Archie Archives Volume 5

Volume 5 reprints Archie Comics #15–#18 and the Archie stories from Pep Comics #54–#56, both from 1945 and 1946. That last issue, Pep #56, is historically significant, since it marked the publisher’s name change from MLJ Magazines to Archie Comic Publications. Also different in this book is how much of the art is done by Bill Vigoda instead of Bob Montana.

Readers likely won’t notice, though, since the cast has that old-fashioned humorous approach we’ve seen throughout these early issues. Even though they’re wearing out-of-date looks, many of the situations are familiar: Archie stumbles all over himself at a costume party. Veronica teases him (and the readers) with some sexy outfits. Archie tries out for a sports team, tries to get a band for the dance, or adopts a monkey. (That one’s a little weird.) Reggie uses ventriloquism to get Archie in trouble. Archie wants to date the new girl in town or runs for class president.

What’s a bit more unusual is the presence of a couple of stories that aren’t focused exclusively on the teens. One early story shows Archie’s dad as a hypochondriac, while another sends him golfing (with Archie as idiotic caddie). The stories about the girls have them often competing, but it’s not always over Archie. Instead, they sometimes battle over who can meet a visiting star or baking a cake.

Other tales are poignant reminders of the time, with one story featuring Archie trying to cope with a blackout. Another has him try to sell using a horse and cart to Veronica by talking about how patriotic it was not to use gas. Overall, the humor here is very similar to modern-day Archie (without as much romance), but the look is very much of its time, with more exaggerated takes on the characters.

The book includes the fashion pages (which at this time were ads for patterns readers could order through the mail), puzzle pages, text stories, and Archie-related ads. (The publisher provided a review copy.)

The story is written by Tania del Rio, who spent several years creating the manga version of Sabrina, so she knows her stuff. Art and covers are by Gisele, continuing from the previous issue, which features Occupy Riverdale.

Yesterday, the New York Times posted a lengthy article summing up the current struggle between the CEOs of Archie Comics, with various charges asserted and lawsuits filed. I particularly like the illustrations (one excerpted here), featuring the players in the style of old Archie comics, by Mark Matcho.

It’s a good summary of where the situation stands — in court-ordered mediation. I had the pleasure of speaking with the article writer, Robin Finn, and providing some background on the company and how it was perceived by the comic press and fans. She got some insightful quotes from co-CEO Jon Goldwater on how he came to be in his position and how he sees the company, including the news that Archie made a profit last year. Unfortunately, Nancy Silberkleit is unable to comment on her side of things, given the legal action.

There’s no word on the plans to bring Sabrina the Teenage Witch to TV as an animated series — sometimes that’s what happens with plans, they fall apart — but Archie has a new potential partner for a media version of the character.

Deadline reports that Sony is interested in starring the character in a movie in which she will be “recast as a superhero. The live action film will be an origin story in the vein of Spider-Man, about a young girl coming to terms with her remarkable powers.” Archie Comics Co-CEO Jon Goldwater has been set up as an executive producer, and Salem the talking cat will appear as well.

Melissa Joan Hart, shown here, played the character on a sitcom that ran from 1996 to 2003.

(NOTE: This article is best read AFTER reading my column at Westfield Comics where I discuss the recently passed Josie DeCarlo’s inspiration and influence on her husband Dan DeCarlo’s work and how she came to be credited at Archie Comics decades before Dan got an official credit for his work.)

Dan and Josie DeCarlo’s twin sons Dan Jr. and James were born in 1947 and grew up following their father’s footsteps, becoming comic book artists for Archie Comics. Dan Jr. was a talented penciller — it’s very difficult to differentiate art style between father and son — and he grew up assisting his father on Betty and Veronica. Later, he became the main artist on the Archie title, beginning in the early 1980s.

James learned how to ink directly from his father. Dan was an excellent teacher — he frequently taught other artists from the Archie offices. Many sessions were reportably filmed and sent to freelancers too far away to travel. (I’d love to see those videos.) James inked pages by both his father and brother.

Both sons also have “Suggested By” acknowledgements on several Archie pin-ups first published in the early 1960s — and drawn by their dad. They received these credits as young teenagers (and ironically received an official Archie credit long before their father did). Here are some of Dan Jr. and James’ early “contributions”. I wonder if seeing their names in print was influential in their decision to eventually become comics pros? (Click images to make bigger.)

