Archie Comics has released a new version of their website, with games, character profiles, and most exciting to me, video clips. (Although you have to look under “Fun Stuff / Media” to find them, and note that “Fun Stuff” is different from “Games”.)

I have some questions, of course. First, why, given the increasing emphasis they’re putting on digital delivery, especially on the iPhone and related devices, would they create a site that requires Flash to show you any content? The i-devices don’t use Flash, nor do Android handsets or similar. That seems counter-productive in reaching that new audience, but maybe they’re already reaching them directly.

Speaking of which, why didn’t I see a link to the Archie Digital online comic site anywhere? I hope I overlooked it.

As someone who covers the company, where do I go to find a simple list of titles they release? Is the subscription store complete? One would think so, but when working at DC, I quickly learned that publishers don’t offer subscriptions for everything, especially limited titles (or those not long for the world).

The press release also touts the site as being “highly customizable” with “custom visual themes”. I didn’t see any sign of such things, but maybe that’s coming later with the Fan Club. I also found it odd that the press release plugs the timing “Amid the excitement surrounding the announcement of Archie Comics’ new comic series “Stan Lee’s Super Seven” [and] the success of Archie Comics’ Red Circle superheroes with DC”, yet I found nothing about either of those initiatives anywhere on the new site. Maybe, again, they’re aiming at two different audiences.

Regardless of my quibbles, it’s a dynamic site with lots to offer the target group interested in interacting with the characters beyond the printed comic page.