Archie Comics

by Ethan Cole
 
 
I was first introduced to the fascinating world of Archie comics when I was in school. Although comic books were expressly banned, some kid had managed to sneak in an Archie Comic. I got my hands on it only after it had done the rounds with some of the senior students. And even as I went through the fascinating world of Riverdale, I knew that I was about to be hooked for life. You really can’t blame me. Most American students of my era (and even in my father’s era!) have literally grown up with Archie comics. Archie comics defined the way American youth looked at their teenage years and young adulthood. Most youngsters learnt all about relationships, dating, college, student life and even staying away from drugs as a result of Archie comics. And Archie comics were also an initiation into the world of reading for most students who were otherwise hooked to the television!
   
Technically speaking, Archie comics are a broad term for a whole range of comics and comic characters. Apart from the lovable Archie Andrews (who lent his name to the Archie comics) there are other fascinating characters in Riverdale. Jughead Jones, an Archie comics regular, has his own series of comics. As do Betty and Veronica, the two loves of Archie’s life. Incidental characters like Sabrina the teenage witch and Josie and the Pussycats too have their own comic series. But the fact that binds them all, and which makes them cultural icons in their own right, is that they all started life with Archie Comics.
   

Speaking of cultural icons, the fact that made Archie Comics the staple reading diet of most students is that they have a whole range of characters. Most of us have had experiences with characters like Jughead, Veronica, Betty, Dilton, Moose, Midge, Weatherbee, Grundy and even the mean Reggie in our real lives. Of course these characterers are only a sampling, but Archie Comics have shaped the stereotypes of the entire student population of not just America, but elsewhere in the world as well. Another aspect of Archie comics is that they introduced younger readers into the nitty gritties of everyday college life in small town America and prepared them for the numerous issues that come with being a freshman or even high schoolers. Friendship, relationships, normality, abnormality, love, dating, team spirit, sports, family matters and the like are just some of the issues dealt with by Archie comics. There were several more, and all of them were insightful when I look back at them with hindsight.
 
Nowadays, I am a little too old to be seen with Archie comics. But I do have a stash of them in my basement. And when nostalgia strikes, or I’m going through some especially poignant teenage memories, I sneak down to unwrap my set of Archie comics and spend an entire afternoon chuckling to myself. If being a teenager or youth were the best years of my life, being able to relive those memories through the world of Archie comics, is undoubtedly the closest I can ever get to being young again.