After
nearly 75 years of chasing girls through the halls of Riverdale High
and hanging out at Pop Tate's soda shop, the teenage Everyman Archie
Andrews is headed for a makeover. Plans for the redheaded Romeo include a
new look and an edgier tone, which will be introduced in 2015 when the
Archie comic book is reset at No. 1 with a new creative team. The effort
is timed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Archie, who was
introduced in 1941, and coincides with plans for a television series on
Fox and an apparel line from the fashion designer Marc Ecko.
The overhaul at Archie Comic Publications extends to other parts of the company as well, including Red Circle Comics, an imprint that will be rebranded Dark Circle Comics and will reintroduce vintage superheroes like the Fox and the Shield. The updates build on changes that began about five years ago, after Jon Goldwater took over as chief executive and publisher of Archie Comics. Goldwater stepped in after the 1999 death of his father, John L Goldwater, who helped found the company in 1939. "I found Archie to be dusty, irrelevant and watered-down," Goldwater said. "It has taken me a while to really wrap my hands around where we are as a brand."
Reinvigorating the brand included introducing new titles like "Life With Archie", which imagined the teenager's life as an adult and ended with his much publicized death, and "Afterlife With Archie", a darker comic book in which Riverdale is overrun by zombies. The success of those comic books led Goldwater to broaden his plans.
"These changes are crucial to keep the brand relevant and vibrant," he said. And they are already starting to pay off. Since 2008, bookstore sales have increased 736%, and direct-market sales, which include those in specialty stores like comic book shops, rose 226%, according to the publisher.
Albert Ching, managing editor of Comic Book Resources, a website that tracks the industry, sees the changes as a smart move. "They are doing bold new things," he said. "They've given people a reason to check them out again."
For readers who yearn for Archie's wholesome nature, Goldwater has taken care to keep the teenager's core characteristics intact. "We want to keep the lighthearted and family-friendly tone, but we have to do it in the present times, and that forces us to change," he said. To help strike a balance, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, a writer for television and comic books and a lifelong Archie fan, joined the company as chief creative officer, a move that Goldwater described as a "game changer."
The overhaul at Archie Comic Publications extends to other parts of the company as well, including Red Circle Comics, an imprint that will be rebranded Dark Circle Comics and will reintroduce vintage superheroes like the Fox and the Shield. The updates build on changes that began about five years ago, after Jon Goldwater took over as chief executive and publisher of Archie Comics. Goldwater stepped in after the 1999 death of his father, John L Goldwater, who helped found the company in 1939. "I found Archie to be dusty, irrelevant and watered-down," Goldwater said. "It has taken me a while to really wrap my hands around where we are as a brand."
Reinvigorating the brand included introducing new titles like "Life With Archie", which imagined the teenager's life as an adult and ended with his much publicized death, and "Afterlife With Archie", a darker comic book in which Riverdale is overrun by zombies. The success of those comic books led Goldwater to broaden his plans.
"These changes are crucial to keep the brand relevant and vibrant," he said. And they are already starting to pay off. Since 2008, bookstore sales have increased 736%, and direct-market sales, which include those in specialty stores like comic book shops, rose 226%, according to the publisher.
Albert Ching, managing editor of Comic Book Resources, a website that tracks the industry, sees the changes as a smart move. "They are doing bold new things," he said. "They've given people a reason to check them out again."
For readers who yearn for Archie's wholesome nature, Goldwater has taken care to keep the teenager's core characteristics intact. "We want to keep the lighthearted and family-friendly tone, but we have to do it in the present times, and that forces us to change," he said. To help strike a balance, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, a writer for television and comic books and a lifelong Archie fan, joined the company as chief creative officer, a move that Goldwater described as a "game changer."
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