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This is a thread dedicated to discussing all the various wares from one of the largest and oldest still independent running comic book companies.  Originally MLJ Magazines, Archie Comics is a brand that dates all the way back to the 'golden age' of comic books, it's first venture into the medium being Blue Ribbon Comics. The character inspiring it's titles nomenclature, Archie Andrews, was a breakout success who carried the publisher for decades with it's simple folksy slice-of-life stories about endless high school years and will-they-won't-they love triangle drama. Though the company did do some small ventures into the fantasy, horror and superhero genres under the Red Circle Comics brand during the 70s and 80s and published some licensed comics such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures and a very short lived Street Shark comic. The comic is also served as the launching pad for some notable characters like Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Josie and The Pussycats. Archie Comics has a long, strange and convoluted history, filled with oddities such as the time the Riverdale gang was licensed out to a devout christian group and a terrible 90s live-action movie. What is Archie Currently Doing? Archie (obviously)  Nearing their 650th issue, the main Archie comic is still running strong, but has for the past decade tried hard to stay fresh and modernize, to varying degrees of success.  Some of the main long running comic lines, such as Jughead or Betty, have been canceled in recent years, but at the same time Archie is experimenting with the Riverdale cast in lots of new ways. Such as Life With Archie  A comic series that explores two different, and pretty bleak, timelines, the prime difference between them being if Archie married Betty or Veronica. Kevin Keller  An openly gay teenager with leadership ambitions named Kevin Keller is the main star of this branch of the Archie franchise. It's nice a slice of life comic much like the main Archie series. But they still retain the double digests and old series like Betty & Veronica  And now they've launched a new line The Afterlife With Archie capitalizing on the inescapable zombie craze.  They've even made a nifty little video to advertize it And in non-comic news Archie has partnered up with Warner Bros with plans to create a new live-action movie. So it's exciting times for the comic. Hopefully it doesn't stink like the 90s version. Aside from teenage drama, the company also publishes a fully digital superhero line under the revived Red Circle Comics brand called The New Crusaders.  The series is set after the events of the original Crusaders, and features the descendants of the heroes assuming the mantel of the old team. Though The Shield returns from the old series. And also new is The Fox  A series staring what could be described as the lovechild of Batman and Spiderman. A journalist who dresses up as a superhero to create an easy story somehow gets embroiled in weird and nefarious plots and only he can stop it. Better description here. Archie also has continued it tradition on licensed comics with it's most popular series, and longest ever running video game comic, Sonic the Hedgehog which has just passed it's 250th issue, and Megaman, a relatively newer comic. Who have just about finished a huge 12 part crossover event between the two, called Worlds Collide.  Megaman  The Megaman comic keeps rather close to the source games, retelling the stories for this different medium. And was last left off before it was interrupted by World Collides in a arc featuring Ra Moon. Sonic  The Sonic comic is a huge long beast that has not been very much like the game series for most of its life, but is slowly drifting towards more fidelity. A controversial series, but it has its fans. Currently undergoing strange real world legal problems with a previous writer of the comic which has resulted in a sizable bunch of the cast being left unusable. Undergoing a soft reboot after World Collides ends, with many of the characters getting big redesigns. Sonic Universe  Sonic Universe is a spinoff comic that does arcs featuring the other characters in the Sonic franchise besides the blue hedgehog, giving them their own plots and a time to shine.
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Jul 19, 2013 06:36
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Gatts posted:I used to read Archie all the drat time as a kid. Often when traveling internationally I'd buy double digests and whatever to occupy my time on the plane. I even bought the comic where Betty and Veronica go to West Edmonton Mall, which was exciting for me since I had just moved to Edmonton at the time and asked my parents if we could go to a special they were appearing at for the mall. I remember New Archie. Sheesh. Pretty much the same with me, I'd read it a lot as a kid, especially on sleepovers at my friends house who had like, a full bookcase of archie, garfeild and goosbumps books. drat that kid was lucky. If you want to get back into it you can find it at any grocery store checkout or gas station, maybe even a comic shop. I think one of the biggest things keeping them in business is the fact Walmart and the like didn't ban them in the 90s like Marvel and DC did because of soccer moms. That and they really promote their subscription model. Farmer Crack-rear end posted:I remember reading that comic as a kid (from near the beginning up through like 60-something) and it amazes me that it's still going. How do they have legal issues that prevent them from using characters? You'd think that as long as Archie Comics has been around they'd have a contract that would prevent something like that. Well that's the thing, apparently Archie was pretty lazy with it's paperwork back in those days and they lost the original contract, or Penders claims he never signed one in the first place. All they had to show the court is a photocopy, which wasn't accepted as sufficient evidence. So, the judge dismissed the case and most signs point to Ken Penders now being the legal owner of some breathtakingly original characters like "Evil-Sonic" and a million Knuckles clones. Pleasant Friend fucked around with this message at 05:39 on Jan 22, 2014 |
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Jul 20, 2013 15:00
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ashweh posted:What's behind Bunnie there in the new design, that looks like the same color she is? Does she have a huge tail or something? I think it's a ponytail. Well it sounds like you dropped it during the awful highschool anime phase, the Sonic comic was basically in a dark age for over a hundred issues until the new writer, Ian Flynn, took over at #160, he really turned it around, and now almost a hundred issues later it's a great little book, remembered how to be fun. As for where to pick it up, usual consensus I've heard is at #175, since by then Flynn had already gotten rid of most of the bad canon, and the other problem bits just never were referenced. But I've also heard #160, #200 and #225 are fine places to start off too. I'd think the start of Worlds Collide would also be a good starting point.
