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Post by brutalis on Jun 27, 2018 13:21:21 GMT -5
Everyone loves Archie, or so I seem to Remember When back into the 70’s and 80’s. During those decades and the 60’s you could find Archie comic books everywhere you looked. Not just on the spinner racks or magazine shelves or grocery checkout lines, but in barber shops, medical offices, used book stores and just about anyplace else you might think of. Everyone loved and read Archie. Everyone has a relative who bought them or grandparents who would give them as presents when visiting or knows an adult who read them as a child. And it was more than just the aptly named single title as the company made certain in publishing the rest of the gang in a slew of comics meant to capture the interest of and sales from youngsters and teens and anyone else who might be interested.
Archie comics seem quite simple upon the face of it all but they had a way of keeping in touch with the youth and those youth who were becoming adults. Slick/clean art combined with a bright and vibrant primary color scheme capturing the imagination and hearts of many readers without all of the “adult” hulabaloo. Corny jokes and short stories which entertained in the purest way possible helping us all smile, chuckle and laugh. Who hasn’t grown up reading any Archie comics? While I’ll admit to never purchasing any Archie’s until after high school I did do a lot of Archie reading as all my cousins bought them. So whenever visiting them during holiday or summer break it meant I had a small pile of “new” comics to read as I saved all my nickels and dimes for DC and Marvel. Archie came in at #3 on my list but always made the list where other small comic companies did not like Dell, Gold Key or Harvey.
Everyone knows someone in the real world that was reflected in the comics cast and crew. We all have a Jughead/best friend. We all had a Reggie/villain we fought/pranked/struggled with. Most of us may not have had both a Betty and a Veronica but both girls are a part of any school campus along with Moose, Midge, Dilton and all of the others. If we are honest then all these characters might truly reflect stages of ourselves during our formative years as we grew up. And I will say now as an adult that I am proudly keeping a teenage Archie within myself alive and that isn’t a bad thing. Staying young, silly and adventurous in spirit and heart certainly helps one maintain strength and courage in struggling with difficulties found within our professional and personal life. Some pure and simple joys making every day special with Archie and the gang having done that for so long many have forgotten or chosen to leave them behind believing they have outgrown such silliness. The older me of today now buys Archie each month and I purchase any of the compilations as the gang means even more for me now than they did then. Long live the eternal teenage goofiness and silliness and charm that is found with enjoying the Riverdale antics with Archie and his gang…
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Post by Rob Allen on Jun 27, 2018 15:15:55 GMT -5
As a kid I was more like Dilton, but I think I've grown up to be Jughead.
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Post by brutalis on Jun 27, 2018 15:20:35 GMT -5
As a kid I was more like Dilton, but I think I've grown up to be Jughead. Think there has always been a bit of Jughead in me but like you I lately feel Jug within me even more. At times the Reggie comes out as the smart aleck prankster especially during high school but especially when I believe someone "deserves" a good dose of pranking! Have had my share of Archie the klutz moments too over the years.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2018 3:29:26 GMT -5
Everyone loves Archie, or so I seem to Remember When back into the 70’s and 80’s. During those decades and the 60’s you could find Archie comic books everywhere you looked. Not just on the spinner racks or magazine shelves or grocery checkout lines, but in barber shops, medical offices, used book stores and just about anyplace else you might think of. Everyone loved and read Archie. Another thing I love about Archie is the stories also show what was happening in pop culture when they were printed. I love the collections from the past. One of my favorites was the 75th anniversary collection that had a story from every year... 75 stories that showed the trends that were popular each year. I also like the Americana collections.
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Post by brutalis on Jun 28, 2018 8:14:06 GMT -5
Another thing I love about Archie is the stories also show what was happening in pop culture when they were printed. I love the collections from the past. One of my favorites was the 75th anniversary collection that had a story from every year... 75 stories that showed the trends that were popular each year. I also like the Americana collections.
So true about spotlighting trends/culture and I really love when the Archie comics do their twist/version of celebrities and movies. Also the fairy-tale inspired stories placing all of the Archie cast into them are quite fun. Over the decades you can see how our perceptions and understandings have changed.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jun 28, 2018 10:42:43 GMT -5
I've been slowly working through the 75 Years, 75 Stories book over the past few weeks (I'm about 2/3s of the way through). Very enjoyable stories for the most part, and I find it fascinating how you can sort of trace the evolution of Archie comics.
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Post by beccabear67 on Jun 28, 2018 13:39:40 GMT -5
There were/are some very good character stories in Archie, some got pretty clever where you'd wonder if some of it might be lost on a young reader, but better to aim high.
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Post by brutalis on Jun 28, 2018 13:50:08 GMT -5
There were/are some very good character stories in Archie, some got pretty clever where you'd wonder if some of it might be lost on a young reader, but better to aim high. That is the advantage of being an "all ages" style of comic book. It appeals to young readers in one way and older readers in another way. Especially good idea as this keeps the comics themselves readable for the long haul over time and generations so if you read it as a child and you miss certain aspects then as you age and read it again with teenage viewpoints you pick up on new things and even later on you can read it again as an adult with new insights and understanding.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2018 18:33:53 GMT -5
I've been slowly working through the 75 Years, 75 Stories book over the past few weeks (I'm about 2/3s of the way through). Very enjoyable stories for the most part, and I find it fascinating how you can sort of trace the evolution of Archie comics. It's a great book. I loved it. It I was teaching modern American history I would have this be part of my curriculum.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2018 18:47:30 GMT -5
Somehow I feel my thoughts on the Archie characters are too informed from my first real exposure to them being watching the 1990 TV movie To Riverdale and Back Again.
