The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 2418: Archie Giant Series Magazine #175, September 1970

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I'm in a minority, I think, when I profess my love for the Archie Giant Series Magazine series. Granted, it stopped being quite so giant by the end of its run, and common understanding is that it was a bit of a dumping ground for stories not deemed quite good enough for the main titles.

But it also gives, at least in this early anthology iteration of the title, a nice, median-range overview of what Archie, as a company and as a character, was attempting during a time of pretty intense civil unrest. This era of Archie tends to skirt the really troubling issues, but every now and again we'll get a glimpse of one of the writers or artists offering a subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) critique of current events. If I'm to be honest, it's very often a critique with a bit of a sneer, but, as with Marvel in the 60s, you've got a bunch of guys who are rapidly approaching middle age trying to write as if they're the heppest, coolest cats on the block, Daddio. As someone well past that approach, I recognize that I do not, and cannot, speak like the young people of today. And this is a good thing 😏

What we can never fault any Archie comic for is the quality of its art, however. Archie Comics are the creme de la creme when it comes to cultivating a house style. That's not to say that there aren't differences between the various extremely-talented artists who've graced Archie's pages, but when you're establishing a brand with a highly visual component, visual recognition is key. You need to be able to identify Archie Andrews in any media, by any artist, and immediately associate him with the brand.

That's given me an idea for a rare non-40 Years post. I'll try not to forget.

Onward.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 2125: Archie Giant Series Magazine #579, January 1988

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 Can't do a read of Christmas comics without including an Archie comic. I love this cover because Santa looks totally gross recording a bunch of teens through their window at night. And, honestly, that's the most interesting part of the comic. It's a usual Archie Christmas offering. We get one story involving Jingles, the Christmas Elf that visits the gang in their perpetual holidays, and one story of Archie learning the meaning of Christmas and the value of family.

But creepy Santa on the cover is the highlight.

More to follow.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 2101: Archie Giant Series Magazine #603, November 1989

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The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1479 - 1483: Archie Giant Series Magazines

Ah, sorry, a bit of a cop out, I know. But I do need to get back on track.

The last five days of Jughead have been enjoyable, but not really anything special. There's lots of stellar Samm Schwartz artwork, but the stories are only so-so. Jughead's misogyny starts to get played down here, moving into the 80s, and there's even some hint of him having some interest in women, though this is an aspect of the character I never really liked.

For your perusal, Archie Giant Series Magazine #469 (Apr.78), 475 (Oct.78), 499 (Oct.80), 511 (Oct.81), and 531 (Sept.83).

"I'd like to spin him like a top on that long nose of his!"

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1478: Archie Giant Series Magazine #457, April 1977

Giant Series has a very odd numbering system. There are 332 issues (can you spot the oddness yet?), finishing up with #632 in 1992. Between #35 and #36, 100 was added to the issue count for some reason. Similarly, once we hit issue #251, it jumps 200 and the next issue is #452. So, really, we need to be subtracting 300 from the later issues in order to know properly which issue of the 332 a particular comic is.

It's odd, and I haven't found a decent explanation for it yet.

There are a lot of Winter stories in today's issue, including one in which Jughead ventures to the store for his mother in the middle of a blizzard. The depictions of Riverdale under ridiculous amounts of snow reminded me of Winters in Oakville years ago, when there were some days that you simply couldn't leave the house. Perhaps, though, given the temperatures of late, this was a bit too close to home to be relaxing this morning.

"The secret of Jughead's success is his awkward abandoned style!"

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1477: Archie Giant Series Magazine #245, April 1976

Three things:

First, why is it that the women that the gang try to set Jughead up with are always redheads? As with yesterday's post, I'm really starting to wonder about Jug and his desires for his best friend. Whether or not the writers knew it, through this interpretation we're seeing a good deal of the anger that, at the time, would have suffused the queer community, such as it was. Is Jughead a closeted gay man, hateful because he's unable to live the life he wishes? Perhaps.