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Jul 21, 2013 06:14
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So at Comic Con Archie did some things this year, like announce two new books. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/58381-two-archie-books-announced-at-comic-con-2013.html quote:Archie Comics announced plans to release two new book collections at the San Diego Comic-Con International: The Best of Archie Comics: Betty & Veronica, collecting the best stories starring Archie’s girlfriends over the last 70 years; and Archie’s Valentine: A Rock & Roll Romance, a new addition to the Archie Married graphic novel series in which Archie and Valerie Brown of Josie and the Pussycats get married. A Rock & Roll Romance will be released in January 2014 and the Best of Betty & Veronica will be released in April 2014. Here's a small article on Kevin Keller just talking about his creation and fans http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=46839 A bunch of preview covers were shown for Megaman and Sonic, here is a upcoming villain that's going to feature in the next Sonic Universe arc, Metal Pirate Sonic.  Sorry about lovely quality. With World Collide finally ended here's a spoiler filled review of some of the recent chapters of it's saga, really impressive artwork. http://www.destructoid.com/impressions-sonic-mega-man-worlds-collide-7-9-258374.phtml Edit And he's a detailed write up on the new 'The Fox' with some preview images. http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/07/11/the-fox-comic-book-series/2510141/ Pleasant Friend fucked around with this message at 08:51 on Jul 26, 2013 |
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Jul 24, 2013 14:33
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Huh, in an odd piece of news it's been announced that Archie will now be getting a new animated series, called "It's Archie" http://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/moonscoop-archie-comics-relaunch-archie/ Did not expect that, well, I hope it turns out good (...though that art style is something I'll have to get used to) ProfessorLoomis posted:I used to be a huge loving fan of that stupid rear end Sonic comic when I was a kid. I had every issue (including the Scott Shaw! miniseries that came first), and used to defend it all the time, but looking back, it was absolutely horrible. Ken Penders was a nut, an absolute nut, all of the artists were just terrible, especially Dave Manak and Art Mawhinny. Pat Spaz was great at first, but he lost his mind like everyone else after a while. The last issue I remember buying was "Brave New World". I think I literally grew up enough to go "Thats enough." I still have all those issues somewhere, in a big box. Honestly, I wish I would have spent my $1.25 on something else every month. That would be relatively early in the comic around #51 - #52 I think, just after the first time they killed Eggman. Spaz still works for the comic, I think he's really improved since then.  Speaking of Ken Penders, there is some new news about his plans now that he's finished the with court case, he wants to create a graphic novel or tv series and uhh, he's produced some concept art http://www.tssznews.com/2013/07/19/ken-penders-reveals-new-direction-for-the-lara-su-chronicles/  Pictured: Knuckles daughter Lara-Su Though he isn't completely done with legal issues, apparently he still intends to sue SEGA and Bioware over 2008 Sonic Chronicles, which he believes is a ripoff of his copyright.
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Jul 30, 2013 12:49
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Gatts posted:I'm reading Life with Archie right now, with that very cover in fact (which is awesome) and you know what, yeah it is kinda harsh in terms of putting challenging life situations for the characters. But I am preferring this to the superhero nonsense. I think a change of pace is a good idea. I really like the melancholy issues, such as when Mrs. Grundy develops a terminal illness, it's a more refreshing take on the characters than just light comedy, though at times I fear it can become a -bit- jarring. And speaking of the cover art, after the success of their hardcover book "The Art of Betty & Veronica" they've decided to make a new compilation book "The Art of Archie: The Covers" which seems like a nifty idea to me, if I had a coffee table I might get it.  And here is a preview for Archie #646 Archie in spaaaccceeeee http://www.comicosity.com/first-look-archie-comics-646/ And in random news a designer has launched a new line of comic themed shoes... http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fashion/charlotte-olympia-archie-comics-line-article-1.1411547 Edit- Oh and here's a spoiler filled review of the final 2 chapters of Worlds Collide. http://www.destructoid.com/impressions-sonic-mega-man-worlds-collide-10-12-259049.phtml  The whole crossover I think is just a really great rollercoster ride all the way through, I really recommend it to anyone interested in the characters, they set it up so anybody can just pick it up without any knowledge of the prior issues in mind. Pleasant Friend fucked around with this message at 15:20 on Aug 4, 2013 |
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Aug 4, 2013 14:04
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Macaluso posted:Also can someone give me some context for this cause I believe that’s from the House of Cards Arc. Where Tails fights Sonic because Tails’ parents returned from outer space to bring democracy to their new home planet through means of violent revolution, but Sonic sides with the monarchy because he’s screwing the princess. But the "real" reason Tails is pissed off at Sonic is because Sonic was dating Tails’ unrequited love interest, who turned out to be cheating on Sonic with Evil-Sonic anyway. Macaluso posted:All this talk of the Megaman/Sonic crossover and not a single post with the most amazing cover ever?  Gavok posted:Yardley is good when it comes to the Sonic characters, but his Mega Man looked kinda bad. Speaking of Megaman, here is a preview for issue #28 http://www.destructoid.com/dr-wily-wets-himself-in-mega-man-28-259441.phtml Probably the most dark issue of Megaman yet. But yeah, one of my few complaints about Worlds Collide, aside from some pacing issues, was that sometimes Megaman looked like he wearing a blue diaper. A shame really, Yardley is otherwise really good, he just didn't have time to get used to Megaman style. I think my favorite artist for the crossover had to be a tossup between Jamal Peppers and Ben Bates, with Peppers just eking out ahead.  Wow, Bass and Metal Sonic are such trolls...
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Aug 12, 2013 11:57
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