Future Archie penciller Dan J. has Betty fall for him (and thoughtful Archie happened to bring a pillow, for just such accidents). From Archie Giant Series #10 (Archie’s Christmas Stocking), Jan. 1961.

Dan Jr. rolls up the rug so that Betty and Veronica can demonstrate the 1960s' biggest dance craze. From Archie’s Girls, Betty and Veronica #78, June 1962.

Future Archie inker James DeCarlo dreams up a sporty Betty. From Archie’s Girls, Betty and Veronica #69, Sept. 1961.

James also comes up with a Betty idea worth wading for! (Sorry, old and frequently repeated gag from many Archie Comics covers.) From Archie Giant Series #13 (Betty and Veronica Summer Fun), Oct. 1961.

Dan Jr. and James were also inadvertently responsible for assisting their father with keeping up-to-date on current teenage fashion — both for girls and guys. When the sons started dating as teenagers, their girlfrineds were frequently at the DeCarlo house. According to Dan, there was a lot of talk about teenage fashion, much of it absorbed by Dan and subsequently appearing on the printed page worn by Betty, Veronica, or Josie. One of Dan Jr.’s girlfriends, Ginger, became a friend of the family and used to give Dan advice on what girls were currently wearing.

Dan was very big on keeping the fashions current, especially for the girls. Those who have studied Dan’s art have noticed this most in the mid-60s, as more adult-styled outfits gave way to the new youth-oriented styles coming out of England’s Carnaby Street. Josie DeCarlo also was influential on Dan’s fashion sense for his comic work.

Sadly, both sons predeceased Dan and Josie. Dan Jr. passed away in 1990 of stomach cancer, and James died in 1991 from complications from a stroke. Earlier, in 1967, Dan’s brother Vincent died of lung cancer. Vincent was Dan’s long-time inker (exclusively for Dan’s Archie work in the early 1960s, including the pieces showcased here), and many DeCarlo fans feel that Vince was Dan’s best inker.

The mysterious Tony DeCarlo provided the gag for this pin-up. From Archie’s Girls, Betty and Veronica #86, Feb. 1963.

I’m not sure who Tony DeCarlo was, but the New Rochelle, New York, address is probably too much of a coincidence to not be part of the artistic DeCarlo family. (Dan was born and died there.) Anybody out there know for sure who he is/was?

Hope you enjoyed this look at the DeCarlo family as contributors to the stories of America’s favorite teenagers!

A NOTE ON SOURCES: The issues listed as sources for these pages are where I found them, which may — or may not — be the original source. Pin-ups and fashion pages were frequently reprinted in other Archie publications in that era, and much later in the digests. Frequently, when later reprinted, the names and addresses of the contributors were removed.

It was the eighth story, “Topic of Discussion!”, that really stood out for me. It reminded me of how much I miss Kathleen Webb’s writing on Betty and Veronica. She has a wonderful voice that sounds like a real teenager. Nothing much happens in this five-pager, but that’s the point. It’s about how many things the girls can find to talk about and how lively a good conversation can be. Their wide-ranging interests make them seem like interesting and three-dimensional personalities. It’s a welcome portrait of just how involving these long-running characters can be with the right touch.

The digest begins with another example of the diversity of Betty and Veronica. They’re viewing a classic silent monster movie. Archie promises he’ll keep them from being too scared, but he’s the one that winds up surprised by how affecting an old film, even a silent one, can be.

A more disturbing thread in a couple of the stories is the acknowledgement that dating these days can be risky. One story has Veronica being hassled by a stranger who won’t let her say no to him. She’s rescued by Jughead, which has her upset at being in his debt. The topic is handled lightly, with snowball throwing, but it could have turned unpleasant. A later tale is even more disturbing, as the girls are followed around the mall by two cute guys. Betty’s concerned, but Veronica’s flattered. It all turns out to be a mistake, but I hope that the “we were silly” ending doesn’t tell kids not to worry in such situations.

They’ll learn better lessons from “Friendship Wrecked”, which conveys the seven steps to a perfect friendship, demonstrating how Betty and Veronica’s relationship fit the criteria. Another Betty story illustrated by Stan Goldberg plays with the visuals, showing us Betty’s awareness of how different people see her in different ways, from Daddy’s little girl to Archie’s “second fiddle”. Also in this digest are some Ginger, Sabrina, and Katy Keene stories.

