December 20, 2006

• Ack. I am not a comics fan by any means, but I read my fair share of Archies, etc. when young, and even if I had not, the original girls are wonderful in every way, the new versions are an abomination. Throw the baggage out.
• Archie (that's Archie, right?) looks way too realistic compared to the animoid, Questionable Content-like Betty & Veronica. Could be worse. Could have turned them into superheroes. Loonatics, anyone?
• Ah, nostalgia is a wonderful thing for us oldsters, but those young whippersnappers will never understand. On the other hand, the distributors know we're not buying the latest issues, even if they keep the old style. (Or, were you? Buying them I mean? C'mon, 'fess up.)
• I note with great relief that Archie still has a faint bit of crosshatching by the temples.
• Dynamic, eh? Does that mean 'kind of iffy looking'? For the record, I read comics. But you know, superheros or supernatural stuff. If I was around in the pulpy days I'd've been flipping through Weird Tales, not this wholesome business.
• Now we can pretend that Archie comics once had a 'golden age', now ended... when in fact it was always crap.
• Now this... THIS!... is a worthy reimagining of Archie.
• I commend to the monkeys the LJ community Improved_Archie. It improves Archie. Just like the Dysfunctional Family Circus improved the Family Circus.
• Is *nothing* sacred??
• The manga thing for sabrina worked, because of demographics, already present rebranding (the cartoon, the tv show) and the connections b/w certain titles and the over all themes of sabrina--good move well executed. The problem (well one of many) problems with the Veronica/Ronnie is that the art is awful, and well doesn't rip off DeCarlo anymore (DeCarlo was brilliant, better w. no clothes than kids comix, but okay)
• If I cared about Archie I would disapprove.
• It's not going to start me reading them, but I like the change. On that cover, Betty doesn't look like Betty anymore, she looks more like Betty's mom wearing her clothes. But the inside sample page looks a lot better than any Archie comic ever did. The old look doesn't hit me with waves of nostalgia, but with waves of revulsion. This new look doesn't.
• I second the recommendation of Improved_Archie.
• Could be worse. Could have turned them into superheroes. Don't look now... I actually enjoyed a few of the alternate superhero storylines when I was younger.
• Hey, zorgon: (a) I quite like your name. (b) I quite like your blog.
• TPCQ: "If he marries your mother, Marge, we'll be brother and sister. And then our kids... they'll be horrible freaks with pink skin, no overbites, and five fingers on each hand!"
• There is no way this will last. A large part of Archie's comics are made up of reprints and so doing this drastically cuts down on the number of comics they have available to reprint without pointing out the change in art style.
• Big mistake, I think. Riverdale has existed so long precisely because it's unchanging. It's the formula. The formula works. That's why you don't fuck with the formula. Same for New Bond, New Coke, whatever. That being said, I don't read Archie, and have always thought of it as, you know, a girl comic. Plus, the new Veronica isn't nearly as hot. Doesn't have that good-girl exterior covering up her inner goth. Speaking of retooling comics, I'm pleased to say the new Hoverboy looks pretty fantastic -- I've seen the cover art, with Hoverboy fighting terrists on top of the Statue of Liberty, with even one terrist impaled on Lady Liberty's crown -- hi-lar-i-ous! Not that anybody cares...
• Archie Elseworlds.
• What I meant to say was, Archie Elseworlds. What a jughead.
• scartol, that's exactly what I was thinking. /Aiigh!
• I like the manga look for Sabrina. She's a magical girl - it totally makes sense.