Review: Archie – Dark Horse Archives Volume Two
One of the most beloved comic characters of all time is of course Archie. It was the brain-child of John L. Goldwater and later fin tuned by Bob Montana. Archie first appeared in MLJ Magazines’ “Prep Comics” in 1941. By 1946 Archie became so popular that the publication was renamed Archie Comic Publications. It’s hard to believe that such a silly character as Archie and his friends have been around for so long and is still as popular. I was never an avid reader of Archie comics or any other comic until I was a teenager. But I remember Archie always being around. There have even been cartoon re-imaginations of the famous characters from Riverdale. I even remember a TV movie about Archie in 1990, “Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again”. A fun fact is that in the late 50′s early 60′s there was a live action TV pilot shot that never made it to air. Do a search for it on YouTube and check it out.
This second volume of the classic Archie stories Pep Comics, Jackpot Comics and of course Archie Comics from 1943 to 1944 is a beautiful compilation for anyone who is a fan. You can literally get lost for hours in the world of Riverdale and get sucked right into the misadventures of Archie. I remember as a kid thinking, “Geeze I wish I has this guys problem, choosing between two gorgeous girls”. It’s the longest running love triangle in history. The ultimate battle between blonde and brunette.
* Volume 2 of Archie Archives series collects all of the material from Jackpot Comics #9, Pep Comics #39-#45, andArchie Comics #3-#6.
One thing is for sure, even if you just kinda like Archie this is a great coffee table book at least and a grand collectors item at most. I am currently reading Volume Four which contains Archie comics from 1944 and 1945. The entire collection put out by Dark Horse is available digitally or in hard cover. The great thing about these stories is the fact that even thigh they are clear;y dated to the times in which they were written, at the heart of Archie, it’s basically a teen dramedy. The stories from Riverdale were the original 90210 and Gossip Girl.
