Look What They're Doing To ARCHIE

[Buzz Dixon]

I'm posting this here 'cuz it seems like the most logical place -- Archie Comics aren't an independent in the conventional sense of the word and they are classics.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=94511

Unlike the shennannigans that DC and Marvel regularly pull with their continuity changing plots that forever alter their respective universes until next year's continuity changing plot, this move is really going to have a long term affect on Archie comics. It requires the kind of commitment to change that is very difficult to retreat from and since it alters an otherwise unchanged cultural icon for the last half century, it gonna garner a LOT of press.

[lonewolf23k]

...Redesigning Archie's characters?

AAAAHHH!! IT'S THE APOCALYPSE!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Scott Shaw!]

Buzz, I think that this editorial directive will have all the impact and long-term effects of New Coke. As I wrote over on my ODDBALL COMICS discussion board:

Archie Comics tried this a few years ago with their adaptation of BACK TO RIVERDALE, an "Archie" TV-movie; it was drawn by John Byrne, but I never got the impression that it made much of an impression on Archie's readership...or, for that matter, the legion of so-called "Byrne Victims".

SABRINA as a manga was an experiment that worked, but it wasn't the first time that the character was drawn in a style other than Dan DeCarlo's. (I'm referring to DIC's SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH cartoon series.) Archie has also done a makeover of Bill Woggon's Katy Keene, drawn by my friend Andrew Pepoy.

But Archie Andrews and his pals 'n' gals are much more iconic. I seriously doubt, other than the novelty of seeing 'em as "real" teenagers, that this experiment will "stick" for long. The "real" cast of Archie are SO recognizable that I think any kid who likes Archie Comics will consider this to be an outrage.

It IS interesting, however, to see Steven Butler's pencils here. Butler started out in comics drawing SPIDER-MAN and SILVER SABLE. After the market crashed, he switched to drawing SONIC THE HEDGEHOG for Archie and many of the cartoon characters' strips in the DISNEY ADVENTURES digest. Now he's gonna use his skills in reverse, to give a realisitic slant to some of America's most iconic cartoony characters. If nothing else, you've gotta admit, he's got his work cut out for him!

Aloha,

Scott!

[MDG]

It requires the kind of commitment to change that is very difficult to retreat from and since it alters an otherwise unchanged cultural icon for the last half century, it gonna garner a LOT of press.

They better hope the press holds off--the book won't hit the stands for six months.

http://www.archiecomics.com/news/pr121706-bv-new-look.html

Wasn't it with "Stan Lee to write for DC", that the stories in the mainstream press came with the announcement, with nothing when the books were actually available?

I get the feeling that the "realistic" Betty and veronica will appear in certain series, but most of the Riverdale characters will retain the same look.

MDG

[Buzz Dixon]

Hi, Scott! (still can't sign on to your board -- drat!) and MDG,

I think this will be the start of a major turning point re the Archie books. I don't necessarily think these are the final designs of the characters for this generation, but I think breaking the Bob Montana/Dan DeCarlo mold is a necessary step, not because anything those gents did was bad but because they're no longer around to do it and new artists are trying to follow their style rather than do something more in their own vision.

More important than just the visual style (though closely linked to it) is the move to longer, more complex story lines. This has worked well for other characters in the past (Donald Duck once he started tagging along with Unca Scrooge being a prime example). It doesn't need to negatively affect the characters or their milieu but instead can open it up to something really interesting.

Finally, without being overly pedantic about it, styles and tastes change with the times. We don't see Flash Gordon around anymore 'cuz that brand of fantasy has been replaced by Star Trek and Star Wars. Archie, quite frankly, looks like something from the 20th century. His newest readers -- the next generation of Archie fans and beyond -- were born in this one. They may notice the difference but I don't think they'll care so long as the stories and characters remain fun.

[Roquefort Raider]

I think this will be the start of a major turning point re the Archie books. I don't necessarily think these are the final designs of the characters for this generation, but I think breaking the Bob Montana/Dan DeCarlo mold is a necessary step, not because anything those gents did was bad but because they're no longer around to do it and new artists are trying to follow their style rather than do something more in their own vision.

It really reminds me of what happened to the Spirou character in France. André Franquin's take on the character is the one two generations of readers think of as the definitive one, and the creators who followed Franquin all more or less produced Franquin-inspired designs. Then, after being on the book for more than 15 years, the writer-artist team of Tome and Janry decided to break away from tradition and reinvented the character's look... less cartoony, more realistic.