The inside of the cover features one of my favourite ads from old comics: Charles Atlas. Of course I have an affection for this little comic strip, as it's the origin of one of my favourite superheroes, Flex Mentallo. Whenever I see this comic in an old issue I'm reading, it's like a little bit of the Doom Patrol coming back to say hi. My son and I have decided that, should Flex show up on the TV series, it has to be either Dwayne Johnson, Terry Crews, or John Cena. I'm okay with any of those choices.

The third thing: this is a terribly, terribly sexist comic. Setting aside the queer reading of Jughead, one also has to wonder if he was the character through which the writers at Archie Comics got out their anger toward women. This comic features two regular-length stories (approx. 5-8 pages) that are horrendously sexist. The first is Jughead giving women lessons on how to treat a boy on a date. It's amusing, but definitely playing on the consideration that women simply aren't as smart as men. Jughead's been known to say this himself every now and again. The last story in the issue is about a "Girl Watching" competition that Jughead almost wins through...disinterest, somehow? The descriptions of the women, as the men "spot" them, are awful: "A pony tailed yellow parka"; "A blue stretch pants flopper." All based on appearance, and with no concomitant "Boy Watching" competition going on.

The last story does have a kind of sweet ending. Jug spots Ethel on her way toward him and runs, forfeiting the competition, and allowing Archie and Reggie to win the competition. To thank her, they take Ethel out for dinner, and it's one of the few times we see Big Ethel happy and sympathetically. I've always thought that she's one of the worst put-upon characters in Archie Comics, so a happy ending for her is a lovely treat.

"Young lady, my methods work only on normal teen-age boys like myself!"

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1476: Archie Giant Series Magazine #227, October 1974

Every now and again I need a break from the extended stories and the angst of the superhero. And Archie Comics are always a good fix. I'm a big fan of the Archie Giant Series series, though after a certain point they're not actually "giant," but regular sized comics. I get the suspicion this happens as the publisher decides to go with digests. The upside of this is that I think the stories in this series start to be originals after the shrink in size, rather than reprints, as most of this issue is. The lead story (actually one of my favourite Archie stories, about a pool table and a warlock) is, according to the GCD, an original, with art that looks like it's by Jughead genius Samm Schwartz. The lack of credits in older comics drives me nuts, btw.

I try to read Jughead's woman-hating in these issues more in line with the recent idea that he's asexual, but sometimes he really is just hateful. And he says it himself, something I find difficult to reconcile with the character (such as it is) that Jughead presents. He's the calm, zen pool in the middle of rambunctious Riverdale. Only when food or Big Ethel rear their heads does he loose his cool. But the vitriol he spews about women in general is pretty awful. There are definitely a few moments where I was thinking that this all stems from Jug's desire for he and Archie to be an item. He does go on about how much he'd love it if his best pal hated women like he did, and the two of them just hung out together.

A bit of context for today's quotation. One of the absolute worst moments in the first season of Riverdale was Jughead's "I'm weird" speech. Forced and just totally unnecessary. Imagine my surprise to find this lovely nugget from 40+ years before that scene aired. Jug sits alone at Pops', talking to the camera:

"I'm a loner! I go my way by myself! Solitude suits me! I want to be alone!

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1027: Archie Giant Series Magazine #466, January 1978

Look! It's a Seventies Archie Christmas special! Good cheer to all!

Like, literally. Every story in just about every Archie Christmas special that I've ever read ends with a variation on the "Good will/cheer to all" sentiment. There's only one story in here that doesn't end with that sentiment. It just has it in the middle of the story instead.

Don't get me wrong - I actually really love the Christmas stories in Archie comics, especially the old ones. They're sappy and happy and silly, and generally pretty sweet. The gang aren't nearly as catty with one another in the Christmas specials. Which I suppose is kind of what Christmas is all about.

I was talking with my son the other day about why I love Christmas so much. I'm not a religious person (unless you count the religion of Superman, I suppose). For me, Christmas is much more about the Yuletide, that deep part of the Winter, and about keeping family and loved ones close. I think that's the thing I love the most about this season - the good will that tends to permeate the time. Christmas can definitely make me grumpy (especially since marking season precedes it), but those moments of real fellowship that the season sometimes evokes are what makes it all worth it. A quiet or not so quiet gathering with friends. Christmas morning with my wife and son is amazing.

