Archie Andrews, Well Done You!

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 A couple of days ago, while I was in Singapore, I was walking through a mall as one invariably finds oneself doing, generally to take respite from the heat and humidity, but in this case it was to dodge the torrential downpour that had finally succumbed after two days of threatening clouds and a heavy atmosphere.  Where was I? Oh yes, now that we have the weather profile over with, let me continue: In this mall, there was a small pop up concession selling English language books, and upon closer inspection, they had a good selection of children’s books of which I used to love. These included modern day reprints of classic Ladybird books, Enid Blyton stories as well as the requisite, abridged versions of the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Anderson timeless tales.

Amongst these as well, I spotted a pile of Archie comic books, and got quite excited. These used to be a favourite of mine when I was younger, and I remember amassing a small collection, with some great plots, and lots of random information that has served me well in life. 2 things, of which I can remember, are: 1. How to spell ‘Mississippi’, and 2. Mink oil is a waterproof agent for boots. (yes, I do use mink oil on my shoes).

Anyway, I decided to pick up a couple of these comics to relive my youth. Upon returning to the hotel, I started to read one, and I was quite surprised how the comic has changed since I last read it. Overall, the characters are generally the same. Archie and Jughead remain best friends, as well as Betty and Veronica.  Archie is still caught in the perpetual love triangle between Betty and Veronica, and Reggie is still the self-centred narcissist. However, Miss Haggly, the history teacher at school seems to have retired, but there is no history replacement. There is now a driving instructor, and a host of other teaching staff that reflect the more modern educational options that seem to be in schools nowadays.

The characters themselves have also undergone some subtle transformations. Jughead still eats like a horse, but now, is also an accomplished chef, with supposedly a large repertoire of food related trivia. Archie is still a klutz, but where he used to only show interest in girls and his delicate image in the beat up jalopy (which is now a 90s banger, replacing the old classic which Mr Lodge should have probably bought over as a collector’s item), he also exhibits ambitions through daydreaming. Betty is still the nice girl-next-door, but somehow has also morphed into a feisty young lady, taking Veronica on in disagreements where she used to be a doormat. Even Veronica has changed for the better, exhibiting flashes of humanity and kindness.

Perhaps what is most noticeable are the references to the global financial crisis, and how the fictional community is affected by it, mirroring real life. Gone are the bake sales to raise money for school dances, instead the Riverdale kids are putting their heads together and scheming to drive locals to small businesses. The community is brought together to save a pet shelter affected by the cut in funding arising from decisions taken to combat the budget deficit. The small puns, gags and wordplay all revolve around political buzzwords on the economy that we are fed on a daily basis through the media. It’s only a matter of time before the cartoonists fit in a gag about falling off the fiscal cliff.

It is heartening to see that the symbols of my childhood that saw me into my teenage years are going strong. It is even more comforting to know that while there are references to popular culture, it generally eschews the media focused obsession with fame, talentless personalities, and the habit of excess touted by celebrity that is generally so vulgar, even more so in this time of austerity. That the teenagers of Riverdale are delivering the message of civic duty, honesty and friendship, it seems that Archie and the gang will carry on being a decent moral compass for kids in years to come.

Well done to the guys at Archie Comics. I look forward to introducing them to my kids if they continue in this vein.