Archie Comics.

Superheroes dominate the comic book inustry. Even now as it is considered a dying industry superheroes are still the Top Players. But let's rewind the clock back a few decades. Superhero Comics are struggling and much to the superhero fans dismay, a series focussing on a good natured red headed teenager named Archie Andrews was dominating sales.

I'll tell you right now, this series has nothing for me. I pick up a comic hoping for action. Okay that's putting it pretty broad, I actually do care about other stuff such as good artwork, interesting stories and likeable characters, I just really like the action aspect of it surrounding the heroes. Take for example the film version of Hellboy, specifically the second one. Ron Perlman slips into the role like a glove, as does most of the other actors, and while most of the action is great, I can honestly say I get as much entertainment from them talking. Archie Comics have stepped into the realm of superheroes, but this dosn't usually work out very well and it usually vanishes again for a while.

Now Archie Comics is actually kind of strange. Marvel and DC have a universe of characters who have the entire world to run around in, punching each other. In Archie, we have about eight main characters in one small town. Hurray simplicity?

But just for the heck of it, I decided I'd pick up an issue for this month's trip to the Comic Store. Specifically, an issue of Jughead comics, which brings me to an odd point. I know Archie isn't affected too much by continuity, since the whole thing has been going on for just under seventy freaking years, but there are so many publications I don't really know what's happening. There's Archie Comics, Betty and Veronica, Archie Digest, Betty's Diary, Betty, good god it never ends. If I actually wanted to follow any of the storylines, which one do I pick up?

The comic was split up into about three stories, all focusing on Jughead. The first one deals with a group of girls getting sick of Jughead's slacker attitude, and employing a school trickster to reverse this with psychology (which creepily enough, actually made a lot of sense). The second dealt with Archie trying to prove to Archie that Veronica thinks he's a loser, with HIGH-larity ensuing. Finally the issue finished with a story about a girl who caused an ice age in Riverdale because Jughead refuses to kiss her. HIGH-larious.

What surprised me was how much I enjoyed them. It didn't take much to for me to realise why though. In superhero books, someone is always in danger, there's always something bad that could happen, and in today's books issues tend to connect with each other. A lighthearted single issue was a refreshing breath of fresh air.

This also shows a good point about storytelling. Many good series, not limited to comics, have ended because they had 'run out' of stories and the current ones were lackluser. Take for example, Spongebob Squarepants, and before you say anything, no I don't regularly watch it, and yes I do still think it's funny. I saw a grown man laughing his ass off at it not too recently for crying out loud. But while old episodes featured stories such as Spongebob struggling with his already established addiction to karate, or his bosses Arch Nemesis trying to steal the secret recipe to their burgers. Newer episodes have featured storylines like...Plankton forgets how to blink...I am dead serious here.
But Archie Comics have been going for decades, and are still pretty good.

But I have a few questions. Question number one, does Jughead have eyes?
I know this is one frame, but his face is like this one EVERY PANEL!

Also, what voice do you imagine him with? I like to give the characters voices in my head so the story sticks better, for example Archie sounds like a toned down Robin from Teen Titans. With Jughead I tried a few different ones but...I just kept coming back to Linkara's Superboy Prime. I don't want to give him that voice because he isn't whiny or annoying, but it just fits, but it also makes me see the character as atupider than he really is.

But nonetheless, Archie Comics are okay in my opinion, and deserve the place their in now. Oh I can imagine an Archie movie coming out soon. Good god, I bet you anything they'd screw it up.

And YES, that Archie meets Punisher comic is real, and by what I've heard, much to the surprise of everyone, it's apparently pretty good.