The Archie Comics (4 Points)

For this case study of the Archie series, I chose to read Archie Annual No. 1 (1950), World of Jughead No. 469 (1978), Archie No.1 (2015 Reboot), and for fun, Afterlife with Archie No.1 (2013) alongside the required reading of Archie's Favorites from the Vaults.

1. Who do you think buys and reads Archie?  Why do you think they buy and read it?

    I feel the answer for this question somewhat depends on the release of the comic. While I think that all of the comics are accessible for a large age range leaning towards the kid and young adult range, I feel that the earlier the release date correlates to a younger intended audience. This is caused by both art style and the hijinx that the characters get up to. Looking at the style for Archie Annual No.1, we see that the art style, which is more soft and chunky, lends itself to a more child-like look. This, along with more frivolous or fun scenarios that Archie finds himself in, is why I think originally Archie was aimed at children around the middle-school age. As Archie developed, we see more romance and slightly more mature themes, as well as a more refined art style where the gang looked more like teens and a bit less rounded. I believe the comics around the time of World of Jughead were geared towards teens, as the situations were most similar to what teens could be going through at that time. Comparing the art style of the old Archie comics to the Archie comics of the modern era, we see a fresh, new look to Archie and the gang, depicting them more closer to television versions of the characters than their older comic counterparts. Additionally, the comic strays away from trying to be too funny, and it feels like it takes the situations that Archie is in more seriously. Therefore, I think this comic was geared more towards the late high school and young adult age ranges.

2. What in Archie repeats?  What characters, situations, ideas, props, themes or other factors repeat through the various decades of Archie?  What ideas or emotions do you think get attached to these repeating aspects of the storytelling?  What is important in Archie?

    Despite my idea of Archie changing target audiences throughout the year based on the differences we see in some content and art style, many things in the comic do stay the same over the years. Most obviously is the main cast; Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and Reggie are all a staple to the series, and their personalities do not change too much during the series. Additionally, a lot of the romance plots stay the same. Archie is in some sort of love triangle with Betty and Veronica, Reggie wants to take Veronica away from Archie, and Jughead could not care less about girls. I think that these key factors of the series really sell the idea that these books are meant for a younger audience that may or may not be going through these same awkward and tricky relationships. Overall, I think the important thing in Archie is the interpersonal relationships, romantic or not. So many plot points are based around either love or friendship, and I think the story would definitely not be the same if it focused somewhere else.

3. What isn't in Archie?  Are all aspects of teenage life in Archie?  Does the World of Archie reflect or mirror the world you know?  An essential component of observing is noticing what is and what isn't there and considering the implications.

Archie has many things included in the series that reflect teenage life, but one thing I do not see that I think is so prevalent now is queerness. Speaking as someone from the community, I feel that a big part of teenage life is figuring out who you are, and even people who are not in the LGBT community sometimes go through the motions of figuring themselves out. Obviously, Archie is a very old series, so I do not think too much of it for the old comics, but even with the new comics, I do not see much representation of the community. The only hint of the community that I can see could potentially be Jughead and his lack of wanting a romantic relationship, but I took that more as a gag the creators thought was funny.

4. In a summary sort of way, what in the end do you think Archie is about?  What is its meaning in context?  Why do you think it is it culturally significant?           Notice that none of these questions involve whether you like Archie or not.  Rather these questions go to what you observe and surmise; what you make of what you see.

I think Archie is about relationships. Archie reminds me a bit of a tabletop game called MonsterHearts, which is a game that dives into the confusing and sometimes 'ugly' interpersonal relationships of teens and young adults. I think it is culturally significant because it many, many young people can relate and sympathies with the story and characters.