It turned out to be an interesting attempt, but it failed because readers didn't want people to mess with their classic character. I suspect the same will happen with any change made on Archie.

http://www.tplusplus.de/comics/images/spirou.gif
The classic look


http://www.bedetheque.com/thb_couv/Spirou46T.jpg
The short-lived "new" look.

[Hintermann]

The whole attraction of Archie and the gang is their timelessness - at least in their appearance and interaction to each other. They are already adaptable - look how their dress styles have kept up with the times, as have acquisition of some contemporary technological innovations. But to change their distinctive looks is absolute blasphemy. The traditional looks and manner of Berry Cooper for example, perfectly matches her personality - just the right blend of looks, intelligence, empathy and sauciness. The "new look" girl pictured above looks like a bimbo slut.

[Buzz Dixon]

The whole attraction of Archie and the gang is their timelessness - at least in their appearance and interaction to each other. They are already adaptable - look how their dress styles have kept up with the times, as have acquisition of some contemporary technological innovations. But to change their distinctive looks is absolute blasphemy. The traditional looks and manner of Berry Cooper for example, perfectly matches her personality - just the right blend of looks, intelligence, empathy and sauciness. The "new look" girl pictured above looks like a bimbo slut.Gotta disagree -- Archie looks dated. The stories are told primarily in three tiers and six rectangular panels, almost exclusively full shot (head-to-toe) or medium shot (waist up) with a rare long shot for a splash panel.

In short, pretty much the way they were told back in 1956 (except their pages had 8-9 panels). And this is just page design and panel layouts, we haven't even begun talking about the inking and line weight (which really is old school), much less story pacing, subject matter, etc.

The change won't happen overnight (Archie Comics has a lot of inventory to burn off!) but it's gonna happen. I think the younger readers will be attracted to it 'cuz it looks new and different -- they simply don't care that much about the actual art style, much less the rich tradition and history behind it, and if they did notice it they would probably prefer anything new and different that their generation can mark as their own.

[MDG]

Well, it's obvious that Archie doesn't jump into things quickly, and I'm assuming they've identified a niche audience of (I'd presume) tween-age or younger girls looking for more realistic stories about "typical teenagers."

I'd like to see the story art--Archie wouldn't be Archie without the cartoony pratfalls, but they won't work well if the art's to realistic. I love how artists like Xaime Hernandez can switch from very realistic to very cartoony portrayals of the same characters in adjacent panels, but it takes a special artist to pull that off.

MDG

[Young Avenger]

It's about time. Archie's style is very dated. Whenever I see an Archie book at my shop it looks like something that came out in the 60s instead of 06. I have nothing against the signature Archie style but they really needed the change.

[Buzz Dixon]

I love how artists like Xaime Hernandez can switch from very realistic to very cartoony portrayals of the same characters in adjacent panels, but it takes a special artist to pull that off.=koff-koff=...manga...=koff-koff=

[Buzz Dixon]

It's about time. Archie's style is very dated. Whenever I see an Archie book at my shop it looks like something that came out in the 60s instead of 06. I have nothing against the signature Archie style but they really needed the change.Our Sunday paper is one of those carrying the free AMAZING FANTASY/SPIDER-MAN classic reprints and, yeah, the stuff that was once so fresh and hip and ground breaking sure looks old now.

Still gorgeous art, but clearly from two generations ago.

[Buzz Dixon]

One other key point: Archie Comics is virtually the only non-start-up comics company that requires new readers instead of catering to an established audience. Most of their readership cycles through in 6-8 years; anything created before they were born is dim, ancient history.

Gemstone discovered this with their valiant attempt to keep the classic Disney characters in print. The new Disney generation doesn't want to read about Mickey and Donald and Goofy, they wanna read about Captain Jack Sparrow and Stitch and the W.I.T.C.H. girls.

We love Archie just the way he is 'cuz that's the Archie we grew up with, but we are old farts and definitely a minority in the Archie readership.

[Captain Jim]

I give Archie Comics a lot of credit for this and wish them well.

[rick]

I'll say this for their experiment, it certainly has grabbed some attention for the Riverdale gang.

Right now there are at least 4 threads about the change just here at CBR.

Personally, I’m an old fart who likes the old style better. But since the only Archie comics I ever buy are copies from around 1970, I don’t really have anything to worry about.

