Nate Stewart is the latest of about ten people who've written, asking me to comment on a new "experiment" in the Archie Comics line…drawing the adventures of Betty and Veronica in a slightly more realistic style. Nate's message says, "Maybe you mentioned this already (if so, please point me toward the correct entry on your blog), but I am curious as to your thoughts on the change. I find it strangely unsettling."
I'm not sure what basis I should use for this judgment. Is it sacrilegious? No…this is Archie Comics, not The Bible. The characters have been changed a hundred different ways over the years to make them more merchandisable. They've long since passed out of the realm of creations with any sort of unified vision or concept.
Is it a good idea from the standpoint of moving product? Probably. The line of comics has gotten so generic and easy to overlook that almost anything that generates some interest is likely not a bad idea. Moreover, the revamp — and I'm going just off the one cover drawing above right that's been released so far — may partially correct a certain problem that the comics have long have, which is that they've become unstuck in time. They're not set in today, as the wardrobe and haircuts of certain characters establish, as well as the fifties approach to dating and male-female relationships. But to try and make the stories relevant to a current audience, the writers keep dropping in references to current celebrities and trends…which means the stories don't take place in the fifties, either. At least with this "new look," we have an Archie-line comic that looks like it was drawn in the year 2006. Perhaps some day, they'll let one good writer take the scripts into into this century, too.