A Dallas comic book store owner and collector is so upset that Archie Andrews is marrying spoiled little rich girl Veronica Lodge instead of girl-next-door Betty Cooper that to protest, he’s selling his copy of Archie Comics #1 from 1942.
Literally and figuratively, I’m not buying his story. A few things:
-- Anyone who’s read comic books for more than a year should realize that “game changing” events are rarely permanent. No one expected when Captain America died in in the now legendary story from 2007 that he would remain dead for long (although, these are excellent stories and well worth reading). And, the Archie website pretty much tells us from the beginning that this is an imaginary story! Archie is stressed by his high school graduation so he goes for a walk through the woods, and when he emerges, it’s four years later and he’s graduating college. Of course things are going back to normal as soon as the story is over.
-- Anyone who claims to be an Archie Comics fan of any length of time knows that sweet Betty Cooper hasn’t always been a sweetheart. Nearly every Digest issue includes stories from as late as the 1960s where Betty is just as scheming and conniving as Veronica, in her own way. Or, checking out the fascinating Archie Americana series of stories segmented by decade, we see that Archie, Veronica, Jughead Jones, Reggie Mantle, Big Moose Mason, Mr. Weatherby, Miss Grundy, and every other character stay remarkably consistent over nearly 70 years, the one exception being sweet Betty. The “Everybody’s Sweetheart” version of Betty didn’t emerge until the 1970s. Admittedly Betty during the current half of her career is the Betty we all know and love, but selling a 1942 copy is a pretty hollow protest.
-- Everyone recalls the infamous “Love Showdown” storyline from 1994, where Betty and Veronica threw down the gauntlet: Archie must decide once and for all. So, he chose SPOILER
Cheryl Blossom. At least until the next issue when things were pretty much back to normal.
-- Archie Comics have some of the best writers in the business, but for a story this significant, they brought in uber-movie producer Michael Uslan (the classic “Dark Knight,” the underwhelming “The Spirit,” and the downright awful “Catwoman”), not by one of the regular Archie writers. Now, Uslan teaches a course on comic books at Indiana University so he’s not necessarily a hack, but I have to believe that if Archie Comics would make a lasting change, it would be done by one of their regular storytellers.
-- Selling comic book back issues does nothing for or against the publisher. They’ve already been paid all they’re going to be paid. If you want to make a meaningful protest, you would refuse to buy any new issues, or for a store, refuse to stock any current issues. The comic book industry is like every other industry, and sales dictate direction.
Also, the comic book industry generally runs three to four months ahead of time, so it’s likely that every issue of the Archie Marries Veronica storyline is already written and produced, so a protest at this time doesn’t stop anything. The issues are all coming out.
Of course, the real reason this owner is selling is to get some quick cash. And the current storyline very likely will generate some interest, driving the price up; once all the issues have been released, the price for Archie #1 likely will drop to current levels, so strike while the iron is hot.
This story is generating a lot of buzz for the always entertaining Archie Comics. I confess that I have been a fan for years, thrilling to the antics of the crazy gang from Riverdale. So, I'm mildly interested in how this storyline will play out, but as a 20-year veteran of the comic-book-reading game, I know that by the end of the storyline, everything will be back to normal.
Aside: Cheryl Blossom, who has a genuine interest in Archie, is an even richer and more spoiled version of Veronica, who often uses Archie simply to make Betty jealous. Cheryl does struggle with the vast gulf of social status between her and Archie, but given my vote, I would like to see Archie end up with Cheryl.
Like everyone else, I do love Betty, but Archie has broken her heart too many times and does not deserve her. She needs to move away to college and meet a new soul mate.
I predict that the constant bickering between Veronica and Jughead is really a mask for some deep-seated chemistry between the two. Don’t be surprised when they show up as a couple at their 10-year high school reunion.