And that's what today's comic is all about: how we feel and express fellowship. Yes, in the Seventies, it's occasionally sexist, or insultingly trying to sound "hip," but in the end it's about loving your fellow humans.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 907: Archie Giant Series Magazine #632, July 1992

According to the GCD, this is the last issue of this series. That's kind of neat. Though, I can see from the quality of the stories herein why this might have been the case. It's not that they're not well-written, or well-drawn. The DeCarlo/Flood pencilling/inking team is just wonderful, and in other issues I've enjoyed the writing of Gladir and Doyle. But these stories are just weak. I recently read in Bart Beaty's book on Archie that the Giant Series started out as a reprint series, and I have to wonder whether or not that might have been a good way to go. Archie Comics revolutionized reprint publishing with their digest series, so perhaps something like this title might have worked better as a more historical document, reprinting stories that perhaps hadn't seen the light of day in 60 years. Archie Comics has a wealth of history to draw from.

Perhaps I'll float the idea to them one of these days.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 669: Archie Giant Series Magazine #557, January 1986

We'll finish off our Christmas comics the same way we started, with Archie's Christmas Stocking. This one does a similar thing to one of the comics earlier last week, in that it is a series of interconnected short stories, though the connections are a bit tenuous at times. It's scripted by Al Hartley, who is infamous for having produced evangelical Christian versions of Archie and the gang, comics that I remember being extremely off-putting once you got to the end unaware that you were going to have religion shoved down your throat. The comic reads like one of Hartley's Spire-published comics, in that there's a lot of preaching about love and generosity and the spirit of the season. Jesus' name seems to be on most lips, but given that it's a secular comic, it's never spoken.

Santa appears to Archie and tells him he has to spread Christmas cheer, which Archie inevitably messes up. But the Christmas magic Santa imbues him with seems to spread to his entire gang, like a happy virus, ending with a Lodge-funded Christmas party for under-privileged kids. The story as told, however, is not even close to that coherent - somehow Veronica gets the Christmas bug, even though we see her interacting with Archie only tangentially, and then to yell at him. There is some talk of forgiving people for mistakes at Christmas, but when Archie messes up Mr. Weatherbee's Christmas shopping, there's no forgiveness, only blame. This is a weird comic that seems to want to say something to us, but has a hard time getting it out. And what it wants to say is the same thing that Hartley's Christian comics say - it's just that he's not allowed to in this venue, and thus the story suffers.

As far as I can tell, I've read all of the Christmas Archie comics I have this year and last year, so hopefully I'll manage to find some more over the course of the year. Tomorrow we'll get back to our regularly-scheduled (ha!) program. Onward!

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 661: Archie Giant Series Magazine #618, January 1991

This is a really interesting comic. Ostensibly, there are four stories in this issue, all revolving around interpretations of "Christmas Spirit," much like many of the Archie Christmas comics I've previously read. What's different, however, is that the stories follow on, one from another, even though they're not titled as being parts of a whole. Most multi-part Archie stories will have a "part 1," "part 2" delineation, but not these. However, each story is linked to the previous one by a single line of dialogue, often spoken within the first few panels.

So it's basically a full-length story in an Archie comic disguised as four shorter stories. Which, I think, doesn't happen very often.

I have to say, whenever I read an old Archie comic, I mourn the passing of this style into the newer versions of the characters that are making such a splash in the industry now. I'm honestly a bit surprised that the traditional Archie comics didn't continue alongside the new ones, but then it might have really damaged the introduction of the new style to have the old style still hanging out. Consider the failure of the previous attempt to update the looks of the Riverdale gang from a few years back in the pages of the digests. While there were a number of "new look" stories published, they never took off the same way the current Archie comics have. Much as the traditional style of Archie has a cozy place in the hearts of many, I think, for the characters, it may have become a trap. With the recent relaunches, and the upcoming television series, perhaps we're now seeing these characters move into realms that have been denied them for almost 80 years. But what will Christmas on Riverdale look like? Probably not much like today's comic.

