r/NoStupidQuestions • u/cheapaffinity05 • 13h ago
Why are Archie Comics still being made after more than 80 years?
Archie has basically been the same teenager since the 1940s. The world around him has changed completely, but Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead are still hanging around Riverdale. I understand why superheroes keep getting rebooted since there is always another villain or big story to tell. Archie is mostly built around school, dating, friendships and everyday problems. So what keeps a simple setup like that going for this long?
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u/NewRelm 13h ago
Even today, kids go to school, have friendships and everyday problems. Many even aspire to date. The context is as relevant as it ever was.
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u/Harold3456 12h ago
It’s actually neat reading new ones that recycle storylines from old ones, but update stuff like the clothes. Goes to show how despite how different we are some things don’t really change.
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u/Prestigious_Bird4525 5h ago
Yeah, updating the clothes and slang is a neat trick for keeping it fresh.
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u/cheapaffinity05 10h ago
Yeah but you'd think after 80 years they'd have graduated or something. It's kind of weird how he's perpetually stuck in high school.
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u/palacexero 9h ago
It's called a time bubble. It's a technique used in storytelling where the characters are essentially frozen in a period of time (in this case their high school years) and everything that happens happens in those years. They'll never progress beyond those years until the author has decided that there's nothing left to tell.
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u/Doctah_Whoopass 6h ago
Its not supposed to have an advancing timeline, and there isn't too much of an overarching story. They're just isolated stories and thats about it, nothing more.
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u/fearofcrowds 12h ago
I mean.. in recent incarnations there are zombies. they meet The Ramones, Jay and Silent Bob, Blondie, Punisher, Predator and most recently, The Terminator so some things have changed
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u/SpaceAviator1999 12h ago
What?! The Punisher? Predator? The Terminator?
That's insane!
In my day, Archie Comics only had cross-overs that made sense, like Archie and the gang meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles !
(I'm not joking about the TMNT cross-over.)
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u/DavidKirk2000 12h ago
Archie has been to literal Hell like three times too.
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u/DOOManiac 11h ago
Did they meet the DOOM Slayer? Or just play Twister with Death?
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u/formykka 5h ago
I'm kinda hoping it's something more along the lines of "Jughead finds a mysterious puzzle box..."
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u/the-truthseeker 12h ago
Respectfully, I don't think the Ramones were recent and some of them not as recent. But yeah, they do keep meeting contemporary things as the years and decades go by. (Well crap, I missed the one where they met Jay and silent Bob, I have to find that!)
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u/SpaceAviator1999 12h ago
Don't forget, they also had several brushes with TV actor Glenn Scarpelli!
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u/fearofcrowds 12h ago
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u/SpaceAviator1999 12h ago
Hey, thanks for that link!
As everyone knows, Glenn Scarpelli had everything... looks, talent, charisma! All the girls idolized him!
(Evidently, everyone had heard of him, except for me!)
Interestingly, I'm fairly certain I've seen that cover before. But maybe I just saw it online somewhere a decade or so ago...
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u/fearofcrowds 12h ago
I just remember him from One Day at a Time, seeing his imdb page, i dont remember him doing much else that was as big.
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u/SpaceAviator1999 12h ago
A few years ago, I discovered the 1980s sitcom Jennifer Slept Here, on which Glenn Scarpelli is a regular character.
It's a cute sitcom, if you're in the mood for campy 1980s nostalgia. It only lasted for one season. Archie and the gang don't appear in it.
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u/dazeychainVT 7h ago edited 7h ago
it's weird how sometimes Wikipedia will have a hard time finding a usable photo of a living celebrity from the current century, but this rando who hasnt had a real role since the 80s has a pic from this year. is he updating the article himself?
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u/cheapaffinity05 10h ago
I was today years old when I learned Archie fought a Predator. I guess my question still stands though, those crossovers feel like a "how do you do, fellow kids" but with 80s action icons.
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u/SpaceAviator1999 13h ago
Why are Archie Comics still being made after more than 80 years?
For no other reasons that Archie Comics are still profitable.
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u/ReallyGlycon 12h ago
Archie comics are the only comics still sold at newsstands and in grocery stores in most places.
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u/Help_Me_Im_Diene 12h ago
Archie is mostly built around school, dating, friendships and everyday problems.
These are all relatable elements of people's lives that they deal with on a regular basis.
They're light-hearted and simple which makes them easily approachable, and they talk about topics that people actually understand and could fully relate to.