Still, I have to say though that I’m not all that certain that this is the answer to Archie’s grabbing a new generation. Like I said, I’m an old fart and I think that the archetypical character designs are really great and really do not need to be changed. What I think that they need are better writers, telling interesting stories that appeal to kids.

My granddaughter likes the books, but having looked thought some of the newer digests I’ve picked up for her, the newer stuff really looks dull compared to the older reprints.

And that just can't be good.

[Agentum]

Yes i got tired of Archie 20 years ago or something so why not try to chock things up a little for a while?

[Your Imaginary Pal]

The way the characters have been drawn since i was a child has always been simple and easily duplicated. The artists could be replaced instantly because the character model was simple enough for anyone with decent talent to replicate and have them be easily identified.

Going with a more manga stylized design takes away what archie is, an American Classic. Not just a knock off of a Japanese style, we have enough of that going on these days. I don't think it's a necessary change or a favorable change.

Not that I've ever really been a huge fan of Archie Comics, but I've always been able to recognize them.

[Agentum]

But i don't think that is "manga" style judging from the picture shown.
It's just a more realistc style to me.

Manga styled they would have been even less realistic looking probably.

[Budman]

I have mixed feelings about the changes.

On the one hand, I know the new product isn't aimed at me, From the artwork, I think it is indeed aimed at tweenage girls. So the new artwork, along with the longer stories, will probably appeal to the target audience. And there is nothing really wrong about that. Sales among the target group may increase.

But Archie comics have always appealed to all ages. I know adults, comic book collectors, and comic readers, myself included, who will pick up the occasional digest or current issue or back issue and enjoy it. One of the reasons for this is the art style. The comic strippy/cartoony artwork of traditional Archie promises something for everyone, much as the comics page of the daily newspaper does. But the new art clearly yells out to me, "No one over 13 need apply!" I wouldn't pick up an issue of Betty and Veronica drawn in the new way any more than I would pick up a volume of "The Babysitters Club" or rent "The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants." So sales among anyone but members of the target audience may decrease.

How will Archie stories work in this new format? Slapstick and exaggerated reactions and cartoony plots have always been part of the Archie universe.
Do we really want to see "more realistic looking" guys literally drooling over the now very young looking Betty and Veronica? Or a "more realistic" Mr. Weatherbee doing a slow burn with smoke coming out of his ears? Or a "more realistic" Archie in his jalopy (how are they going to make that more up to date?) carreening down a hill heading for town because his brakes have given out? The Archie universe stories only work in a cartoony world where nobody can really get hurt - where Mr. Lodge can trip on Archie's guitar, which was left lying near the top of a stairway, and not wind up in the ICU as a result, and where Veronica can go off with some guy she's just met and become instantly smitten with, but not have to worry about being date raped.
Making things look "more realistic" and "up to date" will, I believe, eventually lead to changes in the types of stories the comic books will tell. Over time there may be characters named Archie and Jughead and Betty and Veronica in the books, but they won't be much like the characters which have endured for 60 years and their stories just won't seem like "Archie."

And I need to say a word about sex appeal. When I was in high school, college, and even grad school, one reason guys would pick up Archie comics from time to time was that they admittedly liked the way Betty, Veronica, Midge, Melody, etc. were drawn. The characters were idealized cartoon females like Betty Boop, Jessica Rabbit, Tex Avery's Red, the Famous Studios version of Olive Oyl, and Hello, Nurse. They weren't meant to be "realistic," they were meant to be pin-ups. And just by looking at the girls in the Archie universe, you couldn't really tell that they were supposed to be teenagers. The truth is that Archie girls looked more like they were in their twenties or even sometimes in their early thirties than they looked like they were in their teens. And in some of their stories and on some of their comic book covers they could have easily been young career girls starting out in the world. So male readers could enjoy looking at them without feeling like dirty old men. In the older Archie stories that I collect, males of all ages who are passing by Betty and Veronica check them out. And this is portrayed as being natural, not a perversion, because B & V are primarily sex symbols in many classic stories, not primarily teenagers. B & V are supposed to be the Marilyn Monroes of their world. But the "new look" B & V aren't sex symbols. They are your young teenage nieces.

[Nate C.]

I like the idea of the update, more importantly, I'm glad Steve Butler is still getting work. He's a hometown boy made good, hailing from Hattiesburg, MS, so good on him for still hanging around a difficult industry. (I think he's from Hattiesburg, he was there for a long, long time).