Onward.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 658: Archie Giant Series Magazine #592, January 1989

Some more Archie Christmas shenanigans - and there actually are some shenanigans here. Archie tries to take impossible photos, gestures of goodwill that one only sees at the holiday season. While the story is meant as comedy, it's a bit heartbreaking that some of these things are considered "impossible." Jughead gives part of his burger to a hungry dog, though this strikes me as something Jug would just do. Also, Reggie, I'm not sure it's make out under the mistletoe, just, y'know a peck on the cheek. The fact that Moose is standing there watching Reggie lock lips with Midge offers a bit of a different perspective on Moose and Midge's relationship.

Okay, there's one impossible occurrence that does ring true: Jughead kisses Ethel. Twice. WTF?

I really will try to get to some of my other Christmas comics soon. They're packed away in the depths of the collection, so I actually have to do some relatively intense physical labour to retrieve them. Collectors will know what I'm talking about. Though I have a few drawer boxes for the collection, much of it is still stored in traditional long boxes, stacked one on top of another. They're never fun to move.

I'm starting to rethink some of my pronouncements about 80s and 90s Archie comics, at least from the perspective of the Christmas issues. I've suggested that they're a bit dull, these stories, because the characters cease to act like the screw-up teenagers that they actually are. But in the Christmas issues, perhaps we can forgive this cessation - perhaps, instead, the Christmas issues represent a reprieve for the characters, from the constant stress, from school, from arguments with friends. I think it's most evident in the scene where Reggie is kissing Midge while Moose casually looks on - if Moose can let this go, even for a single issue, then perhaps it's that the Christmas season in Riverdale dials back the weirdness of life in that town. The universe just wants to give these poor kids a break.

Onward.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 657: Archie Giant Series Magazine #605, January 1990

Yes, yes, I know I said I would move on to another Christmas title today, but I'm lazy and forgot. Figured it was best to be honest about it.

I've been thinking lately about the recent very successful reboot of the Archie properties. I haven't been reading them, though I really ought to since they've got a number of my current favourite creators working for them. Afterlife and Chilling Adventures are amazing. I have to admit I railed against the reboot initially. To me, that artwork up there, these kinds of stories, that is what Archie is. But then I realized that that's what Archie's been for an awfully long time. Despite the shift that I've talked about of these characters becoming far too perfect to be teenagers, the stories are predictable, short, and generally morally-directed. And have been for decades. The trouble is, teenagers themselves, and those who grew up reading Archie Comics, have changed much more than the Riverdale Gang has. Hence, the reboot.

That said, I feel like this company has, for a long while now, been quite proactive in offering interesting and diverse stories and casts. Not only have they introduced new characters that increase the diversity of their stories, but they've managed to keep those characters as continuing concerns, rather than having them disappear after a story or two. Perhaps the reboot is less about rebranding, and more about recognizing that the North American teenager no longer sees themself like the above artwork - they're more connected to the world, more open to diversity, and in many ways blind to the differences that are apparent in the older Archie comics, even though those differences are really only apparent through their absence.

Also, in this issue, there are magical Christmas brownies. And not the kind that make you want to listen to Pink Floyd.

Onward.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 656: Archie Giant Series Magazine #593, January 1989

I've noted before that once Archie comics reach the 90s, they've begun to become quite saccharine. That's not unusual in an Archie Christmas comic, but at least the older issues still maintained that slightly dark edge that is necessary for good comedy. Everyone and everything is just too nice in some of these later issues.

That said, there's a lovely tale about Veronica trying to get her mother's approval that goes beyond simply its Christmas theme and deals with the some of the difficulties of the parent - child relationship, especially as the child nears adulthood. Though on the embroidered handkerchief that Veronica muddles through in the story the initials she stitches for her mother are "C.L." I'd always thought that Mrs. Lodge's first name was Hermione.

