shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 7, 2019 12:30:46 GMT -5
Let's not forget this two-issue experiment: "straight" horror stories, not too far from what DC was prublishing at tyhe time, but drawn in the Archie house style... LOVED those two. Read them just this year.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 7, 2019 12:31:31 GMT -5
]In the Life with Archie series from a few years ago, Archie reunited with an adult Ambrose. Ambrose moved back to Riverdale, and he and Archie opened a music venue. Then there was a mind-bending plot twist You should do a podcast about this.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 7, 2019 12:33:13 GMT -5
It's funny that you don't like Reggie--he is my favorite, haha (one of my favorite stories features him and Betty falling for each other--shocking to them both) ! What am I missing that's so appealing about Reggie? He just seems like the one-sided bad guy in each story.
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Post by beccabear67 on May 7, 2019 13:13:58 GMT -5
In the Life with Archie series from a few years ago, Archie reunited with an adult Ambrose. Ambrose moved back to Riverdale, and he and Archie opened a music venue. Wow... if nothing else I'm glad Ambrose wasn't simply forgotten.
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Crimebuster
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Post by Crimebuster on May 7, 2019 13:14:37 GMT -5
Let's not forget this two-issue experiment: "straight" horror stories, not too far from what DC was prublishing at tyhe time, but drawn in the Archie house style... LOVED those two. Read them just this year. I'm guessing you're aware of this, but this series continued under the title Sorcery from Archie's Red Circle imprint for several more issues, through #11. With #3, though, they dropped the Archie art style, with Gray Morrow taking over the bulk of the writing and art for the rest of the run. They very briefly did the same thing with the Archie's Mad House title, turning it into serious horror for three issues by Morrow under the title Madhouse, before reverting back.
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Post by beccabear67 on May 7, 2019 13:25:20 GMT -5
I had just one of the Red Circle mystery type titles with Gray Morrow art. I did collect the '60s Fly and Jaguar comics a bit at one time; I really liked John Rosenberger's figure drawing. The later '60s one had heavier art styles, Fly became Flyman, and The Shield, The Web and Mighty Crusaders dominated. I had a digest with the super Archies as well as The Black Hood, plus a regular comic with Pureheart or whatever in it, but Archie was definitely in the second-rate when it came to super characters after the '40s I would say alongside ACG, Harvey or Dell (I'd put Tower and sometimes Charlton in the first tier). I did buy the first few revivals in the early-mid '80s, The Fly by Jim Sherman was pretty cool, and those Steranko covers! Also The Black Hood.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 7, 2019 13:52:39 GMT -5
I'm guessing you're aware of this, but this series continued under the title Sorcery from Archie's Red Circle imprint for several more issues, through #11. With #3, though, they dropped the Archie art style But that was 90% of the charm in those first two stories! Watching friendly, Archie-style characters thrown into situations of exquisite and unrestrained horror.
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Crimebuster
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Post by Crimebuster on May 7, 2019 13:59:17 GMT -5
I'm guessing you're aware of this, but this series continued under the title Sorcery from Archie's Red Circle imprint for several more issues, through #11. With #3, though, they dropped the Archie art style But that was 90% of the charm in those first two stories! Watching friendly, Archie-style characters thrown into situations of exquisite and unrestrained horror. Oh, I agree. The Gray Morrow issues are also really cool, but in a totally different way.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 7, 2019 14:22:21 GMT -5
I'm guessing you're aware of this, but this series continued under the title Sorcery from Archie's Red Circle imprint for several more issues, through #11. With #3, though, they dropped the Archie art style But that was 90% of the charm in those first two stories! Watching friendly, Archie-style characters thrown into situations of exquisite and unrestrained horror. But the others have Gray Morrow. Which is good because...Gray Morrow.
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Post by MDG on May 7, 2019 15:04:54 GMT -5
Yep. And those Morrow issues--which, IIRC have some Toth in there as well--are part of my ever-shrinking group of "keepers."
Looking at that Madhouse cover, I'm kind've surprised no one's done a version of it in Archie style w/ Betty as the figure.
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Post by brutalis on May 7, 2019 15:17:57 GMT -5
It's funny that you don't like Reggie--he is my favorite, haha (one of my favorite stories features him and Betty falling for each other--shocking to them both) ! What am I missing that's so appealing about Reggie? He just seems like the one-sided bad guy in each story. Reggie is the Frenemy in Archie's world. Kind of a jerk most of the time and the constant "other guy" that everyone worries about being better than they are: better looking, richer, better sportsman, better boyfriend or even the better guy that steals away your girl. And he is the comedic foil to Archie and Jughead, so he is a necessary part of the gang. But there are other layers to the guy and he isn't really played as the all out "evil" type of person but more of the self centered and egotistical flashy guy willing to do or take risks that the otherwise quieter Archie would never be capable of. My high school frenemy was a true pain in the gluteus minimus for me during Freshman year until I stood up to him in defense of another person he was picking on. After that confrontation between us we developed a competitive nature of sorts through the rest of high school in most everything and became true best friends who have stood by each other through many a dark night in our lives ever since.