(For comparison, I’ve done the same things for books published in 2010, published in 2009, published in 2008, and published in 2007.)

Before I get to the sales figures, though, I noticed a few changes in the Archie publication line while assembling these. The first is that the titles Archie & Friends, Betty, and Veronica are no longer published. (Veronica became Kevin Keller, while Betty‘s demise was rumored over a year ago.) Archie now publishes only five periodical series, and only one is monthly. That’s the flagship Archie. The magazine-format Life With Archie offers 10 issues a year, while Jughead, Betty & Veronica, and Kevin Keller come out bi-monthly, six times a year.

(Subscriptions, by the way, save you over a dollar an issue. You pay less than $2 a copy instead of the $2.99 cover price.)

I also noticed, while flipping through the issues to find these statements, that in the latest issues, there is not a single outside advertisement. All the ads are for Archie collections, subscriptions, and their digital products. That’s a piece of revenue that they’re missing out on.

So, on to the numbers. For the single issues, these are the Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation figures that Archie files with the government. The first number is the Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months; the second is No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date.

The Kevin Keller figures are likely using Veronica‘s sales history; the last few issues of that title ran as a Kevin Keller miniseries. Compared to last year’s figures, those numbers are better than I expected. Then, most of the periodicals sold a bit over 8,000; now, they’ve culled the low sellers, except for Jughead, to get the books over 10,000. Either Jughead will disappear soon; be revamped; or he’s someone in power’s favorite character.

However, half of the titles are showing a decline from the average to the most recent issue, with the Kevin Keller sales leap indicating interest in the company’s gay character. The recent controversy over the gay wedding in Life With Archie #16 provided a much-needed bump to counteract its falling sales figures, with the issue selling out and back issues going for inflated prices. (My favorite statement on that whole situation is Ty Templeton’s comic strip — love his caricature of Jon Goldwater.)

Looking at the Total Published (Average, 12 months) and Total Published (Nearest Issue), we see the same problem as last year.

As expected, with newsstand publishing, about 60% of the issues printed are unsold, with Life With Archie, with the widest distribution, having the worst ratio. This is expected but costs the company money.

Let’s look at digests. Last year they eliminated the single digests, so these are all double digests, which cost $3.99.

As expected, the digests outsell the issues by about five to one. But last year, the top-selling digest, Archie Double Digest, was selling 85-95,000 copies an issue. This year, it’s declined greatly. Betty & Veronica Double Digest was selling 72-80,000 copies an issue and has a similar reduction. And they’re having to print 150,000 copies apiece to get these sales, with almost 2/3 of the print run going unsold.

Last, here’s the title ranking, best- to worst-selling, based on nearest issue figures.

1. Betty & Veronica Double Digest
2. Archie Double Digest
3. Archie & Friends Double Digest
4. World of Archie Double Digest
5. Jughead Double Digest
6. Betty & Veronica Friends Double Digest
7. Life With Archie
8. Archie
9. Kevin Keller
10. Betty & Veronica
11. Jughead

Compared to last year, the two top spots switched, but that’s likely a statistical fluke, since the year’s average sales show Archie Double Digest on top. Also last year, Life With Archie outsold the lowest-selling digest; this year, it’s twenty thousand below that mark. I suspect its appeal wore off quickly among the casual newsstand reader, as they lost the celebrity tie-in articles and the storyline became more convoluted and harder to follow. The declining magazine-format sales may explain why Veronica & Betty, a second magazine announced a year-and-a-half ago, has never appeared.

It’s typical of Archie lately to pick storylines based on what will get them free press coverage (as can be seen by their continued blogging about anyone who wrote about this; I wonder if this post will get linked!), especially if it’s a hot-button political issue, such as gay marriage, or here, economic inequality.

Using Veronica and her family to personalize the issue is a great idea, actually, and I hope they follow through on it. Archie’s got a long history of tackling political debates, as with this 1971 story about draft-dodging or this sillier piece about shorts not being appropriate for being seen in public. It’s nice to see them continuing that tradition here.