[dan bailey]

You're in Hattiesburg, Nathan? When I was fired at the newspaper here, the managing editor (who wasn't the one who pulled the trigger -- she'd been here only a couple of weeks at the time) was a new arrival from Hattiesburg, having grown up some 18 miles down the road from me in SW Arkansas & preceded me by a couple of years at our college paper & the tiny daily where we both got my start.

Too bad she's a basically a dirt-eating redneck for whom kittens are a treasured entree, but then in my case it probably takes one to know one (not that I have much of a palate for soil or felines ...)

[Your Imaginary Pal]

But i don't think that is "manga" style judging from the picture shown.
It's just a more realistc style to me.

Manga styled they would have been even less realistic looking probably.

alright on my first quick look it reminded me of a totally spies style.

now it just looks bland, generic and basic. Forgive me for saing this, but there is nothing cute, or different about it and as someone else mentioned it doesn't really lend itself to slapstick or oddball comedy that Archie is known for.
Like Jughead becoming blaoted from eating too many burgers.

Change for the sake of change is never good.

[Buzz Dixon]

Change for the sake of change is never good.Change because one has run into a creative wall and needs to get around it in order to do something fresh and fun is.

[Captain Jim]

All we've seen is a couple of panels of artwork and already everyone is decrying it. How typical. I say, run it up the flagpole and see how many people salute it. I'm not the target audience anyway and neither are most of you.

[Scott Shaw!]

I'm not the target audience anyway and neither are most of you.

Well, both Buzz and I have created children's entertainment for many years. He's currently writing and publishing comics for younger readers and I've done a considerable amount of work for Archie. So I'd say we've more than earned the right to express our opinions about this...

Archie Comics has some of the lowest page rates in color comics. That may be a factor in the lack of attempted complexity in their recent comics. I wonder if they're paying a higher rate for this supposedly more "realistic" approach, especially since the new version will get a tryout in Archie's digest books, which are usually 90% reprints, and therefore, nearly pure profit for the publisher. (Archie doesn't pay for reprints; if they did, as many times as they've reprinted my early SONIC THE HEDGEHOG stories, I would have received the equivalent of a really good page rate.)

By the way, I just received a Christmas card from Bob Bolling, and he says he's been hard at work on new LITTLE ARCHIE stories in his good ol' style (which always skewed a bit more realistic than the other Archie stories.) At least that's good news, whatever your opinion of Steven Butler's work on the Riverdale gang.

Aloha,

Scott!

[Sir Tim Drake]

By the way, I just received a Christmas card from Bob Bolling, and he says he's been hard at work on new LITTLE ARCHIE stories in his good ol' style (which always skewed a bit more realistic than the other Archie stories.) At least that's good news, whatever your opinion of Steven Butler's work on the Riverdale gang.

Oh my. That is good news. Any idea where or when these stories will be published?

[Buzz Dixon]

More Bob Bolling -- YEA!!!

[jam]

If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

Is it broken? I dunno.

I introduced my daughter to the Archie Double Digests and she reads them over and over and over again. She's now 13 and she still devours them.

I don't mind them doing this as an experiment. I hope it's a success. But I hope it doesn't mean they'll be ditching the Dan DeCarlo model for good. Having said that I don't think many of the artists who came after were so good at mimicking Dan's lovely, lovely crisp style.

[Captain Jim]

Well, both Buzz and I have created children's entertainment for many years. He's currently writing and publishing comics for younger readers and I've done a considerable amount of work for Archie. So I'd say we've more than earned the right to express our opinions about this...


At ease, Scott. I simply meant that the fact that so many people on this forum who aren't the target audience don't like the idea really means nothing. Whether it's a good idea or not will be determined by the sales.

[Scott Shaw!]

"At ease"?

Sorry, "Captain", but I'm a civilian.

Aloha,

Scott!

[Aaron King]

Uh-oh. Aaron's gone for a day and already there's trouble a-brewing.

[MDG]

For what it's worth, somone in another discussion on this earth-shattering subject linked to this GCD gallery:

http://www.comics.org/covers.lasso?SeriesID=11550

An Archie series from the early 70s that had more "serious" stories, though still drawn in the house style.

MDG

[Buzz Dixon]

I believe Scott Shaw! has already covered this on his Oddball Comics website (and if he hasn't yet, I'm sure he'll forgive me discussing it as being germaine to the topic at hand) but Archie, Jughead, and Reggie were all inducted into the Army in the waning days of the Vietnam war. They got their draft notices, showed up for their physicals, were sworn in, then told to go home and await orders.

