Archie #3

[laughing_tree]

"The potential here is boundless and limited only by imagination -- when I began, I sat down intending to start with a brief document explaining how I saw all the characters in Riverdale, but four hours and 3,000 words later, I realized I'd gotten only to Archie, Betty and Jughead, and I could have kept writing through the night. It's just a matter of drilling down on well-constructed characters -- and the more I write about them, the more I find to write." -- Mark Waid

Issue #2 -











Issue #3 -

Comments

[beyondthefringe]

I love seeing Riverdale as a diverse place. I like the idea of Betty and Veronica possibly being friends without the eternal Archie love triangle getting between them. I may have to pick this series up.

[icon_uk]

I suspect the triangle is mere issues away...

[alicemacher]

Actually... here's Mark Waid again, from his column in the same issue:

"[W]e decided that with this new series you're reading that Archie's eternal 'I want them both' indecisiveness was maybe not his most endearing trait, so we've rethought it. (I also can't figure out [...] how to tell stories about two girls who flip back and forth between 'best friends' and 'romantic rivals' twelve times a day, so that also informs how we're rebuilding everyone's relationship.)"

[jlbarnett]

well, that's a shame

[laughing_tree]

Ah, but as Waid points out, Archie perpetually stuck between choosing is actually a relatively recent development, which didn't really take hold until the 80s. Waid is going back to the classic set-up from before that.

[kenn_el]

Most triangles don't have equal sides anyway, and Veronica was clearly Archie's first choice once she arrived. Betty holding herself in reserve was her only character flaw, while Archie's willingness to take her up on it if Veronica turned him down was his. I like what Waid did with this, but he copped out by not explaining what ended things between Archie and Betty, leaving the door open for Veronica. The art was spectacular, though, and it's too bad her run was so short, but Staples does have a larger commitment elsewhere. Filling those shoes will be nearly impossible, as the art was a huge part of the telling of the story.

[tcampbell1000]

"I like what Waid did with this, but he copped out by not explaining what ended things between Archie and Betty."

We've been promised the answer next issue.

[janegray]

I like how she is genuinely trying to be friendly and helpful, but accidentally comes across as a snob. Like she truly, honestly liked Sheila's outfits and wanted to compliment her and do her a favour by recommending her to potential clients, but the way she said it gave the impression that she thought she was above them.

I can relate >_>. I get so enthusiastic when I try to make friends, I so want them to like me, I often accidentally end up hogging the spotlight and make it All About Me and that drives people away :(

[jaybee3]

Yes it would be very easy (see many fanfics) to write Betty=Good, Veronica=Bad, especially since Betty has always (?) been the most popular one. But not going that route allows readers to see why Veronica appeals to people in-universe (aside from money) and why at least historically she numbers people like Betty, Ethel and Dilton as friends.

[baihu]

Yeah this version of Veronica at least makes me understand her appeal. OG Veronica just never seemed that charismatic, or even that pretty (granted, that was the fault of the art-style), so I didn't get why anyone liked her except she was rich, but she didn't hand out favours frivolously anyway.

[bj_l]

At first I wasn't sure if she was being genuine or giving a Regina George "that is *so* pretty!" 'compliment'.

[janegray]

I think the very expressive art made it clear that she really meant it. In the panel where she calls the girl talented, her eyes are wide open and she has an open-mouthed bright smile and the blush on her cheeks makes her look extra excited. It's especially noticeable because up to that point she had been drawn with grimaces and sneers (except in that panel where she struggles to hold her laughter because Archie pissed off her dad), so it was like finally getting a glimpse at the person behind the mask.

Then again, I've been playing Persona 4 and Tales of Symphonia, so I'm extra wired to look for signs that characters are hiding their true feelings :P

[lieut_kettch]

I love the intrigue! Especially the way it seems that Veronica and Jughead know each other back from when they Joneses had money.

[thenicochan]

I'm weirdly digging this. The writing seems solid, the art is great, and I really dig the Betty/Veronica bit at the end.

[nyadnar17]

This is ridiculous. How is this this good? Is there anything Mark Waid can't write?