Archie gets an art exhibit tonight at MoCCA in a show that runs through February:

Welcome to Riverdale! Join the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art - MoCCA in celebrating the world of Archie Comics, one of the oldest and most beloved family-friendly brands in the comic book industry. Thrill to the exploits of Archie Andrews and his friends, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie and the rest. And don’t be surprised if you see a cameo from Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and some of Archie Comics’ other supporting players. This exhibition features pages and pages of rare and unpublished comic art, animated cartoons, gold record winning music, as well as vintage house ads, news clippings, custom collectibles, toys and other merchandise from Archie’s 65 plus years as America’s eternal teenager.

November 19, 2009-February 28, 2010
Opening Reception: November 19, 7-9PM

For more info.

Archie! You SH*T!!!

Since the world first found out Archie was getting married, fans everywhere hoped Betty would be the bride. But those fans discovered quickly Archie Andrews chose Veronica Lodge over Betty Cooper and they were angry! They felt Archie had made the wrong choice, and they are very vocal about it! On television, in the newspapers, and on blogs all over the internet, fans loudly rejected Archie’s choice.

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That’s the shocking question raised by the NY Times’ George Gene Gustines, as the NY Timesfinally catches up with the story that Torsten actually broke in the comics here. It seems Archie isn’t just a bigamist…but a Robert Frost fan!

At the end of the October issue, No. 602, Archie goes for an evening stroll and encounters the fork again. In the November issue Archie will find himself back in Riverdale High, this time envisioning a future with Betty as his wife. (A set of twins factors into this destiny as well.)

This alternative future will be a relief to the fans who reacted negatively to the marriage to Veronica. “The polls that I’ve seen ran about 80/20, Betty over Veronica, with Jughead continually coming in a strong third,” said Mr. Uslan, a comic-book historian, a longtime “Archie” fan and a producer of the big-screen “Batman” films. Mr. Uslan said his inspiration for the story included a film (“Sliding Doors”), a poem (Robert Frost’s “Road Not Taken”) and a song (“Both Sides, Now”).

Archie likes Gwyneth Paltrow too? This is all getting out of control.

Well, we’ve been hearing that Archie Comics is getting all modernized, and as if getting married wasn’t enough, now Archie has an agent, namely CAA, which also reps (and has had success with) Mattel. Archie brands include Archie & Friends, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats, Cosmo the Merry Martian, Super Duck and Dotty and Ditto. A “brand” is what we once called “a character” but everyone is into this brand thing now.

Our little Archie is getting so grown up. next thing you know he will be running around in khaki shorts and deck shoes and ordering a Pellegrino.

What’s this now??? It’s can’t be! More turmoil!

NO! Just the announcement that Dark Horse and Archie are teaming up to publish the Archie Archives.

The Archie Archives will consist of hardcover volumes, in Dark Horse’s archive format, featuring Archie Comics mainstay characters of “Archie”,  “Betty”, “Jughead”, “Veronica” and the other characters in the Riverdale Universe.  Each individual title will begin with the earliest published issue and move forward in chronological order.  Each volume will be approximately 200-250 pages, feature embossed printing, a dust-jacket and carry both Archie Comics and Dark Horse names and logos.  The initial plan is to release three volumes of each individual title per calendar year, with each volume retailing for $49.95. According to Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson, the series will run indefinitely.
 
Archie Comics co-CEO Jon Goldwater stated, “We have seen the quality and care Dark Horse has put in to restoring and collecting material for their archival series, and we are looking forward to making our early MLJ library of classic material available to a new generation of  kids and collectors.”

Whew, we were worried there for a moment.

Press releases, we get press releases. By the bushel. And a lot of times we just skim. But then, sometimes, some thing catches our eye.

Look, this could have been anyone. Us, even.

But, I guess this means that Archie isn’t marrying Betty OR Veronica, but POISON IVY, right? And a garden weasel is gonna be the best man! That is, if the wedding is broken up when ORTHO MAN attacks! One things for sure, Archie is going to need to wear knee pads!

Do you think that after he’s married, Archie is going to go on the trowel for other girls?

Okay…that’s all I got. Sorry.

A chance to be involved in a catfight between Betty and Veronica??? Where does The Beat sign up!!!

Since Archie first debuted, fans have always asked: “Where is Riverdale?” They want to visit Riverdale. More than that, fans want to meet Archie and the kids from Riverdale High. Now, one lucky person has a chance to appear in a future Archie comic book! Archie Comics will be giving away a Grand Prize at the San Diego Comic Con with one lucky winner appearing in a future Archie Comic, drawn by a famous Archie comic book artist! Names will be collected during the “Archie Comics: Archie Marries Veronica Panel” on Thursday July 23rd, 11:30-12:30 in Room 4. New Archie Comics co-CEO Jon Goldwater will pick the winner at the end of the panel. That person will be photographed to have their likeness included in a story where they get to meet Archie and his pals ‘n’ gals!

Continuing their growing line of deluxe reprints of classic comics, IDW and Archie Comics are teaming to put Riverdale’s daffy teens into IDW’s Library of American Comics. PR below:

IDW Publishing is proud to announce a partnership with Archie Comics to reprint some of the property’s most iconic stories in deluxe hardcover and trade paperback editions. Under the agreement, IDW will reprint sequential newspaper strips for the first time, offer multiple collections of the very best Archie comics material from the past seven decades, and add to the brand’s digital presence. The newspaper strip collections will be incorporated into the much-lauded Library of American Comics (Dick Tracy, The Complete Terry & the Pirates), helmed by Eisner award-winner Dean Mullaney.

Coming of age in post-World War II America, Archie captured the hearts of generations of children and adults. Archie and his friends remain hugely popular today, appealing to comic fans new and old with a blend of timeless stories and classic Americana style. Many popular comic book writers and artists cite Archie as their inspiration to work in the genre. Legendary comic book artist Neal Adams did his first professional work on Archie.

“We are incredibly excited to be working with Archie Comics,” said Greg Goldstein, IDW’s chief operating officer. “There are very few comics as influential in popular culture as Archie, and we are looking forward to offering original, never-before-reprinted strips and a wealth of comic book material to fans.”

In addition to reprinting original strips by series creator John Goldwater and original artist Bob Montana, IDW will also present Best Of volumes that showcase the work of Archie artists, such as Montana, Dan DeCarlo, and Stan Goldberg. “Archie has had so many talented artists throughout its history, each with their own take on the characters,” said Goldstein. “We want to offer fans the best from each of those eras, especially since much of this material has not been in print since its original publication.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with IDW Publishing on these important historical works. IDW is well known for their outstanding work and we look forward to working closely with the team at IDW to create a line that all past, present and future Archie fans will enjoy,” commented co-CEO Jon Goldwater.

IDW will also publish special collections of Archie’s Madhouse and Archie as Pureheart the Powerful, a comedic super hero series that ran during the 1960’s. Award-winning creative director and editor Craig Yoe will oversee many of these special volumes.