While I haven’t cared for the one piece of Archie writing by Alex Segura I’ve seen so far — he did the Archie Meets KISS story that made very little sense, but I could have guessed that from the premise — I am highly excited by the artists lined up for this upcoming tale. Under a variant cover by the amazing Jill Thompson, shown here, Gisele Lagace will be drawing the interiors. I know she’s wanted to draw the Archie characters for a long while, and even though her current work is very Not Safe for Work — it’s an unapologetic sex comic — her previous art for Penny and Aggie shows how excellently she draws teens.

(Actually, a Google shows that she’s drawn the Archie characters before, for Archie Double Digest #221. There, she’s credited as simply Gisele, which should help prevent kids from searching for more info about her and finding images that will shock their parents. Gisele’s also not the first artist to balance Archie assignments with adult work — Holly G! both drew Sabrina the Teenage Witch and works on Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose.)

Segura reveals in this interview that the idea for Occupy Riverdale came from a reporter. He also provides more plot description, emphasizing that the story will stay true to Archie’s roots of being light-hearted and humorous. Meanwhile, Gisele’s former writer T Campbell wrote an educational essay tackling the idea of whether Archie Comics is politically liberal or conservative that’s an enlightening read.

Comics Alliance reports that “in the upcoming Archie #633, they’ll tell the story of a future where Archie marries Valerie Smith (of Josie and the Pussycats fame) and they have a daughter.” This plot follows up the popular stories from spring 2010 when Archie and Valerie dated while also fitting in the company’s current strategy of creating headline-grabbing concepts to get free publicity, such as the recent gay wedding in Life With Archie #16.

Having at least one child is a feature of these imaginary wedding stories, at least based on the two that launched the Life With Archie magazine. In each of those, whether married to Betty or Veronica, the story ends with Archie and the respective wife bearing twins.

The two CEOs reached their positions through inheritance, with Jon the son of one of the company founders and Nancy the widow of Michael, son of another founder. Goldwater filed a lawsuit against Silberkleit before last year’s San Diego Comic-Con accusing her of bullying and sexually harassing employees, while Silberkleit claims a sexist “old boy network” is attempting to keep her out of the company. Goldwater sued again in mid-January in an attempt to remove her from the company, charging “Unless Silberkleit is removed as a director and an officer, the company — an iconic American company — is in serious danger of failing and being liquidated.” There have been rumors of trouble at Archie, with a reduced publication schedule, although nothing publicly confirmed.

Some of the contention is over Silberkleit’s Comic Book Fairs program. She’s a former teacher, and she established the division to teach school kids reading can be fun. Goldwater charges that the program has cost the company over $100,000 while grossing under $10,000. As CBR reported,

As co-executor of her late husband’s estate, [Silberkleit] controls a 50 percent stake in the company. Goldwater owns 25 percent of the shares, and represents the other 25 percent held by the estate of his late brother Richard Goldwater, who passed away in 2007.

It’s a split that leaves Archie’s board of directors deadlocked. Goldwater contends it also hampers the growth of the company, as Silberkleit has rejected proposals for outside investors, who would of course seek an equity share. She has “repeatedly and emphatically said that she would never agree to any dilution of the Silberkleit 50 percent equity interest at any price and under any terms, conditions, or circumstances,” the complaint states.

However, Silberkleit’s control of her late husband’s shares is in dispute, as the children from Michael Silberkleit’s first marriage are contesting their father’s last will, written while he was dying of cancer.

This is a problem faced by any family business. It’s difficult to come up with a succession plan that everyone can agree with and carry out. In this case, if Silberkleit is dead set on keeping half the company, then the risk is that the publisher will be destroyed instead of any compromise being possible.

Archie Comics has provided the following set of action-packed preview pages showing some of Kevin’s military career and how he met Clay Walker, his physical therapist and later boyfriend; click for larger versions. Although it wasn’t specified, the first set of pages is from the “Archie Marries Veronica” timeline, while the second is from the “Archie Marries Betty” version. Script is by Paul Kupperberg; art by Fernando Ruiz, Pat Kennedy, Tim Kennedy, Al Milgrom, and Bob Smith.

Betty has been visiting Veronica at her mountain lodge (hee hee), and the two girls set out for home just as a severe snowstorm begins. When a deer runs across their path, their car skids off the road, and Betty hits her head. (You can read this sequence online at the Archie blog.) The rest of the issue consists of Veronica taking care of Betty, keeping them alive until they can be found.