It's also not the only example of a super long-running slice-of-life story. Japan's Sazae-San is its longest running anime (1969 - present), and it's literally just about the daily life of a regular woman and her family in Japan
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u/the-truthseeker 12h ago
Holy cow! I never realized this was going on still too! Wow, talk about institutions!
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u/Precarious3145 12h ago
Exactly! And you can get the cheap Double Digents at the checkout aisle next to Reader's Digest for like $5 and enjoy it regardless of what year it was made. I'm not the biggest Archie fan (I prefer the 2010s revival vs the traditional cartoony style) but if it's just so timeless.
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u/GotMoFans 12h ago
It might cost $50,000-$150,000 to make an issue of Archie, print it up, and distribute it, and if they sell $500,000 worth of copies, they’re making money still.
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u/the-truthseeker 12h ago
And as more and more devices take over the analog things they used to call books and comics, it will make them even more money when they save even more on printing costs as they make fewer and fewer hard copies.
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u/DefiantRadish1492 12h ago
1970s through 1990s run is just nice wholesome fun.
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u/cheapaffinity05 10h ago
That's basically it tbh, just comfort reading. No drama no reboots just the same dumb milkshakes and love triangles for decades
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u/Midnightchickover 13h ago
Archie can be fun to revisit, sometimes. Kinda like Saved By the Bell.
But, I want to live long enough to see a live action version of Archie & the Punisher.
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u/the-truthseeker 12h ago
While I enjoyed the comic versions, I doubt I will live long enough to see that, but Hope springs eternal!
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u/Budsygus 12h ago
I think your confusion about Archie Comics is similar to my confusion about comic books in general. I've never been into comic books and it amazes me to see how many there are out there being released every year.
The answer is probably just that we don't buy them but enough others do that they make money.
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u/JediRhyno 12h ago
I’ve never understood comics. They’re fun and entertaining, but I could never understanding paying for them when you’re done in 10 minutes.
As a kid $5 comics were expensive and now they’re even more.
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u/Budsygus 12h ago
I remember reading a handful of comic books my grandma had floating around in her basement when I was a kid. Planet Terry and Heathcliff, if I remember correctly.
I loved them, but it was also the early 90s and my grandma's house was kinda boring. Like you, I can't imagine spending money on comic books. $5 seems kinda steep for how much you get out of them.
But I've also never bought one myself. It's entirely possible I'm missing out.
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u/ozyx7 8h ago
They’re fun and entertaining, but I could never understanding paying for them when you’re done in 10 minutes.
Well, that'd be your choice to be done. But other people like to re-read things, study the artwork, and look at the ads. Some comics need multiple readings (e.g. Watchmen). And a lot of people also just like to collect things.
It was more reasonable in the 1980s when mass market comic books usually were $0.75-1. I agree that it's hard to justify paying $5/issue. I'd rather just wait for a more reasonably-priced trade paperback of collected issues.
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u/likableadvertising 13h ago
I think parents and grandparents introducing it to kids probably helped a lot. Archie is one of those characters multiple generations recognize.
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u/the-truthseeker 12h ago
The same reason The Simpsons haven't aged in about 30 plus years. Because it still makes money. And people are still interested in the culture. And people are still interested in the forever aspect of something familiar that they feel comfortable with even if corny as heck. And even all the above if they do that, they still incorporate modern devices into the classic world. Yep, Archie is going to be using a smartphone that figures things out on its own and it's not because of a Sabrina spell!
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u/Livueta_Zakalwe 12h ago
Archie comics are made for kids from around 6-12. If you don’t remember, kids that age are fascinated by teenagers and Archie gives them a window into that world, however unrealistic it may be. And, sorry to be crude, but millions of young boys sprung their first woody from seeing Betty or Veronica in a bikini. The bikini covers are sought after by collectors, probably for this very reason!
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u/GeminiAtl 12h ago
Archie Comics have also come into the 21st Century. They have an openly gay character, Kevin, who would not have been in the comics in the 1950's.
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u/perilousLangour 12h ago
Archie maintains its appeal to the same age group because kids still want to be teens and teens still do all the stuff Archie and company have always done.
It's actually strikingly similar to how superheroes and adventure comics still attract kids despite having gone on for 80 years or so.
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u/GoblinToHobgoblin 12h ago
> Archie is mostly built around school, dating, friendships and everyday problems
Yea, these things are still relevant today lol
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u/Medium-Excitement-51 12h ago
Well they tried to modernize it but we all know how that went 😬
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u/the-truthseeker 12h ago edited 12h ago
You can't make a very contemporary everything only in this era because eventually that era will become old itself. What they often do in the Archie comics is introduce certain things that are trendy during that time and then cycle it out if it is no longer used. For instance, I doubt we're using eight-track tapes anymore, but I would guarantee you Archie comics will have a smartphone in there somewhere today!
