by John Chidley-Hill
Last week, the names Archie, Betty and Veronica shot up the Trending Topics list on Twitter. News outlets like CP24
, the Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star all published articles addressing the same shocking news:
Archie Andrews is marrying Veronica Lodge.
People around the world were stunned. How could this happen? How could Archie choose Veronica over sweet, good-hearted Betty?
Many of the news stories confused the issue: It hasn’t happened just yet. The controversy was sparked by Previews, a monthly catalogue that comic book retailers use to make their monthly orders.
The actual event will begin on July 19th in issue #600 of Archie
magazine, as part of the 50th anniversary of Riverdale’s favourite ginger. The story will take place over six issues, with loyal readers anxiously waiting half a year to read the conclusion of the story.
The only people not shocked by this turn of events are die-hard comic fans.
Why? Because “shocking” events like this happen all the time in comic books, and by now, they’re common place.
Since 1992’s Death of Superman storyline, Marvel and DC Comics have relied upon shock-and-awe tactics to attract new readers. Batman’s back has been broken. Superman turned electric blue. Then there was a second Superman who was electric red. Spider-Man was cloned. Captain America was shot and killed, prompting Stephen Colbert to hang a replica of Captain America’s shield on his wall in memoriam of the fallen hero.
Most recently, Bruce Wayne was killed and replaced by the original Robin, Dick Grayson. Like Archie’s marriage proposal, the death of the original Batman caught the attention of mainstream media and caused all kinds of angst among casual fans.
The good news is that most of these storylines were undone in what comic book fans would call a retcon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retcon).
A cynic would say that these are all publicity stunts engineered to garner as much attention for the publisher’s product as possible. Certainly, Archie Comics will make a huge windfall on this story arc and might even win over some new readers.
Also, this is a news story that will have three lives: when the story is announced in Previews, again when the first part of the story is released in mid July, and finally, when the conclusive sixth issue is published in January.
Although it smells of hype, I see it as the manifestation of an interesting paradox inherent in all serialized media; namely, adjusting the status quo alienates fans, but the norm bore them.
It’s a conflict that comics have in common with television. What happens when the inmates escape in Prison Break? What happens when the castaways get off the island in Lost or Gilligan’s Island? What happens when the ships in Lost in Space and Stark Trek: Voyageur find their way home?
How can a writer or an editor keep a series fresh without alienating fans? Particularly, when it’s a formula as old as Archie’s infamous love triangle?
Generally speaking, these shake-ups are a mistake.
The list of comic book icon shake-ups above are almost universally panned by fans and critics alike. Although they provided a brief uptick in sales, they did little to hold on to readers.
The one exception has been the ongoing saga of Captain America’s assassination. Writer Ed Brubaker has crafted a tense political drama around the death of Steve Rogers, and is putting together an entertaining run on Marvel Comics’ most important title.
However, with a Captain America movie coming out in 2011, there is no doubt that, somehow, Steve Rogers will come back to life within the next two years.
So crest-fallen fans of Betty Cooper should take heart; Archie Andrew’s fickle heart will undoubtedly come around, and this monogamy will be fleeting.
For people interested in the development of story and plot, or literary geeks who are interested in the ongoing development of new media and the ideas surrounding serialized stories, Archie’s pending nuptials will spark an interesting discussion about how to attract new readers to comic books or other serials.
Archie fans will probably be less than thrilled, no matter what the outcome.
Last 5 posts by John Hill
- FanExpo Coverage: J. Michael Straczynski - September 3rd, 2009
- Bing.com: Trying to keep up with the Big G - August 2nd, 2009
- Summertime is Perfect for Retro-Cartoon Watching - August 2nd, 2009
- Sellout Superheroes - August 2nd, 2009
- Paradise Comics – A comic book lover’s heaven - May 16th, 2009