The orders never came.

No one has ever managed to find our what was going through the Archie Comics editorial staff's collective mind at that point, whether they thought it might be interesting to run the boys through boot camp then shunt them off to the National Guard, whether they wanted to see if Archie could work as a service comedy, whatever.

The bottom line was that literally as soon as the idea was introduced it was dropped and never ever referred to again.

It also marks the moment (for me, at least) where the various Archie series stopped being part of their cultural environment and instead became frozen in time. Indeed, I'd even say they began retrogressing to a fantasy 1950s culture that never really existed.

The Archie comics of the 1950s and most of the 60s showed the gang interacting with the real culture. (The way they treated music in the 1960s, f'r instance, showed that the Riverdale gang was acutely aware the shape of the music scene was changing and what music represented to their generation was far more than pleasing sounds but a sense of group identity; compare this to the lacklustre "[name pop star] causes girls to swoon and boys to be jealous" type stories that came in the 1980s and on.)

The Archie books still tended to be titillating and not-so-squeaky clean well into the 1970s (the infamous story where Archie and Betty end up naked and wrapped in blankets at a motel, or the one where Betty and Veronica spy on people at a nude beach). The "timeless" and prudish demeanor the books are known for now are a fairly late development. (Indeed, go back and read the stories in the 1950s and 60s collections and one finds a not-so-naive Betty, some pretty sexually aggressive young lads, and references to all sorts of things that adults of the era [i.e., the writers and artists] would recognize as having sexual double meanings.)

[dan bailey]

The Archie books still tended to be titillating and not-so-squeaky clean well into the 1970s (the infamous story where Archie and Betty end up naked and wrapped in blankets at a motel,

Say what?

Apparently, I stopped reading the various Archie titles just a little too early in the decade ...

[Prelude]

Betty and Veronica's artistic change was featured in the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper yesterday. The title "A comic shame right from the draw" was boldly displayed next to the picture. While there are exceptions here and there, I think it’s safe to say the reception isn’t warm on message boards across the Internet. Interestingly enough, even my mother expressed disappointment with the new style, especially when I showed her the interior pencils on Newsarama.

Despite a house style that’s endured for decades, it’s no secret that Archie Comics is seeking something new and different. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. In Comic Zone’s recent interview of Michael Silberkleit (http://www.worldtalkradio.com/archive.asp?aid=8554), Archie’s chairman publisher, he told of Archie Comics’ desire to try different type of directions. Indeed, they’ve done just that. Sabrina the Teenage Witch being drawn Manga-style turned out to be successful enough that Archie Comics had the style tried out for Josie and the Pussycats. Katy Keene is drawn in a style unique to her universe. Silberkleit also briefly mentioned the use and importance of the graphic novel with more realistic storytelling and art.

In Archie Comics’ interview of Archie managing editor Victor Gorelick (http://www.archiecomics.com/interviews/interviews.html), he talked specifically about a graphic novel titled “Bad News Boyfriend” to appear in 2007. It’s obvious a GN on its own never materialized and the story Gorelick spoke of is the same story that’s going to appear in the Betty and Veronica digest. I guess we shouldn't have been that surprised.

This leads to the question of whether this change will last or if it’s just a laughable attempt at Archie Comics trying something outside the comfort zone of its readers. I wouldn’t mind if there was a separate digest for the more experimental material. Despite all the flack the more realistic version of Riverdale’s beloved girls get, it all depends on Archie’s very loyal fan base. The readers who actually contact Archie and express their feelings, as well as the ones who decide by actually purchasing the digests well beyond the initial shock value, are going to have the most impact. Worst case scenario and my biggest fear is that this new direction is applauded enough that it dethrones the style we've all grown to love.

[Rob Imes]

I find the change intriguing and a positive thing, as long as the traditional look is still the primary one. I like variety, so the idea of having one or two titles drawn in a different style, even if they feature the same character, is a good thing, IMO. For example, look at the Teen Titans: DC has the regular "realistic" superheroes for the regular comics fans, and they have a cartoonier version that may be more appealing to a younger, entry-level audience.