The story is structured to be unique to Veronica, in that she keeps her spirits up by reminding herself of business lessons she’s learned from her dad. It’s a pleasure to see another side of her character beyond the selfish fashion plate so frequently fallen back on, one that is uniquely hers. She’s determined, as always, but in this case, her determination has a more useful purpose.

The approach of relating everything back to corporate lessons is distinctive, with Veronica thinking of her activities as getting started a new business dedicated to survival. Her gathering wood while thinking of it as reserve capital for the future is amusing and memorable. It’s also informative seeing her pick herself up after stumbles and keep trying, solving problems of starting a fire and creating a signal for help, among others.

The art clearly tells the story in dramatic but readable fashion. I felt bad for Betty — she’s often drawn (as shown here) glassy-eyed and slightly out of it, hunched over in a small part of the panel, symbolizing her malady. Veronica also gets some emotional moments, first freaking out but pulling herself together to protect her friend. As she tells herself, “If I’m going to run Lodge Industries one day, I’d better start proving I can handle it!” That reminder, that she does have purpose beyond being pretty, is one of the most modern takes I’ve seen for Veronica in a while. I really appreciated this adventure-style tale for the two best friends as a way to show unexpected sides to long-running, familiar characters.

I’d previously briefly discussed this issue, but this time, I got to write the introduction, putting the issue in context (since I know not everyone keeps up with what Archie Comics is doing). Here’s an earlier piece on the introduction of the character if you’d like to know more.

In general, the response to the issue is appreciation for how well-meaning it is. No one finds it outstanding, but for what it is, it’s good at that, and even old-fashioned in some ways. Check out the link for more.

Update: (2/22/12) Here’s my contribution in full:

Archie Comics’ traditional approach focused on capturing trends once its older writers and artists heard about them, leading some to say that you know fads are over once they appear in an Archie comic. Now, under new management, Archie seems to be chasing hot topics as a way of gaining free publicity, especially among the wider mainstream media. So, between “Archie gets married” magazines and an “Archie meets KISS” licensed story comes this political football. Kevin Keller #2 (actually Veronica #208 in indicia labeling) cover-features the new gay kid character praising (with four visual flag elements) his military dad, alluding to recent real-life events involving gays in the military and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” several months ago.

The actual story isn’t as focused or patriotic. Kevin’s family wants to plan a party for dad’s birthday, and since Veronica is always hanging around, she gets involved. (The two characters most often paired with Kevin in the stories he’s appeared in so far are Veronica, who seems to view a gay best friend as a key accessory, and Jughead, whom Kevin has a large number of characteristics in common with, hmmm.) The family event gives Veronica an excuse to “snoop through [Kevin's] private stuff”, as he puts it, including photos that result in flashback stories of Kevin’s life as a military brat.

Kevin is bullied as a younger kid but learns to stand up for himself through athletic accomplishment. Kevin misses his dad, stationed away from the family. Kevin protects his friends when they get picked on. This isn’t much of a story, more a collection of feel-good reminders of how one should behave in dealing with difficult circumstances.

The art is standard current Archie look, with simple lines and faces and bright, eye-catching colors. It has energy, as figures are always gesturing or posing, in spite of the stories being driven by dialogue instead of images.

Readers looking for stories specifically focusing on life as a gay teen will be disappointed, as only one of the incidents deals with hazing specifically for that reason, and it’s phrased in terms of Kevin seeming effeminate, not gay. That gives Kevin’s story a normality and universality that’s a good thing, but it also ignores the part of his character that makes him particularly distinctive. I hope the two remaining issues of this series show Kevin dating, just as the other teens do. While we’re told every issue that Kevin is gay, we have yet to see that in the visuals.

As you can see, we don’t really meet KISS yet, although the situation is set up: Sabrina and the “Riverdale Monster Society” — a new invention that tells us that Archie and his buddies, including super-scientific Dilton, now a) know Sabrina the Teenage Witch, b) know she’s a witch, and c) believe in magic for reals — are going to cast a protection spell to keep monsters out of Riverdale. (Is this a common problem, or has the writer been watching too many Buffy reruns?) Veronica and Reggie are set up as the villains, since their competing spell is going to cause whatever trouble, monsters, and guest stars result.