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2019 15:24:51 GMT -5
My top three favorites Archie's --- in no particular order are: Is Cheryl Blossom, because I'm very fond of Redheads I also like Katy Keene for that wholesome appeal and all that. Most of all, I dig the humor and the offbeat nature of Archie Mad-House and this is my favorite cover.
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Post by tarkintino on May 7, 2019 18:39:44 GMT -5
Life With Archie is a must; but, so are the Little Archie stories. There was some really clever stuff going on there. They were more than just pint-sized versions of the originals; they had their own little world and additional characters and it is considered one of the more inventive Archie books. Jughead was usually good stuff, in his own title. I read this stuff sporadically; but, saw a few Jugheads and they were usually good reads. Life With Archie, in the 60s, is used for things like the Archie characters as superheroes (Pureheart, Super Teen, Captain Hero, etc) and the spy spoof The Man From RIVERDALE. About Life with Archie: although its known as the adventure / fantasy title, some have said the introduction of The Archies rock band in #60 (April, 1967) may have played a part in the demise of both The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. feature and Pureheart (and other superheroes in their short-lived solo titles) that year, since rock music had a stronger cultural hold than the "superhero boom" and the "spy craze." In fact, one might have wondered why would the publisher keep the gang battling as spies, when The Archies' chief inspiration-- The Monkees TV series-had the quartet run into similar threats every week. In other words, being a spy was being the middleman, and certainly not as flexible a base for story material.
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Post by tarkintino on May 7, 2019 18:43:11 GMT -5
Other publications--such as MAD--have poked fun at the alleged overflow of "Archie This, Archie That" titles, but I was always impressed with the way a comedy brand was able to successfully diversify with a number of its characters, when the big two--DC and Marvel--barely got away with similar titles beyond their central one or two stars.
Examples:
Archie at Riverdale High (starting in August of 1972) - who would have imagined that a title set in the well-known high school could be the focus of a monthly running well past 100 issues, featuring the gang in largely serious, or socially conscious stories? This was one of my favorites, as the creators were able to use the developed personalities of the gang in a new setting, and not change the essence of who they were.
Archie's T.V. Laugh-Out (starting in December of 1969). As the title hints, this was aligned with Archie becoming a TV star, beginning with Filmation's The Archie Show (CBS, 1968-69), with skits and a focus on the rock band, which--by the time this title launched--had exploded with the session musician fueled song, "Sugar, Sugar"--Billboard's acknowledged biggest single of the year. Between the music, and a vibe (and title) partially inspired by TV's hit, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (NBC, 1968-73), ATVLO was a representation of the publisher at the apex of its pop cultural power and influence in a way DC and Marvel could not match in this window of history.
The Archie media explosion did not end there, as T.V. Laugh-Out added their repurposed Josie and the Pussycats to the title (#7 in May of 1971) to capitalize not only on the monthly, but the then-recent Hanna-Barbera cartoon (of the same name) which made its debut in the fall of 1970. It was a great time to be a fan of Archie Comics. But, all good things come to an end: it was not long before the so-called Bubblegum music fad died hard, and with no more hits for The Archies, Josie and the Pussycats ending after only one season and chief inspiration Laugh-In cancelled in March of '73, the T.V. Laugh-Out title sort of lost its reason to be. The title would carry on until 1986, still being the book where most of the rock bands' activities would be carried out, but being a creation of a narrow TV comedy and music period (late 60's / early 70's), particularly with its title made it seem like a relic from a bygone era.
Jughead (or, Archie's Pal Jughead until #121) was a longtime favorite, because Jughead walked that fine line between the "don't care" attitude, and calculating, slick guy who was cool despite his appearance working against anyone seeing him that way. I enjoyed the genuine brotherhood between Jughead and Archie, and how the adults--from Weatherbee to Mr. Lodge--often growled that if one was up to something, the other had to be involved, too. The pairing was so popular that one of the publisher's longest running digests (Jughead with Archie) was often a reprint storehouse of the greatest stories focusing on the duo, whether from their solo titles, or adventure stories from Life with Archie. Fun stuff.
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Post by Rob Allen on May 7, 2019 19:06:06 GMT -5
I'd sooner read a Mr. Weatherbee comic. Actually, that would be awesome. The one you want is Archie and Me. The "me" in that title is Mr. Weatherbee. Archie's Madhouse has been briefly mentioned. It was more a general humor magazine; the Riverdale gang didn't necessarily appear. The real regular in Madhouse was Captain Sprocket, a parody superhero. This was also where they put most of the stories that catered to the monster fad of the 60s. For a long time there was an anthology similar to Pep called Laugh. I also agree with everyone who has recommended Jughead.
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