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Post by brutalis on Jul 3, 2018 14:13:27 GMT -5
Somehow I feel my thoughts on the Archie characters are too informed from my first real exposure to them being watching the 1990 TV movie To Riverdale and Back Again. So glad I missed this at the time and I have no real desire to ever see it at all.
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Post by brutalis on Jul 18, 2018 8:49:16 GMT -5
This Remembering When is about the joys of experiencing a great variety of artistry within the pages of comic books. A wide world of styles from simple cartoon/animation then to realistic mimicry of the world around us and into the highly detailed and fanciful creative artwork as comic books grew from being mostly meant for children and then reaching into the teen and adults. A vast and wonderful world blossomed within the 4 color pages as writers and artists learned what they could achieve over time.
These were the days of cheap newspaper print, as colors bleed and black pushes through to the next page behind and you had to have your comic out every month because of distribution contracts or fill-ins had to be used. Scripts might be late to Artists so they had to rush to make up for the lag time. There was no way to linger lovingly or lavishing great attention on what was being drawn, you simply had to give your best effort and get it turned in. Many times, it wasn’t months lead time to prepare, it was a week or days until printing and shipping. Yet from this frenzy is delivered some of the most amazing stories and art produced for our edification.
These were the halcyon golden days of artists you knew instantly in seeing their work on the cover or insides. Those thin lines spoke to us in their greatness: Kirby, Ditko, Heck, Romita, Plastino, Boring, Forte, Swan, Premiani, Kane, Infantino, Anderson, Andru, Brothers Buscema, Tuska and Colan to name a few. These were some of the artists drawing comic books in my youth that I was experiencing each month. Delivering a monthly dose of excitement and thrills by stimulating my eyes and mind from their exquisite art I learned to appreciate every artist’s efforts from those I liked and those I didn’t. Their individuality and talent jumped off the pages even with poor coloring and printing on cheap paper. I learned each month from these artists with my attempts in tracing and my own free hand copying from them. Each artist brought their own special stylistic differences for inspiring my own creative drawing efforts and mimicry.
Kirby created monsters and machines like no other. Ditko’s fantasy and hands/fingers were unique. Big John Buscema had a way with regal/posing/sitting his figures in very dynamic ways. Sal B’s work was clean crisp dynamics. Heck had a fine delicate line with his figures sexy or handsome. Romita women were stunning. Colan crafted shadows and physical movements nobody could touch. The Superman artists provided a clean powerful humanity to the Man of Steel. Infantino with his sharp angles and designs shined. Kane’s figures squatted powerfully delivering incredible punches. Andru’s dinosaurs are amazing as he made the unbelievable look like it might really be possible. Forte gave the LOSH guys and gals their youthful charm. Premiani gave a European finesse and sense of style. The Tuska men were powerfully built and ladies curvaceous.
So much diversity to be found for a few nickels and dimes. This was comic book heaven for young me which helped to create my eternal itch in collecting my beloved comic books. Comic books are a strong visual medium which when done well there is something incredible to enjoy while thumbing through yellowing pages recovering memories of those wondrous days of yore.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jul 18, 2018 12:30:12 GMT -5
Great post; since I came into comics a little later, I could add the names of a few more artists, but basically express the exact same sentiments.
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Post by brutalis on Jul 18, 2018 13:10:47 GMT -5
Great post; since I came into comics a little later, I could add the names of a few more artists, but basically express the exact same sentiments. I limited myself to those artists I found in comics on the spinner rack at the time. Some of them were all before my time but thanks to reprints by DC/Marvel i was experiencing them as "new" to me. Lots more expansion of artists came after Tuska, but in those early days it was a small group doing most of the work at the Big Two.
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Post by Farrar on Jul 18, 2018 21:59:09 GMT -5
These were the halcyon golden days of artists you knew instantly in seeing their work on the cover or insides. Those thin lines spoke to us in their greatness: Kirby, Ditko, Heck, Romita, Plastino, Boring, Forte, Swan, Premiani, Kane, Infantino, Anderson, Andru, Brothers Buscema, Tuska and Colan to name a few. These were some of the artists drawing comic books in my youth that I was experiencing each month. Delivering a monthly dose of excitement and thrills by stimulating my eyes and mind from their exquisite art I learned to appreciate every artist’s efforts from those I liked and those I didn’t. Their individuality and talent jumped off the pages even with poor coloring and printing on cheap paper. I learned each month from these artists with my attempts in tracing and my own free hand copying from them. Each artist brought their own special stylistic differences for inspiring my own creative drawing efforts and mimicry.Beautiful post. The artists you named are the same ones I grew up on too! For me I'd add Sekowsky to the mix; not his Justice League work but I loved his Wonder Woman (the "mod" period) and to a lesser extent his stint on Supergirl in Adventure Comics. And those artists similarly inspired my youthful "creative drawing efforts and mimicry" too. I loved to copy Kirby and J. Buscema in particular. P.S. Speaking of Sekowsky, recently my cousins came across a verrry old, faded photo of me and family...and I was shocked to see that in the background, there was a crayon drawing I'd done on construction paper: Can you tell it was my attempt at the Sekowsky cover of WW #178
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