I’m not sure how much of KISS we’ll see in this issue, since it’s only part one of four telling the story. I am intrigued, though, at the suggestion that Mr. Lodge collects spell books for an unknown reason. Maybe he’s had some previously unexplained help gathering that fortune, hmmm? And check out that dynamite new look for Sabrina on the last page. She’ll have even more fans with the sexy schoolgirl plaid tie and miniskirt. Remember, the issue is on-sale at your local comic shop or favorite digital outlet tomorrow! Look for this standard cover (left) or the gorgeous variant by Francesco Francavilla (right):

Archie: A Celebration
of America’s Favorite Teenagers

I was surprised and impressed by the rarities and previously unpublished material included in the book. There’s a fumetti-style “How Comic Magazine Characters Are Made” excerpt from the tabloid Close-Up (dedicated to pictures of women in their underwear, as feature in this story) that shows some of the MLJ creators at work in 1941. Some of Bob Montana’s illustrated diary pages are included, as are a sales brochure for the Archie newspaper strip, images from cereal box flexi-disc records, and other rare promotional items.

While there are plenty of photos and comics in the book, there are also articles on the founding of the company, Bob Montana’s early life and real-life character inspirations, and an interview with still-with-the-company editor Victor Gorelick. (52 years and counting!) Biographies are dedicated to key real-life figures, including John Goldwater, early editor Harry Shorten, and artists Dan DeCarlo, Harry Lucey, Samm Schwartz, Stan Goldberg, and Dan Parent.

All of the art is clearly captioned, with sources and credits given. (That should be obvious, not worthy of praise, but I’m amazed that some historical reads still don’t get that right.) Although readers of this book have likely already seen it, the first Archie story from Pep #22 is reprinted in full, as is Dan DeCarlo’s “Slave Girl” story from a 1967 Betty & Veronica, Bob Bolling’s favorite Little Archie story, and other short tales representing some of the other artists, often reproduced from the original art pages.

There’s even information on the Archie radio show, brief mentions of TV appearances and the music, and an odd, unpublished Lucey story with Archie’s cousin Andy as a spy. Although pricey, the book is a lovely reminder of how these characters have appeared over the years and their continuing appeal.

I’m looking at the Previews catalog for October, listing what publishers plan to sell in December, and I found the Archie Comics section a little odd.

Their big project this month is Archie Meets Kiss, with the first two of four planned issues offered in which their characters interact with the classic shock rock band. They’ve gotten a lot of attention for this unique project, justifiably.

However, when you look at the rest of the line… there are four digests, two collections, one magazine (Life With Archie #16, where Kevin Keller gets married), and only two standard comic issues. (I’m ignoring the video game titles, Mega Man and Sonic the Hedgehog.)

That’s not a lot for an entire month. Perhaps Archie thinks that they don’t get a lot of customers for their regular comics during the holidays, or they want to give their employees a light month, given the time period, or there’s some other reason. But when I look at the two comics, one is completely a reprint. (The digests are usually mostly reprint, but the comics previously have contained new stories, to feed the digests later.) Archie & Friends #159 has some Man/Girl From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. spy parodies that first appeared in Life With Archie #56 in 1966. The other comic, Betty & Veronica #257, seems to be new.

It started me wondering, though — with all the material they have in their vaults, with no creative costs since they’re a full-ownership publisher, Archie could go all-reprint all the time, and I’m not sure anyone would notice. It would certainly be a way to save money while trying to get more media interest in the properties.

At the beginning of the year, I took a survey of Archie’s titles. At that point, they had seven digests and seven comics (again, ignoring the video game books, counting Life With Archie as a comic). This year, from January through September, they’ve released

• 5 issues of Betty
• 5 issues of Jughead
• 4 of Betty & Veronica
• 4 issues of Veronica (2 of which are really Kevin Keller)
• 7 of Archie & Friends (although some of that is reprint, as noted above)
• 9 issues of Archie
• 7 of Life With Archie magazine

So it seems that Archie Comics now only has one monthly comic, their flagship title. The digests run more frequently, which would fit with my supposition that they’re concentrating mostly on reprints these days. Through September of this year:

• 9 issues of Betty & Veronica Double Digest
• 7 issues of Betty & Veronica Friends Double Digest
• 7 issues of Jughead’s Double Digest
• 7 issues of World of Archie Double Digest
• 8 issues of Archie Double Digest
• 7 issues of Archie & Friends Double Digest

In this case, there are two monthlies, one each for Archie and the girls. And Archie’s Pals ‘n’ Gals Double Digest is gone. Shame, I liked that goofy title, but “World of Archie” probably plays better.

