“Maybe the Last Archie Story,” which was, no kidding, one of the best fanfic stories I'd read in years, not least because it dug up and effectively used some EXTREMELY obscure Archie lore (“Jughead's Time Police”!), and told a thumping good story at the same time - involved a similar idea, where Archie is shown a view from above:
“Close your eyes,” advised the man.
[Archie] saw:
- an Archie who had come of age in World War II, grew up, married Veronica Lodge, served in the Korean War, came home, worked for Lodge Industries, had a family, and, some years back, passed away peacefully in his sleep.
&c., &c.,
- an Archie of the early Fifties whose name was slightly different than his own, who was a high school thug, and who ended his life in jail. Thankfully, he married no one.
Starchie! - BW
- an Archie of the early Sixties, with, again, a somewhat different name. This Archie was the most disturbing of all. He was offered wealth, power, fame, and any woman he wished just for the asking. The price was his soul. He accepted, and, one night when a good man was looking on, the price was collected.
&c., &c.,
There were other Archies, most of them less distinct than these. An endless parade of them, going back to the times of the Archie caveman, going forward to the year 3000 and beyond. Some, he sensed , were his ancestors. Others were in different worlds entirely. It was incredible...
...and, somehow, humbling.
Was he one of an endless assembly line of Archies? All of them like automobiles, turned out by a factory line? Some specialty vehicles, most as standard as Model T’s?
No.
Each one of him was unique. Each Archie had his own identity, linked to the others by certain traits, yet individual in his era and responses. And each had to make his own destiny.
Knowing this, he saw the face of yet another Archie. One who, a few weeks in the future, would be entering high school with his own Reggie, Veronica, Betty, Jughead, and all the rest of the Gang. Including some who would be unique to himself.
One who, in a very real sense, was about to be born.
The torch would be passed, again and again and again…
Wow. That reminds when Michael Moorcock went overboard with his Eternal Champion concept and every character he wrote was an incarnation of same guy, from Elric to Jerry Cornelius. After reading some of that, I got vertigo.
“Maybe the Last Archie Story,” which was, no kidding, one of the best fanfic stories I'd read in years, not least because it dug up and effectively used some EXTREMELY obscure Archie lore (“Jughead's Time Police”!), and told a thumping good story at the same time - involved a similar idea, where Archie is shown a view from above:
“Close your eyes,” advised the man.
[Archie] saw:
- an Archie who had come of age in World War II, grew up, married Veronica Lodge, served in the Korean War, came home, worked for Lodge Industries, had a family, and, some years back, passed away peacefully in his sleep.
&c., &c.,
- an Archie of the early Fifties whose name was slightly different than his own, who was a high school thug, and who ended his life in jail. Thankfully, he married no one.
Starchie! - BW
- an Archie of the early Sixties, with, again, a somewhat different name. This Archie was the most disturbing of all. He was offered wealth, power, fame, and any woman he wished just for the asking. The price was his soul. He accepted, and, one night when a good man was looking on, the price was collected.
&c., &c.,
There were other Archies, most of them less distinct than these. An endless parade of them, going back to the times of the Archie caveman, going forward to the year 3000 and beyond. Some, he sensed , were his ancestors. Others were in different worlds entirely. It was incredible...
...and, somehow, humbling.
Was he one of an endless assembly line of Archies? All of them like automobiles, turned out by a factory line? Some specialty vehicles, most as standard as Model T’s?
No.
Each one of him was unique. Each Archie had his own identity, linked to the others by certain traits, yet individual in his era and responses. And each had to make his own destiny.
Knowing this, he saw the face of yet another Archie. One who, a few weeks in the future, would be entering high school with his own Reggie, Veronica, Betty, Jughead, and all the rest of the Gang. Including some who would be unique to himself.
One who, in a very real sense, was about to be born.
The torch would be passed, again and again and again…
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