Archie-Veronica marriage is real deal, & it's working

When it was first announced that

Archie Andrews

was putting an end to the most famous and enduring love triangle in comics by choosing to propose to sexy, savvy and rich

Veronica

instead of girl-next-door

Betty

, the shock waves were larger than even Archie Comics anticipated.

Why? Because even without a movie featuring the gang from Riverdale, Archie's name recognition and the affection readers have for him are broader and deeper than most comic fans realize.

First, it is important to remember that Archie, in terms of consistent popularity and readership, ranks only behind Superman and Batman.

"Archie" ranks as the fourth-longest consistently published comic title ever, at 67 years and counting, trailing only "Action Comics" (usually starring Superman), "Detective Comics" (usually starring Batman) and "Batman."

Archie has been more popular longer than DC icons like the Flash and Green Lantern as well as the whole Marvel stable of characters, who were not even conceived until two decades after "Archie" hit shelves.

One of the staples of the success of "Archie" (and all his spin-off titles) has been the love triangle. So, when it was announced that Archie had decided to end it, Comics Guy thought it was a hoax, a bait-and-switch, that Betty would interrupt the wedding somehow.

However, with "Archie" No. 601 presenting the wedding and No. 602 depicting married life between Archie and Veronica, and introducing their twin children (that was fast), it looks like the triangle is pretty much shattered.

As for the issues themselves, they are what one would expect. Both story and art are crisp, clean and accessible to all ages. Though they are all growing up and facing new challenges in this story line, every member of the Riverdale crew acts in character.

They feel like a comfortable pair of shoes for those who have not followed them for a while and still exude a certain charm that should keep new readers intrigued enough to keep coming back for more.

Twists and turns abound, with the biggest revealed at the end of issue No. 603. All Comics Guy can say without revealing too much is it gives Betty fans reason to hope, if not cheer.

Archie's risky move

Archie Comic Publications Co-President/Editor-in-chief Victor Gorelick is the first to admit that the current story line where Archie finally chooses to marry Veronica was risky for the company.

"Archie being Peter Pan and not wanting to grow up, that's the underlying theme. If he ever decides who he wants to be, who he wants to be with and what he wants to do with his life, well that's changing a big part of the history of the Archie Universe," Gorelick told Comics Guy.

"Maybe that love triangle is the key to the success of 'Archie' and the books starring Betty and Veronica," he continued. "Our readers are mostly girls. Veronica represents what a lot of them would like to be. She's wealthy, very pretty and very confident. Betty represents who a lot of girls feel they are. She may act too nice. Many girls may see her fix Archie's car, for example, and him thanking her and letting her know that now he can go on a date with Veronica and feel that if they treat a guy too good, they'll get taken advantage of. The bottom line is it's very popular.

Regardless of how the story line ends, Gorelick says fans can be assured that they can still get traditional Archie stories in books like "Jughead," "Betty" and "Veronica."

"Archie will not be married or have children in any of his other books," Gorelick said. "Archie has become a piece of Americana. While we try to keep him up to date with things like fashions and music, we also want the books to continue to be a good clean form of entertainment and continue to be a safe thing for children to give their children to read that is not much different from what they were reading growing up.

"Riverdale is a pretty safe place to be," he said. "Let's face it, schools today are a bit scarier than they used to be. But we portray a high school without metal detectors and Archie doesn't drink or do drugs and all the other characters show respect for authority. If people want to say that's old-fashioned I'll be happy to agree with them, but at the end of the day it seems a school and a town that a lot of readers feel are places they would like to be."

Liefeld, McFarlane to 'Spawn'

Todd McFarlane wants "Spawn" to be a best-seller again. Not only has he been inking his creation's latest adventures himself, but he has brought fellow superstar artist and longtime adversary Rob Liefeld to pencil an issue.

The book is due out Nov. 25 and will cost $2.95.

Whedon makes offer;

'Terminator' not amused

On his Web site Whedonesque, and with tongue obviously in cheek, "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon drafted an open letter to the owners of the Terminator, offering $10,000 - that's right $10,000 - to buy the franchise and rejuvenate it.

He layer told Entertainment Weekly that it was just a gag, just him being a "dumb ass."

However, many of those who feel Whedon's reputation has failed to match his accomplishments in recent years were not amused - especially since he talked about taking over the "Batman" and "Lord of the Rings" franchises as well. Stay tuned. The fallout may just be beginning.

Graphic novel panel

at 'Nova Wednesday

What the university is billing as a "graphic novel discussion panel" is taking place at Villanova Wednesday. The panelist roster includes Matt Phelan, a local illustrator who recently put out his first graphic novel, "The Storm in the Barn."

Villanova says it is emphasizing having local writers and graphic novelists involved. Another topic of discussion will be the academic potential of the graphic novel and the comic book with professor Mary Beth Simmons.

Study: Comics are sophisticated!

According to Carol L. Tilley, a professor of library and information science at the University of Illinois and an expert in children's literature, comics are indeed just as sophisticated as other forms of literature and children benefit from reading them at least as much as they do from reading other types of books. Tilley's findings were recently published in School Library Monthly.

Some highlights: "A lot of the criticism of comics and comic books comes from people who think that kids are just looking at the pictures and not putting them together with the words," Tilley said. "Some kids, yes. But you could easily make some of the same criticisms of picture books - that kids are just looking at pictures, and not at the words.

"Any book can be good and any book can be bad, to some extent," she said. "It's up to the reader's personality and intellect. As a whole,comics are just another medium, another genre.

"If reading is to lead to any meaningful knowledge or comprehension, readers must approach a text with an understanding of the relevant social, linguistic and cultural conventions," she said. "And if you really consider how the pictures and words work together in consonance to tell a story, you can make the case that comics are just as complex as any other kind of literature."

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