Can you run a major publishing company putting out 86 items over nine months? I guess so. Plenty of indy comic publishers have fewer releases, but they also don’t have two CEOs and a couple of Executive Directors on their mastheads. Then again, they don’t have Archie’s 70-year library of material to keep reprinting.

the site has been rebuilt from top-to-bottom to feature the latest in fan interactivity, blogs, social media, digital connectivity and a brand new Archie Comic Shop! … The site arrives with increased functionality and will become the one-stop source for every fans Archie needs — from news to product, ARCHIECOMICS.COM will provide fans with information, deals, constant real-time updates and the best Archie can offer.

They keep plugging the news mentions and how much coverage Archie’s been getting — yet they didn’t bother keeping any news older than last month. As someone who would link to Archie every so often, I’m a bit ticked that they just broke every link on my site to them (that I’ve checked). The previews of comics I linked to in reviews? Gone. The press releases from a couple of months ago? Can’t find them, search shows “not found”. It’s events like this that make me wonder why I bother linking out in the first place. It’s just more work for me when publishers decide to dump their history.

Ahem. Back to their announcement. Said co-CEO Jon Goldwater,

“We have so much news going on that our fans need a place to go to and learn everything that’s happening. And with a redesigned and more streamlined store, fans can get their favorite Archie books right from the source!”

The commerce is definitely prominent, with the logo buttons across the top linking to that character’s books to buy, and the section underneath linking to title subscriptions. Further down the page, there’s a separate “Archie Comic Shop” banner plus a Hot Deals section for special offers. Methinks Archie really wants you to buy something from them.

Strangely, the two Archie Digital links go to two different places. The banner on the right goes to ArchieDigital.com, Archie’s own online comic subscription service. The link in the top nav bar goes to the same place as the little iPhone icon in the very top left, the Archie iPhone and iPad apps on iTunes.

Archie Archives Volume 1

What does the book contain? Volume 1 is listed in the indicia as reprinting “all the Archie stories from selected stories [sic] from Pep Comics #22-38, Jackpot Comics #4-8, and Archie Comics #1-2″. The works date from between December 1941 and April 1943.

On the down side, individual stories aren’t identified in the book itself. There are no creator credits, unless particular stories carry them; there isn’t even a table of contents. These are basics that any historical project should include, and I’m very surprised this book doesn’t have them. Volume 2, thankfully, remedies that issue with a table of contents that lists story sources, dates, and creators, which is a welcome improvement. Contents in that book are the Archie stories from Pep Comics #39-45, Jackpot Comics #9, and Archie Comics #3-6, taking us into January 1944.

How is the reproduction? Bright colors, clear, unbroken lines, no fuzziness.

Are there any extras? No.

What about the stories? These are the earliest days of Archie. You’re not going to be able to read them in any other way (aside from other reprints of the first appearances). If you’re interested in where the characters came from or how they behaved early on, you’re going to want to see these, although you may find them quite unfamiliar. (Or offensive. Racial stereotypes are included, especially during a story where Archie and pals stage Uncle Tom’s Cabin.)

At the start, Archie, calling himself “Chick”, is much younger than we’re used to, seeming more like a preteen “bad little boy” than the love-addled adolescent we’re used to seeing. The stories are pure slapstick, with Archie’s biggest threat being a paddling from being caught in his antics stealing a neighbor’s tux or getting the basketball team and ballet uniforms mixed up.

Archie Archives Volume 2

Then Veronica shows up, and it’s all about school gags and dating. There’s still plenty of screw-ups — that’s what drives the stories — but when Archie has a better motive, that of young love, it’s more entertaining and relatable. There are a few more stories about Archie messing up as a camp counselor and car owner, but soon, the “next issue” blurb is promising the return of Veronica “by popular demand”. Certainly, the stories with her are the best, if only due to how much visual interest she brings. Some of the stories are culturally far removed from many of today’s teens or readers, as when Archie tangles with military cadets or takes a chicken on the train to visit a cousin’s farm or worries about gas ration coupons or goes hunting.

