Farewell, Betty & Veronica

[CharlieRock]

So, it was announced by Archie comics at NYCC that Betty and Veronica were going to do a storyline where they are bid farewell by that comic series and will be replaced by two new characters.
 

http://live.bleedingcool.org/2013/10/12/archie-panel-farewell-betty-veronica/

[John C]

Maybe I'm just getting jaded in my "old age," but I don't give it more than a year.  Figure that you only make changes like this to bring in new fans, but unless you sell comics where kids can find them, you're not getting new fans, and old fans...well, Betty and Veronica aren't necessarily recognizable to the public, but the names alone are iconic enough that people know they're supposed to know them and they're pretty sure you're talking about a love triangle.

I feel like, for all creators talk about reinventing characters and "bringing them back to their roots," they don't spend a heck of a lot of time thinking about what the core of the characters really are...

[narfstar]

It does not sound like they are actually going far for long

[Yoc]

*CoughSupermanCough*,*CoughCaptainAmerciaCough*, etc...

I must be coming down with something.

[CharlieRock]

And no clue how this'll effect my subscription to their double digest.

[Roygbiv666]

Your cough could be worse ... *CoughBatmanCough*

*CoughSupermanCough*,*CoughCaptainAmerciaCough*, etc...

I must be coming down with something.

[John C]

It's probably worth distinguishing things that nobody pretended were permanent changes (Superman comes immediately to mind--for all the stupidity, the Death of Superman was plotted out in advance to end with Superman's return) to those that will shake the fabric of the very universe and nothing will ever be the same and then, lo, things were...kinda the same (the status quo change at Marvel spinning off of...was it Secret Wars?).  This reeks of the latter, but could be interesting if it's a plot point to a larger arc that gives up on the theme of hot girls fighting over an idiot living an absurdly charmed life...

I mean, really, we've all read the story where Archie "accidentally" runs a prostitution ring.

http://digitalcomicmuseum.com/preview/index.php?did=21676&page=53

Think about the reasoning, there, even though the story quickly goes off the rails.  Betty accepts all the dates she's offered.  Archie finds another girl to go on the date.  Money comes rolling in.  Think about that sequence for a bit.

Oh, right.  And no discussion of changes to the status quo and character deaths would be complete without this...

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/218160

[Yoc]

Thanks John.
I couldn't find the video at that link but it is here -
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2193468/x_men_death_becomes_them/

[John C]

Interesting.  It pops right up for me.  Maybe it's a Flash thing.

[Drahken]

It'll most likely either be a temporary thing and/or an alternate universe thing, much like that "realistic" artwork redesign a few years back. In reality these things are not much more than publicity stunts to get the oft-forgotten archie comics back into the public conciousness (at least for a week or two).

TBH, while I still enjoy classic archie comics, I stopped giving a damn about the new content ages ago.


On a related note, does anyone remember all the spinoff/alternate reality archice comics that came out around the late 80s? There was archie 3000, jughead's time police, dilton's lab, etc.

[bchat]

It sounds to me as if they are just having Betty & Veronica leave Riverdale, without doing away with either the characters or the series.

From CBR, which has actual quotes from writer Michael Uslan: " ...  but in the process, we're going to have to say, and Riverdale is going to have to say, goodbye to Betty and Veronica. ... There is going to be a vacuum in Riverdale, ... but then there's going to be twists, turns, surprises and two new characters that I think you are really going to be floored by."

I can't picture Archie Comics doing away with two of their higher-profile characters just for a sales boost or some short-term attention, especially since they have so few characters that can carry their own titles to begin with.  If I had to guess, I would imagine that the "two new characters" will take Betty & Veronica's place as love interests of Archie in his series, while Betty & Veronica move to some new town and introduce some other new characters to the Archie Universe.

[Yoc]

Archie is one of the last publishers you can still find at a supermarket checkout.
Last year they got a fair amount of attention with the whole Archie marries... books and their first gay character.
They've also tried to revive their goldenage heroes line with digital comics and tpbs.

I wouldn't call Archie completely forgotten.

[CharlieRock]

I got the three tradebacks of Archie Marries ... they were better then I expected (I thought it was going to be cheesy as heck, lol). Waiting for number four now.
Also, the L'il Jinx update (two volumes) was good. I got it for the kids but ended up liking it myself.