I've got a whole whack of Archie Christmas comics that I'm sure I'll get to over the next little while, but tomorrow we'll have a look at some other Christmas comics. Onward!

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 655: Archie Giant Series Magazine #144, January 1967

Every year around this time, I pull out six Christmas comics and mount them in frames in our living room. As I was flipping through a 50¢ box at Phoenix Comics in Inglewood yesterday, I found this lovely little Christmas treasure. I read it today, and now it's hanging on the wall.

I'm not a particularly religious person, at least not in a Christian perspective. But I do love Christmas. And I do love a good Christmas comic. More likely than not, I'll start reading through a bunch for the 40 Years project for the next little while. I'll have to see what's in the boxes.

Onward!

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 557: Archie Giant Series Magazine #578, November 1987

Time to start catching up.

This comic suffered from a number of problems. The first is something I mentioned as seeming to be endemic of Archie comics in the 80s - the teenagers don't actually act like teenagers. I mean, yes, when an older teen is placed in a position of authority, as they are in this summer camp story, they can certainly be counted upon to act in an authoritative manner. But not all the time, and certainly not to the point of unflappable altruism that the Archie gang achieve in this story.

Oh, and, yes, the whole issue is a single story - always a tough sell when it comes to Archie comics.

The second problem is that the story really had very little to do with the Archie characters. They were background actors in their own story, so to speak. The main tale revolves around the trials and tribulations of three or four of the young people at the camp. While the main Archie characters offer facilitation of this story, the story isn't really about them. It's about these random kids that we'll likely never see again, and have never met before this moment. Were this not an Archie comic, were it simply a story someone wanted to tell about the changes young people can undergo at a summer camp, then it would have been a fine story. But because it was under the aegis of Archie comics, there's a certain expectation of those characters actually being front and center.

And they weren't, which made for a disappointing end to my 2 weeks of Archie.

Onward!

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 556: Archie Giant Series Magazine #482, June 1979

The covers I post of a lot of comics are not indicative of the actual comics I'm reading. I think I mentioned about a Black Lightning comic last year that the copy I have is worn and discoloured from years of reading. My copy of this particular Archie Giant Series is much the same. It's beat up and creased, and I was pretty sure it was missing some middle pages, though according to the GCD entry, all the stories are there. I'll reiterate what I said about the Black Lightning comic - there's something wonderful about the idea that so many different hands have touched this comic, have read the stories, that the comic has sat on a bedroom floor gathering dust, or under a bed, or has been relegated to a cottage somewhere to read, year after year, as the people who visit it get older. Archie, Betty, Veronica, they all stay the same age.

That said, it's gotta be time to move on from the Archie comics. I'm getting cranky with them. Why, can anyone tell me, in the girls versus boys game that's going on on that cover, are the girls wearing bathing caps and the boys wearing helmets?

The stories in this issue are a very strange mixed bag. The first is a science fiction story in which Betty takes control of a spaceship and proceeds to mercilessly kill an entire fleet of invading aliens. It's a bit on the violent side, even for one of these genre-fiction inspired Archie stories. I can't imagine any version of Betty being quite so bloodthirsty (though Afterlife with Archie is likely to prove me wrong!). "The Manhunters," an oddly-titled tale, is pretty typical Archie fare, though the last couple of panels give us a rare glimpse at some bonding between Veronica and Jughead, and a punchline to the story that returns us to the first joke in the piece in a nice, circular fashion. And "The New Image" offers us a Veronica Lodge with permed hair. Her effort to change her look ends with her face-down in a fountain, perhaps a pointed commentary on what would happen to the comics if things changed too much. There's something to that, but my brain's in a very tired place today.

Onward!

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 555: Archie Giant Series Magazine #164, September 1969

An actual giant-size collection of nutty stories, basically revolving around Betty and Veronica trying to look as good as they possibly can in bikinis, and Archie drooling over every woman that walks by. And, honestly, that cover up there is totally indicative of the creepiness of Archie in this issue. He stumbles lasciviously through this issue with everything except a raging erection.