In Volume 2, we’re back to the slapstick, with Archie trying to deliver a barrel of fish or ducking the dentist or messing up a fake magician’s show. Of particular historical interest is a weird little tale where the kids raise money for war stamps by throwing baseballs at a Hitler dummy — only Jughead looks just like Hitler once he puts on the uniform and mustache.

That’s not the only war tale. Veronica and Betty get their own series of stories starting in this book, and first they try to throw a morale dance for soldiers, then they volunteer as nurses. Another story is about Archie’s dad trying to put his car in storage for the duration of the conflict.

Mostly, though, it’s just Archie screwing up in one way or another. I don’t recommend trying to read the whole book at once, because it becomes repetitive very quickly. It’s great that the history of such an all-American character is now more readily available, but ration yourself. Archie comics have always captured daily life in their various stories, and that may be the most appealing part of this series, their glimpses into the worries and trends and humor of their era.

In partnership with the production studio Moonscoop, this Sabrina will have “a new look … in line with a more modern and teen-centric sensibility.” She’ll fight monsters, the supernatural, and teen “trials and tribulations”. The goal is to “reimagine the character and her supporting cast for a modern audience”. (The press release is careful to mention the hot comparison properties Harry Potter, Twilight, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) The animation will be CGI, although Moonscoop also optioned Little Archie for a hand-drawn cartoon series.

Sabrina previously was featured in a cartoon that ran 65 episodes from 1999-2000 (on ABC, UPN, and Disney) and before that, a live-action series starring Melissa Joan Hart. That TV show ran from 1996 to 2003 on ABC, then The WB.

The show has, as yet, not been picked up by a specific network or cable channel, so the earliest the show could air would be a year from now, October 2012, assuming someone bites. Until then, this is just cartoon potential.

Archie: The Complete Daily Newspaper Comics
1946-1948

IDW’s Library of American Comics imprint does an excellent job with strip reprints, and this is no exception. It even won the 2011 Eisner Award for Best Archival Comic Strip Collection. You should know that the word “Daily” in that title is significant — the Sunday color comics are not included (hopefully, grist for a future volume) — so the book is completely black and white.

The style of Bob Montana, creator of the original look of the cast, is old-fashionedly distinctive. He also believes in action and movement on the page, with plenty of movement and slapstick gags. The visuals are important and drive the experience.

Reading these strips is an eye-opening experience. I read lots of Archie comics and have for four or five decades. The characters are established and kind of boring, sometimes, with a polished, on-model look. Here, they’re new and young. Archie is a gap-toothed goofball. Jughead frowns most of the time, unhappy with school and his buddy’s antics, with sleepy lids that make his eyes appear closed. The reproduction is excellent, to the extent of including a couple of typos.

The comic strip begins with the first appearance of Veronica in Riverdale. Betty, the girl-next-door who likes Archie, quickly appears, but in a twist from current stories, he only has eyes for the very upscale brunette. The girls are in dresses of the period, but they’re drawn incredibly clingy, with emphasis on breast and hips.

It’s very much of its time, with fads and ridiculous slang. (“Hoist your bobby socks an’ let’s crack knees!” means “I am enthuiastic to accept your invitation to dance.”) The many school gags feel fresh because the times are so different from what school is like now. My favorite storyline is when Archie gets to be principal for a day — the way he revamps classes is hilarious. The last tale in the book, with Archie coaching an all-girl football team, is pretty wacky, too.

While each strip has a joke, they continue one to another to build a story. The first, typically, has Archie accidentally asking both Veronica and Betty to the prom. After that, things get weirder. Archie, Jughead, and the girls get lost while picnicking and find a farmer who runs his business with a jukebox and pinball machine. To provide new premises, the gang goes to summer camp, on a ski trip, and to a dude ranch.

The book has a lot of well-cartooned weirdness with familiar characters who’ll seem new. Whether Archie’s trying out for the golf team (where we first meet nasty rival Reggie Mantle) or joining the football team or working as a movie usher, this is enjoyable comedy.