Archie being killed off

[traxx]

Archie of Archie Comics is being killed off.

RIP Archie: Beloved character to die in July | News OK

My question, is why do this? I can't imagine many people still buying Archie comics. And I can't see this increasing sales. If you want to end the publication, just end the publication. I don't see that killing off the main character benefits anything.

[RadicalModerate]

Maybe it's just a replay of the "Dallas" ploy involving J.R. Ewing . . .
(designed to sell comics).

[Midtowner]

Well they "killed" Superman and he's back, so I wouldn't rule that out.

[jerrywall]

Archie of Archie Comics is being killed off.

RIP Archie: Beloved character to die in July | News OK

My question, is why do this? I can't imagine many people still buying Archie comics. And I can't see this increasing sales. If you want to end the publication, just end the publication. I don't see that killing off the main character benefits anything.

The "Life with Archie" title is sort of a "future", playground title, where they're playing out Archie and company aging and going through their lives and such. Each issue is actually split into two parts, one where Archie is married to Veronica, and one where he is married to Betty. In one universe Moose becomes the mayor, in the other he's a custodian, etc. It's a very different tone, style, and setup than the Archie, Veronica, Betty, etc comics and digests which come out each month, and deals with much more mature themes. For example, Cheryl Blossom dealing with cancer (and approaching death), Kevin Keller's same sex husband being shot in a hate crime, etc.

There's also a limited series called "Afterlife with Archie". Jughead died and became patient zero for a zombie apocalypse in the first issue.

These are in fun, and target a different demographic than the traditional Archie's reader. Much like the Archie vs Punisher they did 20 years ago.

Those who don't like these should stick with the traditional Archie comics.

[RadicalModerate]

I thought Betty (Betti?) was sort of a babe. Veronica? Meh.
And Jughead was a direct rip-off of Maynard G. Krebs.

If they haven't already thought of it . . .
Maybe they could transplant Archie's brain into some sort of Superhero like Ironman.
(oops . . . apparently they have . . . =)

[Ginkasa]

Archie of Archie Comics is being killed off.

RIP Archie: Beloved character to die in July | News OK

My question, is why do this? I can't imagine many people still buying Archie comics. And I can't see this increasing sales. If you want to end the publication, just end the publication. I don't see that killing off the main character benefits anything.

Archie still sells well enough and gimmick storylines like this are largely the reason why.

[RadicalModerate]

Archie still sells well enough and gimmick storylines like this are largely the reason why.

Confession: I quit reading comic books (or illustrated/graphic novels) when I was about ten years old.
Is it fair to assume that they have improved over the most recent five decades?
As in: Moving in the direction of Cliff's Notes for Dummies? =)
(no offence intended nor implied)

[traxx]

Confession: I quit reading comic books (or illustrated/graphic novels) when I was about ten years old.
Is it fair to assume that they have improved over the most recent five decades?
As in: Moving in the direction of Cliff's Notes for Dummies? =)
(no offence intended nor implied)

If it's been 5 decades since you've read a comic, then it's safe to say that you've never read a graphic novel. Watchmen and the Dark Knight Returns series are much much different than comics in the 60s and 70s.

That being said, I haven't read Archie since I was a kid.

[Jim Kyle]

And Jughead was a direct rip-off of Maynard G. Krebs.

Except that Jughead had been on the scene for at least 20 years before Bob Denver brought Krebs to life. The Archie series originated in the mid-1940s; "Lives of Dobie Gillis" didn't appear until the 60s, adapted from some stories by Max Shulman...

[traxx]

"Lives of Dobie Gillis"

*Loves

[jerrywall]

Except that Jughead had been on the scene for at least 20 years before Bob Denver brought Krebs to life. The Archie series originated in the mid-1940s; "Lives of Dobie Gillis" didn't appear until the 60s, adapted from some stories by Max Shulman...

Now Shaggy on the other hand...

[gjl]

So this is Archie in his post college adult years. I can see it now. Archie is in a terrible automobile accident and when he gets to the hospital he finds out that while he thought he signed up for health insurance on healthcare.gov, his enrollment never got passed through to the insurance co. While the admitting personnel try and figure out if Archie really has health insurance, his loss of blood becomes so bad that he slips away. Such a sad ending.

[RadicalModerate]

How come Archie never went to college?
He could have pledged for a frat at Faber College . . .