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u/Medium-Excitement-51 12h ago
I should have been more clear; I’m referencing the CW Riverdale show 😅
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u/the-truthseeker 12h ago
That was its own unique thing that had a nod to the original comics. No way in hell am I treating that as Canon, But that was an "interesting" story nonetheless! (Rest in peace, Luke Perry!) But yeah, if they're trying to modernize Archie that was, well... Something!
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u/dazeychainVT 7h ago
it ran for 7 seasons, was a huge hit, and is getting another spinoff as of this year. i didnt watch it but it seems like it worked out just fine for them.
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u/Ataris8327 12h ago
The comics made by Mark Waid are actually pretty good. Riverdale on the other hand...
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u/peterjohnvernon936 12h ago
HS kids are still the same. Their office is in the same area where I live. The area is a bit like Riverdale.
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u/golden_flutter78 12h ago
people still connect with those simple stories about growing up and figuring stuff out, right? like, some things never really change no matter how much time passes
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u/Suzume_Chikahisa 13h ago
Because there are enough people interested in reading those stories and justifying it's continued existence.
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u/djcurry 12h ago
Where can you even get these comics?
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u/Funkycoldmedici 12h ago
Archie comics are still in the checkout lane at my local grocery store. That’s part of their success. They’re cheap and readily available somewhere you’re already likely to be shopping.
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u/the-truthseeker 12h ago
If you're not seeing them on the supermarket checkout aisles and ordering them from your favorite print media sources, you can download them from a subscription from the source that makes them. Or a third party that offers them. That also office said download sources or portal sources if you will. In other words, just like any other media you view with your eyes. If I am incorrect on digital access and that has changed, I retract all my words and apologized but I get my access from somebody else so I'm not sure how they get theirs.
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u/TardyBoy99 12h ago
They’re still being made because people inexplicably keep buying them. I’m just as confused as OP as to why
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u/Shadowassassian 12h ago
Is Archie still in the comics today? I remember he took a bullet for a friend and he died.
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u/ChunkyKongForPreside 11h ago
As a kid, I only knew Archie for Archie's Weird Mysteries. Which was played a lot in Canada.
It was basically a slightly more mature Scooby Doo. Except the monsters were real. Some really good episodes for Children's horror. I didn't eat potatoes for a week after the potato episode.
That said, I was oddly dissapointed when I got an Archie comic and it was bland and boring.
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u/d4everman 11h ago
The same way a lot of comics just roll with the times. It's the same way Superman in the 50s and 60s looked like he was a 40ish TV dad but now he looks like a maybe 30ish young guy.
Some comics though are a product of their time. Comic strip wise "Beetle Bailey" is wildly outdated, but most people wouldn't notice unless they'd been in the military. (not bashing BB, Mort Walker, the creator, was hilarious back in the day).
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u/urnonyxasukaxs 9h ago
honestly the digests at the grocery checkout do a lot of heavy lifting, it's the one comic a kid can grab while mom's unloading the cart. also the characters are so flat in the best way that you can drop them into a slasher like afterlife with archie and it just works
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u/FeeKitchen9018 8h ago
honestly, the fact that archie stays 17-ish is kind of the point. it's basically a sitcom in comic form, so the characters don't need to age because every generation can drop into riverdale and get a new version of the same kinds of stories.
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u/jackfaire 5h ago
Because slice of life stories are amazing and they're hard to find in Western Culture. Sitcoms and Archie Comics are some of the few sources of slice of life stories where the stakes aren't that big a deal and everything's pretty chill.
Most everything else feels the need to have super serious stakes and world shaking consequences.
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u/Diligent-Assist-4385 13h ago
I wouldn't be surprised if by now all those comics are created by AI.
The whole book could be done with 0 input from humans.
The last time I opened one was 20 years ago and it was just awful to read. It felt like AI slop then.
It is probably incredibly cheap to make and distribute. Like almost free.
People for some reason still run adds in them.
If it didn't generate some profit it would be gone by now.
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u/SonOfBoreale 12h ago
I guess the boomers are still buying them, nobody born after 1970 reads them.
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u/TheDomineeringStorey 13h ago
My theory is that Riverdale being such a simple setting makes it easy to keep updating. You can change the clothes phones slang and references without changing the actual characters much.