The
year 2015 has been what I like to call "the year of changes". And, so far, I've been holding on for the
ride the last month and a half as I prepare to make some huge moves in my life. And I'll be perfectly honest with you, the
direction has not always been easy, but I'm more or less willing to handle
whatever comes my way.
That
being said, I'm having a hard time with this one.
Okay,
so you guys know that I'm a fan of Archie comics. I have been since I was five years old. I probably will continue to be one until I am 105 - if I am lucky
enough to see the year 2086, that is.
And,
over the course of Archie's seventy-four years in the publishing business, the
company has gone through at least 74 different interpretations of what Archie
and his pals and gals are like. But
regardless of how they have changed over the last three-quarters of a century,
one thing that has always remained constant is the light, fluffy cartoonish
look that Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and Reggie have had.
Well,
until now, that is.
The
flagship Archie title that has been in publication since 1942 is about to run
its FINAL issue. Issue #666 is slated
to be the final one.
(Um...anyone
else find it weird that they would choose to end the title at number 666? Isn't that the death number, or devil
number?)
But then again, I suppose that it is only fitting.
But then again, I suppose that it is only fitting.
Now,
does this mean that after issue #666 is released in May that there will be no
more Archie comics ever? Nope.
You
see, the Archie title will restart back at issue #1 with a brand new look. Have a sneak preview.
So,
not only are the characters getting a brand new look that is supposed to look
more realistic, but apparently the whole series is getting rebooted and the
origins of each of the characters will be changing completely.
And,
I'm not sure that I'm ready for that to happen.
After
being a fan of the series for 28 years, I've seen a lot happen to the comic
books and the characters, and while some changes were received better than
others, there was always the constant that we could go back and see classic
Archie stories whenever we wanted because we knew that they were still being
drawn.
I
just don't like the idea of fixing things that weren't broken, and I hope that
this idea isn't too jarring. I suppose
that I'll have to wait until I see the change for myself. My subscription to Archie was supposed to
end at #670, so maybe I'll get the first four issues of the new Archie title
after #666 is published.
Again,
some changes have been well received.
The current "Afterlife With Archie" series which is basically
Archie comics meets "The Walking Dead" has been critically acclaimed,
and after reading the first seven issues of the series, I am officially hooked.
I
also was hooked on the "Life With Archie" series of 2010 which showed
an adult Archie getting married to either Betty or Veronica. Even when they killed off Archie at the end
of the series, I still wasn't bummed out about it, because Archie continued to
live on in the digests and double digests.
(I should
note that the digests are NOT changing.
They will, as far as I know, continue the classic Archie style.)
Now,
this doesn't mean that I've been gung-ho about all of Archie's changes over the
years. The "New Look" that
appeared in digests between 2007 and 2010 had mixed reviews, but I didn't mind
it too much.
Jughead
may be my favourite character, but his spin-off series "Jughead's
Diner" was one of the worst titles ever seen in the Archie universe.
(Though
I did like Jughead's Time Police.)
The
idea to bring on an openly gay character in the Archie universe was a
controversial topic for months, but I think it's safe to say that Kevin Keller
has found his place in Riverdale and is here to stay.
The
New Archies showed Archie and his friends in junior high. The cartoon series was laughably bad, but
the comics themselves were great.
As
for the New Little Archie in 1991?
No. Just no.
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