Yesterday, I ran my somewhat usual Archie column, but it was getting too long for me. Like the podcast, I try to keep the mostly bite-size. I barely scratched the surface of what I wanted to talk about. Instead of waiting for another week—you get two Archie Monday columns in a row. So, please close your eyes, pretend it’s Monday, and let’s go back to Riverdale.
First up, Archie and the Riverdale dive into the world of video games and Minecraft, arriving just in time to celebrate the release of the Minecraft movie Archie & Friends: Level Up. It’s an all-ages tale by Ian Flynn and Steven Butler that takes them into a Minecraft-inspired world. Give this comic that also contains classic Archie tales to that curmudgeonly next neighbor, and you’ll have a new best friend!
Where I live, the first day of spring is really the first day of spring. Trees start to get leaves, plants start to get flowers, and—most importantly- warmer weather! Some of you fans aren’t so lucky that the chill of the cooler is still hanging on for a bit. I’ve just the thing: Archie Showcase Digest #23: Spring Special.
Brimming with nearly 200 pages of springtime adventures in the timeless Archie style, it also features the whole B&V classic “Early Bird!” crafted by Barbara Slate and Dan Parent. Fittingly, there are even a couple of Cheryl Blossom stories. People forget that it is not only the teen that makes classic Archie Comics fantastic reads for all ages. The adults have their charm and are part of the Archie mythos. Archie and Veronica’s parents both show up in tales. Then, from the high school, you get Mr. Weatherbee and Ms. Grundy. These digests pull from all eras of Archie Comics, and, as a fan, I enjoy seeing how the characters and adults change over time.
A while back, I mentioned how Jinx Holliday from Archie’s Horror Line would be joining the Riverdale Gang. And Jinx shows for an all-new story in Betty & Veronica Double Digest #334. The girls are determined to attend a Serena Carpenter concert, but Betty’s financial situation is dire, and her father has cut off Veronica. Left with no other choice, the duo embarks on the daunting mission of getting a retail job! As if that weren’t challenging enough, their ordeal is further complicated by the appearance of a troublesome customer—Jinx Holliday. Wait! You also get a second new story: it’s Toni Topaz facing off against Daisy Thunder—who truly has what it takes to guide the Southside Serpents to triumph?
At seven bucks and nearly 200 pages—these digests are one of the best comic book bargains! You get some Sabrina tales—and even her cat Salem gets a solo story. And, every so often, you get some Golden and Silver Age Betty & Veronica stories, and they look a tad bit different than they do today. But here’s the charm: no matter how old a story might be, it comes off as timeless. Something you can’t say with a lot of comics. For fans of Archie, it is Mr. Justice. You get to see another side of Archie in a Super Archie story. Yes, that was one of Archie Andreew’shero identities. The whole thing makes for a fantastic read.
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