A few years ago, I started buying a lot of the regular Archie titles because I'm a fan of traditional comics and appreciated that Archie was still doing comics with self-contained stories, back-up stories, aimed at the general reader. And I wanted to support that. Earlier this year, however, I ended up dropping all the Archie titles from my pull list, except for Archie & Friends, because I was a bit bored by the sameness to many of the issues. Archie & Friends I kept getting, however, because I like the variety in it (and I'm a fan of anthology comics); it's even better now that they have the Andrew Pepoy "Katy Keene" back-up stories in it. I'd like to see more variety in Archie's offerings, not less.

Hopefully Archie Comics won't be spooked by the negative reactions to this "new look" and decide that change is a bad thing. It was Archie's Red Circle line of superhero comics in the early 1980s that first got me to start buying their humor titles, and I'd like to see them do more "realistic" comics again. If they continue to publish the traditional Archie style comics IN ADDITION to the more realistic style, then I'm all for it.

[Buzz Dixon]

Say what?

Apparently, I stopped reading the various Archie titles just a little too early in the decade ...Never too late to go back...
http://www.loonyboi.com/blog/archives/000652.php

[Nate C.]

You're in Hattiesburg, Nathan? When I was fired at the newspaper here, the managing editor (who wasn't the one who pulled the trigger -- she'd been here only a couple of weeks at the time) was a new arrival from Hattiesburg, having grown up some 18 miles down the road from me in SW Arkansas & preceded me by a couple of years at our college paper & the tiny daily where we both got my start.

Too bad she's a basically a dirt-eating redneck for whom kittens are a treasured entree, but then in my case it probably takes one to know one (not that I have much of a palate for soil or felines ...)


Sorry to take so long to reply, Dan. I'm not in Hattiesburg now. I'm in Madison, a suburb of the capitol. But I was there 1993-2001 if you count the surrounding areas.

Are you from MS?

[Captain Jim]

Check out this new article (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=95140) for additional information. Seems like this is only being done for selected stories and the house style will continue to be the norm. So everybody who was panicking can give a sigh of relief. :)

[matt levin]

MDG's comment, "I'm assuming they've identified a niche audience of (I'd presume) tween-age or younger girls looking for more realistic stories about "typical teenagers,"" caused a thought:

perhaps this could be the return of romance comics...?

Now while I immediately disliked the 'new look' Betty and Veronica (Betty, especially--), if--"if", I say, if--the new look title ran concurrently with the present-day look in other titles, I'd say -that- was savvy marketing. If the new look overruns all titles, I'd say it'll last oh, about four issues and vanish.

But: I just might try out a new-look single-title if it were really geared to being a return to romance comics; and don't we need a few of those?!

Matt
Betty, Betty, Betty all the way!

[CaptChucky]

I understand that this is only a 3 or 4 issue arc. No doubt they're trying to see if it's possible to save the line. I agree with Buzz Dixon here. The Archie line does look outdated. I saw a comment on Newsarama a year or two back where a reader said that Betty and Veronica dressed like their mom. Kids don't want to read about their mom.

It's tough to change things at this point. Archie depends on reprints. They would need to scrap all their old material if they actually went ahead and went full speed with this.

I hope they do make a change and survive.

[Scott Shaw!]

If Archie Comics is looking for a new direction, I have a great idea for 'em, EC Comics-style!

In this story, the printed images of Archie, Josie, Sabrina and the rest have been distorted, defiled and generally whored-out to the point where the spirit of their designer, Dan DeCarlo, can't take it any more. The gentleman cartoonist's corpse rises from his grave and tracks down the owners of Archie Comics, who exploited him, blackballed him and generally treated him like shit until the day he died. Then he wreaks some Old Testament-style retribution on their miserable asses.

Good Lord! >Choke!<

THE END.

Howzat for a new direction, folks?

Aloha,

Scott!

[CaptChucky]

If Archie Comics is looking for a new direction, I have a great idea for 'em, EC Comics-style!

In this story, the printed images of Archie, Josie, Sabrina and the rest have been distorted, defiled and generally whored-out to the point where the spirit of their designer, Dan DeCarlo, can't take it any more. The gentleman cartoonist's corpse rises from his grave and tracks down the owners of Archie Comics, who exploited him, blackballed him and generally treated him like shit until the day he died. Then he wreaks some Old Testament-style retribution on their miserable asses.

Good Lord! >Choke!<

THE END.

Howzat for a new direction, folks?

Aloha,

Scott!

The "Good Lord! >choke<" in EC Comics was always a favorite of mine. :)

I'd love to see them give DeCarlo proper credit, and keep his work in print for all of us old farts.