"How Archie dies"

[anteros_lmc]

Cross-posted from today's Guardian newspaper...

Archie Andrews, the redheaded American teenager in the Archie comic book series, will die taking a bullet protecting his gay friend in the issue that comes out on Wednesday

Comments

[eglantine_br]

In my head he is a direct descendant. Lots of Scots found their way across the ocean after all...

The defining thing about the second Archie is his dedication to his friends.

[vespican]

I remember the Archie comics from when I was younger. I suppose my sister and I even had some of the comic books at one time. I also seem to remember that some of the papers carried them in the comics sections, or funnies. Back then, Archie and his friends were pretty much the standard teenager, student type, with standard teenage adventures. In a way, I can see them connecting with the gang from Scooby-Do. Come to think of it, there may have been a Saturday morning Archie cartoon show as well.
Dave

[amaraal]

The idea of Archie dying never appeals to me... *sniffles* But yes, it's a deja vu.

[ioanite]

Good lord, what all has been going on in Riverdale?!

I grew up with Archie comics and most of the time, they were just gag-a-day/slice of life comics, five pages of typical high-school clowning around with the occasional dramatic adventure or gentle message. They were enjoyable to read, somewhat because they were so predictable.

But I keep hearing about big, dramatic changes that I initially thought were just AU storylines of sorts (the Archie comics had their fair share of fantasy stories, hence my assumption). Two simultaneously running comics showing how, realistically, Archie marrying both Betty and Veronica would pan out, introducing a gay character and having him get married (which is of course a great thing, but really big, continuity wise), something about putting Riverdale through a zombie apocalypse, and now this.

Guys, I admire you wanting to stretch your boundaries, but I always thought Archie comics were for kids, a gateway to bigger comics like Marvel or DC. You may be overdoing it a little.

[sarah_lynn_b]

Yeah, when I read this I thought the same thing. I grew up with Archie and the gang too, and the comics never got much deeper than "Is Betty mad at Archie this week, or is it Veronica?"

Him taking a bullet and dying for his buddy is noble - I guess - but it's almost like Disney deciding to make Mickey Mouse an NCIS agent. Archie comics have always been light, fun, and about a quarter of an inch deep. Trying to make it deeper by killing Archie seems...awkward.

And yes, there WAS an Archie TV show! I used to watch it all the time. And who can forget the hit single "Sugar Sugar"? That was performed by - ready? - The Archies. Obviously it was studio musicians, but it was tied into the show and it seemed like they performed it every week!

[author_by_night]

(Randomly visiting from google searching reactions, hope that's okay!)

Him taking a bullet and dying for his buddy is noble - I guess - but it's almost like Disney deciding to make Mickey Mouse an NCIS agent. Archie comics have always been light, fun, and about a quarter of an inch deep. Trying to make it deeper by killing Archie seems...awkward.

That's how I feel, sort of... I don't even mind the adult comics (that's what this is a part of, "Life With Archie", not the usual preteen line-up), but this is a little much. I just feel like they're trying to not only be edgy, but political, and even though I happen to believe in gay rights and gun control... there's ways to do it. It just seems really unnecessary.