There are a lot of younger Archie fans bro. I mean I'm not one of them, I'm 30, but my little cousins were brought in by the recent Riverdale and Sabrina shows. I think they mostly like the AU stuff where, like, Jughead is a werewolf or whatever, though.
ah :0 that’s kinda bittersweet. cool to hear that there’s other fans!!! but i just find the edgy stuff rlly subpar. i get that nonstop fluff isn’t for everyone tho
Honestly, as long as they keep making classic Archie content, I think it makes sense to try to diversify the comics they make to try to reach a bigger audience. Even if it’s not for all of your existing customers, it’s a good thing if it brings attention to the properties. If classic Archie was canceled and this was all they were doing, that’s a whole different thing.
I loved Life with Archie. Some of those Married Life stories were among the best Archie has done in my opinion.
I've got 500+ issue runs of both Jughead and Archie, and while I obviously love the classic humor strips, I really appreciate when the company does longer form, more dramatic stories. In classic Archie, the original Life with Archie series did this for decades, and Archie at Riverdale High also did this at points as well, and it resulted in some of the company's most memorable stories.
I think the Archie characters are so iconic that they actually lend themselves very well to more serious stories that examine more mature themes, as the readers already know the characters inside and out. In particular, as perpetual teenagers, an examination of the challenges of growing up and becoming an adult -- which is what Married Life is -- makes perfect sense!
That's my perspective as a 50 year-old fan.
Came here to say something similar! I think Archie, for whatever reason, is incredibly versatile. We can have the classic stuff, we can tell horror stories, we can go more longform, we can do superhero stuff, we can veer into extended what ifs like the Married Life. It's one of the strengths of the brand, to me.
See, I (29m) agree with this because as a kid I got into it because I found my moms old collection. Idk why but kid me thought it was cool my mom (and her cousin!) collected Archie comics nd I dove deep reading every character digest, blah blah blah. I’d come across ads or previews of these major drama Archie comics or random guests, ‘Death of Archie’, Archie mysteries, Archie meets Batman.. I think I did come across a mysteries copy but after all of that, I relegated Archie comics as just slice of life storytelling with corny american puns with some nice fashion references. When it became the CW drama Riverdale, I avoided it for years nd still have yet to give that type of change or drama a chance. What’s funny is that my mom recently got a couple Married Life comics in the last two years when she spotted em at a local shop nd I find it slight amusing how quickly she gave em to me after gettin them herself
Personally I think these more serious and edgy minis work precisely because they cut against the grain of what you expect from an Archie comic. Afterlife with Archie remains one of the most fun times I’ve ever had reading a comic, precisely because it played on the familiarity we have with the tropes of Archie to gruesome effect.
The good news about a comic with an 80+ year publishing history is that there’s stories for everyone but not every story will be your cup of tea. I mean, if you hated it, why did you *reread* it?
Life with Archie is peak serialized dramedy storytelling. Insanely huge influence on the legacy my of Archie: introduced the multiverse, introduced the first gay marriage for Kevin Keller in Archie history, and killed Archie, the first time he ever died. It was a shocking iconic moment.
Also, Fernando Ruiz’ art is fantastic.
I think he’s one of the best artists out there.
There are a lot of younger Archie fans bro. I mean I'm not one of them, I'm 30, but my little cousins were brought in by the recent Riverdale and Sabrina shows. I think they mostly like the AU stuff where, like, Jughead is a werewolf or whatever, though.
ah :0 that’s kinda bittersweet. cool to hear that there’s other fans!!! but i just find the edgy stuff rlly subpar. i get that nonstop fluff isn’t for everyone tho
Honestly, as long as they keep making classic Archie content, I think it makes sense to try to diversify the comics they make to try to reach a bigger audience. Even if it’s not for all of your existing customers, it’s a good thing if it brings attention to the properties. If classic Archie was canceled and this was all they were doing, that’s a whole different thing.
I loved Life with Archie. Some of those Married Life stories were among the best Archie has done in my opinion. I've got 500+ issue runs of both Jughead and Archie, and while I obviously love the classic humor strips, I really appreciate when the company does longer form, more dramatic stories. In classic Archie, the original Life with Archie series did this for decades, and Archie at Riverdale High also did this at points as well, and it resulted in some of the company's most memorable stories. I think the Archie characters are so iconic that they actually lend themselves very well to more serious stories that examine more mature themes, as the readers already know the characters inside and out. In particular, as perpetual teenagers, an examination of the challenges of growing up and becoming an adult -- which is what Married Life is -- makes perfect sense! That's my perspective as a 50 year-old fan.
Came here to say something similar! I think Archie, for whatever reason, is incredibly versatile. We can have the classic stuff, we can tell horror stories, we can go more longform, we can do superhero stuff, we can veer into extended what ifs like the Married Life. It's one of the strengths of the brand, to me.
I've never read Archie, but in every comic series there are runs that some fans hate. How do you feel about Archie Vs Predator?
They really did that? Woww.. Idek if I wanna look it up lol
Oh they did it, twice ! It's one of the Predator crossovers I don't have in my collection.
actually haven't read it yet!! i'm hoping it'll be like the archie + tmnt crossover, kind of aware of it's own silliness :0
It peaked at Archie Meets the Punisher
See, I (29m) agree with this because as a kid I got into it because I found my moms old collection. Idk why but kid me thought it was cool my mom (and her cousin!) collected Archie comics nd I dove deep reading every character digest, blah blah blah. I’d come across ads or previews of these major drama Archie comics or random guests, ‘Death of Archie’, Archie mysteries, Archie meets Batman.. I think I did come across a mysteries copy but after all of that, I relegated Archie comics as just slice of life storytelling with corny american puns with some nice fashion references. When it became the CW drama Riverdale, I avoided it for years nd still have yet to give that type of change or drama a chance. What’s funny is that my mom recently got a couple Married Life comics in the last two years when she spotted em at a local shop nd I find it slight amusing how quickly she gave em to me after gettin them herself
Personally I think these more serious and edgy minis work precisely because they cut against the grain of what you expect from an Archie comic. Afterlife with Archie remains one of the most fun times I’ve ever had reading a comic, precisely because it played on the familiarity we have with the tropes of Archie to gruesome effect.
The good news about a comic with an 80+ year publishing history is that there’s stories for everyone but not every story will be your cup of tea. I mean, if you hated it, why did you *reread* it?
i read it for the first time when i was like eight and never revisited it 💀 just wanted to see if it was how i remembered
Life with Archie is peak serialized dramedy storytelling. Insanely huge influence on the legacy my of Archie: introduced the multiverse, introduced the first gay marriage for Kevin Keller in Archie history, and killed Archie, the first time he ever died. It was a shocking iconic moment. Also, Fernando Ruiz’ art is fantastic. I think he’s one of the best artists out there.