February 3, 2011
Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, they need no introduction. Seriously, they don’t. America’s favorite teenager (sorry Dick Clark)has been around for over 60 years and despite the general downturn of the comics industry Archie Comics still make the news for introducing groundbreaking characters, like Riverdale’s first homosexual character.
Archie Comics has also been in the news lately since it’s foul-mouthed CEO has just been banned from the Archie offices.
However, please enjoy this batch of the less-rarely known Archie comic strips, taken from various eras. I think you can spot the hippie era.
Mr. Blog's Tepid Ride 
thanks some strips which i have not read already were vnice… archies is my fav comic and so long i get to read good stuffs i dont care what happens to the ceo or the designer
http://amazinglybeautifullife.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/friends/ (my take on archies)
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I agree. The stuff with the CEO is just a sideshow as long as the comics stay unaffected. And you are right in your blog, these are all like old friends.
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🙂
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Loved Archie Comics ( Along with Casper, Sad Sack, Little Lotta, & a bunch of other non – superhero related comics ) when I was a kid. Perhaps you remember a comic strip called ” Freckles and His Friends ” from sometime in the 60’s – early 70’s. Maybe it wasn’t a ” rip – off ” of Archie comics, but there were a TON of similarities. But ” Freckles ” never got a Saturday morning cartoon w music videos based on their adventures / misadventures, nyah – nyah & neener, neener. 😉
I VAGUELY, nebulously remember when Spire Comics ( ? ) picked up the rights to the Archie characters, & their adventures / misadventures, etc., also had candy – coated religious & moral lessons inside the comic coating. Like a Jack Chick religious tract w / out all the anti – Catholic, anti – Jewish / pro – Protestant sentiment, or the invitation to make a ” decision ” inside.
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Wow, I don’t remember any of that. I’ve got a lot to look into.
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Ah. Try Don Markenstein’s Toonapedia. He has a veritable treasury of information about most current & past comic strips, comic books, & some animated tv shows.
I’m not sure how LONG Archie & Co. were under the publishing wing of Spire Comics, THAT might be worth a Google.
& from what I remember of ” Freckles ” from over 45 years, he & Archie could almost have been separated at birth ( If memory serves me correctly ) !
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That’s a great site. I really will check into Freckels and Spire Comics.
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Spire Comics was basically a religious tract publisher. Not sure why they picked Archie instead of Batman, Superman, the X – Men, Spider – man, etc. Guess they felt they were more ” relatable ” to teens.
Freckles had his moments, but he was basically an altered clone of Archie in strip form.
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I haven’t seen the actual strips yet but according to Toonopedia Freckles pre-dated Archie by 26 years. I’d like to compare strips from when Archie debuted and then strips from years later when Archie was big and Freckles was on the way out to compare influences.
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Freckles pre – dated Archie. Hmmmmmmm….. I had it bass – ackwards. Had that been a question on ” JEOPARDY ! “, I probably would’ve bet the whole roll & LOST. 😉
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I found many of the Spire Comics Archie books as pdf files on the web. I think I am going to save my comments for a later post, but I will say they were interesting.
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Interesting. I last saw one in a religious bookshop ( I think ) in Gatlinburg, TN in the late 80’s. Normally I avoid those places like most people steer clear of crack – houses. 😉
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Good old Archie. Been making the same few stories and situations for 70 years. Can’t see the appeal of it myself, but it must work as the company is still in business (though it helps if you allegedly pay the lowest page rate in comics).
The ructions at the company are more bizarre than any three-quarter-century love triangle, though. The documents are reprinted here.
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