Archie Christmas Spectacular #1 (2020)

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Archie havent published any monthly comic serie in quite a while now really.

To be honest the Riverdale-ification of Archie has put me off. Too many of the series they have put out over the last few years hasnt been to my tastes. I'd love them to go back to the old style series but that clearly isnt happening.

The current Sabrina comic is the only monthly title being published by Archie, and that's soon to end. The entire reboot of the Archie line had been hit or miss: Archie, the flagship book had been a dumpster fire, especially after Mark Waid wrapped up his story and left. However, Adam Hughes' take on Betty and Veronica was fun, though painfully short at only three issues. Chip Zdarksy's Jughead had all the quirky and goofy charm of the original book. Don't even get me started on Afterlife With Archie which had been terrific but was left to wither on the vine and die after the writer left in midstream to helm Riverdale.

To be honest, I seriously doubt we'll ever see any new Archie books as the company does indeed appear to have gone all reprints.

[MajorHoy]

. . . To be honest, I seriously doubt we'll ever see any new Archie books as the company does indeed appear to have gone all reprints.

I think I've noticed they are sometimes including A new story in some digests with the rest being reprinted material.

And wasn't there a story not too long ago about them letting Rob Liefeld relaunch the Archie superhero line or something? (Maybe it was just a rumor?)

[skyvolt2000]

I think I've noticed they are sometimes including A new story in some digests with the rest being reprinted material.

And wasn't there a story not too long ago about them letting Rob Liefeld relaunch the Archie superhero line or something? (Maybe it was just a rumor?)

Yes that is true. He is doing the Mighty Crusaders.

[Robanker]

The current Sabrina comic is the only monthly title being published by Archie, and that's soon to end. The entire reboot of the Archie line had been hit or miss: Archie, the flagship book had been a dumpster fire, especially after Mark Waid wrapped up his story and left. However, Adam Hughes' take on Betty and Veronica was fun, though painfully short at only three issues. Chip Zdarksy's Jughead had all the quirky and goofy charm of the original book. Don't even get me started on Afterlife With Archie which had been terrific but was left to wither on the vine and die after the writer left in midstream to helm Riverdale.

To be honest, I seriously doubt we'll ever see any new Archie books as the company does indeed appear to have gone all reprints.

I enjoyed the Waid Archie run. Hughes on Betty and Veronica was indeed fun. I've been loving Sabrina under Thompson and Fish. I liked Josie and the Pussycats by Bennet and Mok as well.

The reboot worked when it was just doing updated takes on Archie, but the more it tried to get into Riverdale, the more it started to slide.

I do think we may see some more new Archie comics at some point, but not in the meantime. I could see Disney buying the brand for adaptions and pushing out some fun-if-uneventful slice of life stories that appeal to younger people. Look at all the anime or manga that sells which is really just about kids in school finding love and doing dumb ****; that's Archie's wheelhouse. When done well, it's a good time. If they don't get bought out, it will likely slow to a crawl for a while but we'll eventually see something again when a big anniversary comes up or an adaption is in the works.

I could do without the horror stuff for a while, though.

All that said, I think Sabrina is the concept with the most potential to reach a new young audience, but I'm unsure of the proper way to reach them. I almost wonder if delivering the content as a webcomic and digital simultaneously (you get the whole book every month on the Wednesday it comes out buying it digitally or a page a day all month M-F) and print collected volumes would work. That would be my best guess. People who would pirate are still going to, but you'd be offering a paid instant option, a free option and a print option down the line; something for everyone, and the free option keeps them coming back to your site every day where you can post an ad or something. Hey, it's something. You may get some people who really believe "try before you buy" to actually buy some issues since you're letting them try out or even catch up for nothing.

I'm sure they've entertained a lot of possibilities, but Archie's reboot setup (which follows the slice-of-life manga approach a bit) would do well to try and reach the crowds who are used to reading their manga on their computer, phone or tablet. More than the old guys buying Spider-Man every week, that's probably the market with the biggest growth because it matches what they already want and is unique (if only by being in color, but also it's a different art style).

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I enjoyed the Waid Archie run. Hughes on Betty and Veronica was indeed fun. I've been loving Sabrina under Thompson and Fish. I liked Josie and the Pussycats by Bennet and Mok as well.

The reboot worked when it was just doing updated takes on Archie, but the more it tried to get into Riverdale, the more it started to slide.

Especially after Waid left and Nick Spencer (Spider-Man) took over for about fifteen minutes, and what followed with other writers was an absolute train wreck.

As for the Waid run, I take back what I said previously, it had been pretty good, but I hated his characterization of Betty (my longtime favorite member of the gang) as a hopeless tomboy who didn't know how to look, dress or act like a girl. But when she successfully pulled it off in issue #4, clueless af Archie couldn't handle seeing his buddy looking feminine and bitched about Betty's appearance which pissed her off, resulting in the "Lipstick Incident", followed by their strained, arm's length relationship that only improved after Betty had almost been killed in the "Over The Edge" arc and wound up a paraplegic for a few issues.

I would hope that a reboot of the line with a non-Riverdale taste will eventually come to pass. I miss the books.

[SpiderTBliss]

The current Sabrina comic is the only monthly title being published by Archie,

That's a five issue mini series.

I'll be honest, I dont need a "monthly" series that's full of new stories. Just bang out a monthly Betty & veornica and a monthly Archie full of old Dan Decarlo or Dan Parent style stories and I'll buy that. I just personally dont want Archie comics that are trying to be like the Riverdale series.

I actually like Afterlife with Archie but the just abandoned that which was a real shame.