1970s Archie Comics story takes on feminism
Like very other facet of pop culture, comic books tend to reflect the period in which they were created. Clothes, furniture, cultural references... And even when comics try to be apolitical, issues of the day sometimes make their way in. Because the writers are human beings. When a world around them changes, and things they are used to make way for something new, they react. They either embrace it or react against it.
Back in the 1970s (and for the few subsequent decades, really), Archie Comics was among the more conservative comic book publishers. And writer/artist Al Hartley, who was then an Archie Comics regular, embraced Evangelical Christianity and all the cultural conservatism it entailed at its earnest. So what happened when he decided to take one particular hot-button issue that threatened to upend traditional gender roles?
Over on his website, misterkitty posted scans from a 1972 issue of Archie and Me, which introduces a new attractive Riverdale High teacher named Miss Boing (yes, really).
You can read the rest of the story on MisterKitty's website.
Archie Comics stopped working with Hartley because the Evangelical subtext in his stories got a bit too obvious. While the publisher was conservative, they didn't want to alienate readers, either. But Hartley and the Archie Comics execs maintained a good relationship - so when he launched Spire Christian Comics, the company let him use the Archie characters for free. This is how we got stories where Archie and his friend get nostalgic about 1890s (where women were treated as "more than equals), a story where Wild West version of Archie characters deal with school kids getting out of control because they read about evolution, a story where we're introduced to a hippie kid who protests because his parents didn't love him enough... And those are just the ones I remembered atop of my head.
Now, one may think that "Sugar Substitute" says more about Hartley's beliefs than 1970s America in general. Except, around the same time, Marvel Comics was putting out romance comics that taught readers that equal rights for women were fine, so long as they didn't interfere with traditional gender roles in relationships. And that particular comic was written by Stan freaking Lee.
Back in the 1970s (and for the few subsequent decades, really), Archie Comics was among the more conservative comic book publishers. And writer/artist Al Hartley, who was then an Archie Comics regular, embraced Evangelical Christianity and all the cultural conservatism it entailed at its earnest. So what happened when he decided to take one particular hot-button issue that threatened to upend traditional gender roles?
Over on his website, misterkitty posted scans from a 1972 issue of Archie and Me, which introduces a new attractive Riverdale High teacher named Miss Boing (yes, really).
You can read the rest of the story on MisterKitty's website.
Archie Comics stopped working with Hartley because the Evangelical subtext in his stories got a bit too obvious. While the publisher was conservative, they didn't want to alienate readers, either. But Hartley and the Archie Comics execs maintained a good relationship - so when he launched Spire Christian Comics, the company let him use the Archie characters for free. This is how we got stories where Archie and his friend get nostalgic about 1890s (where women were treated as "more than equals), a story where Wild West version of Archie characters deal with school kids getting out of control because they read about evolution, a story where we're introduced to a hippie kid who protests because his parents didn't love him enough... And those are just the ones I remembered atop of my head.
Now, one may think that "Sugar Substitute" says more about Hartley's beliefs than 1970s America in general. Except, around the same time, Marvel Comics was putting out romance comics that taught readers that equal rights for women were fine, so long as they didn't interfere with traditional gender roles in relationships. And that particular comic was written by Stan freaking Lee.