.

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vader is so cute.

[Trin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the way Sandy Jarrell captures Vader the dog's movement. SO CUTE.

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely read this because of Vader

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me at "told from the POV of a cute dachshund." The plot wasn't spectacular but the end was satisfying, and I also now love Moose. (Sorry, Reggie.)

[Doctor Doom · Rating 3 out of 5]

not a fan of DeFalco [I blame him for Marvel's fall into mediocrity] but he does a good job here giving Reggie's backstory from the point of view of his faithful dog Vader.

[Alex Sarll]

The obvious way to do a spin-off series for a villain is to put them up against someone even worse, but in an environment as gentle as Riverdale (and not as in the TV series, let alone the various comics which seed it with the undead, Predators or the like for incongruous LOLs) there isn't really anyone much worse than resident dickhead Reggie Mantle, nor can you introduce one without threatening to upend the whole setting. So this tries instead to round him out, suggesting that his parents' inattention is largely to blame for his acting out, and showing occasional moments of decency, even if that seldom goes much further than thinking about doing something shitty, but then refraining. Still, there are plenty of other times when he does behave like his usual arsehole self to Archie et al, and even having the story narrated by his loyal dog Vader, naturally inclined to take his master and rescuer's side, eventually crumbles; when you're such a heel that even your dog starts to realise, that's so far into unsympathetic that the whole thing just ends up feeling sad.

[Vince Osorio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a charming lil' read that attempts to give more depth to the Reggie Mantle character. I thought the gimmick of having Reggie's dog as our narrator was both clever and maybe not used as well as it could have been, plus it still feels like Reggie is written in a way that makes him be unlikable. You can have him be standoffish and rude but still be a character that the reader would want to see win in the end. We see glimpses of this in the main Archie series with his absent parents and fake bravado but I really wish this book used the extra space to delve into the psychology of the character vs focusing on a kinda underwhelming plot with Midge, Moose + Archie.

That said, an engaging read with a charming art style that I enjoyed quite a bit!

[Bill Coffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Archie reboot continues! Gotta hand it to Tom DeFalco, giving us a view of Reggie through his dog's eyes (a Dachsund named Vader! snort!) is a brilliant way to make Reggie relatable without dulling his villainous edge. This story of an otherwise by-the-numbers Reggie caper is fun and almost consequence free until suddenly it isn't. And then, as if by a miracle, the tale gets a sense of heart we never quite expected. Fun stuff.

[Garrett Nicolai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated this different take on the ultimate heel; it was sweet seeing Reggie through the eyes of someone who actually does adore him. I felt that the story could have ended one issue sooner, though; the final issue seemed mostly unnecessary.

[samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hope my dog loves me this much.

[anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

quase passei mal achando q o cachorro ia morrer