The comic does raise an interesting few questions, though. There is one story in which Betty, Archie, and Veronica go fishing, and Betty is really good at it. We get to see Archie appreciating a woman for something other than their well-rendered figures, and are thus given an inkling that he might see women as more than simply objects. But for the most part, the comic hinges on Betty and Veronica using their looks to turn his head. Archie comics have always been relatively good at reflecting the culture within which they're created, though erring more on the conservative side, and this comic, coming from a time of turbulent social change, at least offers tiny glimpses of moving into a space of equity and representation. In more recent years, Archie Comics have unabashedly embraced diversity and representation - we see the tiny seeds here from which the current crop of titles grew.

I find, as I'm reading more and more Archie comics, that I'm getting better at distinguishing the various artists from one another. It used to be that I thought there was a pretty standard Archie "house style," but I see now it's a very sophisticated blend of individual styles and standard character designs. There's a bunch of Al Hartley stories in this issue, and I keep expecting them to end with a paean to stories from the Bible. Dan DeCarlo is like the George Perez of bikini clad girls in beach scenes. How he manages to put so many characters in one panel and have it not look cluttered is beyond me.

A couple more days, and they we'll leave the Archie gang alone for a while. I've got a week's worth of Westerns that have been waiting a long while for their turn in the project. Onward!

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 554: Archie Giant Series Magazine #594, January 1989

Considering what a strange childhood Archie Andrews and his friends appear to have experienced, it's amazing to me that they've turned out to be such (relatively) well-adjusted young people. Though, more often than not, I imagine that many of the Little Archie adventures are more likely the imaginings of a group of children, rather than their literal lives. Really, such delineations are meaningless. A young lady in the Shakespeare class I took in my undergrad once bemoaned, to the professor no less, that she didn't get Shakespeare because there was just no way for any of the things that happened in the plays to happen in "reality." The professor, an amazing lady by the name of Mary Silcox, patiently (and through slightly-gritted teeth, I think) explained that the action of a Shakespearean play is stylized, that of course there's no way of this all occurring in reality - it's the hyperreality of such situations that's the point, so that we can also read action and drama as metaphor.

From this vantage point, the Little Archie stories make a bit more sense in the loose continuity of the Archie universe. These adventures and perils, this is what childhood feels like much of the time. There's a vague sense of the unheimlish, that uncanniness of childhood that Freud theorizes, in stories like the lead tale here of a young man from outer space coming to Riverdale to do Christmas shopping - the panel where he passes a window full of guns with ribbons tied around them is very odd. And the final story in this issue, where a giant pike remembers Little Archie and friends, offers a strange relationship, the kind a child might imagine, between an instinctual predator and the "bipeds" (as the fish calls them) that occasionally invade its territory.

Childhood is a strange place (as the wonderful Stranger Things has demonstrated). Little Archie embraces the strangeness, and tells some pretty great stories with it. Also of note, this whole issue was written and drawn by Little Archie creator Bob Bolling, so that's pretty neat.

Onward.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 553: Archie Giant Series Magazine #234, June 1975

It's amusing, occasionally, to see the remnants of previous owners that inevitably show up in Archie comics. Today's comic, for example, was quite obviously owned at one point by a pubescent young man who, strangely, seemed to be obsessed with periods, if the sketched in tampons falling from between Betty and Veronica's legs are anything to go by. And I make the assumption of it having been a male as I cannot imagine any young woman thinking that such a thing was even remotely funny.

So there's that.

I'll do a few more Giant Series issues over the next couple of days, until I hit an even 2 weeks, and then we'll move on. There's a really excellent story in this issue in which Veronica proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that, in a superhero universe, she'd be a villain. The tale hinges on the difference between power and justice, with Veronica lauding her power over Betty, and Jughead maintaining, and eventually championing, the triumph of the just over the powerful. I may scan it and post it on the blog one of these days. There's some really sophisticated ideas being bandied around, and it's always cool to see such discussions happening in a context one would not expect.

Onward.