Archie Goes For The Gold

A brief bird interlude ....




The Genie (voiced by Robin Williams) from Disney's Aladdin proclaimed it loudly:

"They're finally gettin' married!"

Oh Archie Andrews! How could you????!! Apparently, after 65 years of being the hammy middle portion of the Betty/Veronica sandwich, Archie is going to propose to Veronica Lodge, the rich (and sometimes bad girl) from Riverdale. Has Archie finally succumbed to the wiles of the often manipulative, but gorgeous and rich Veronica? And what will become of Betty Cooper? The A student, great cook, mechanic, cheerleader, and also with knock-out good looks? A tough choice or our man Archie. Money can't buy you love, but it can make life a whole lot easier. Take it from one who has been on both sides of the green line. On the other hand, who's to say that Snobby Veronica doesn't have a heart too? Or that she and Archie don't have a real love thang happenin'? It could be worse ... he could have chosen a proposal to Jughead. :o) I'll also add that just because one proposes doesn't mean that "yes" will be the answer. And if "yes" is the answer, that doesn't guarantee a wedding! Maybe we'll witness the soap opera standard ... Archie awakens sweating from a nightmare wherein he sees the future with Veronica. Maybe it's Betty who will awaken from that nightmare. Maybe it will be Veronica who also awakens from a nightmare. Maybe Dilton Doiley (the inventor/nerd) wakes up as Bill Gates with Betty at his computer! :o)

Like so many, Archie comics was a staple of my reading room back in the mid to late 1960s. I waited eagerly for each new issue to arrive in the store. Sometimes you could find 'em for 12 cents and sometimes for 25 cents. Today, the same comic will clean out your penny pockets to the tune of around $2.50. Yikes. Here's a typical cover from that era:







Here's the detail from the official publication:

By Archie Comic Publications on May 27, 2009 5:46 AM

THIS AUGUST, PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE ARCHIE STORY YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU'D SEE, AS ARCHIE PROPOSES TO VERONICA!

The eternal love triangle is the cornerstone of Archie Comics for over 65 years--and the bane of Archie Andrews' existence! In fact, over the years it has not only defined the Betty/Archie/Veronica relationship, but has even threatened to dismantle it a time or 20.

In fact, we'll even go so far as to call it the Archie Story of the Century. With a title like "Archie Marries Veronica Part 1: The Proposal," how could we call it anything else?!

Could it be true? Has Archie finally decided to take the plunge and propose to comics' favorite rich girl? It sure looks that way! Earlier this year readers got a chance to relive "Freshman Year" with the famous teens of Riverdale High. Now make way for this special story that takes a look at Archie and his friends after they graduate college! What careers will they seek? Will the friends stay in Riverdale or disperse? What would lead Archie to have marriage on his mind? And why would he choose Veronica over Betty? How will Betty react? Can Archie shake off his klutzy past and hold down a steady job... for more than a month? Two things are certain: with the Lodges as hosts, this will be the biggest wedding Riverdale has ever seen... and the biggest Archie Comics story since the famous "Love Showdown!"

Acclaimed superhero movie producer Michael Uslan draws upon his lifelong love of Archie comic books to write this very special tale, rendered by legendary Archie Comics artist Stan Goldberg! The Archie story of the century begins here... don't miss it!

CAST OF CHARACTERS (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Characters

The Archie gang (main characters):

Archibald "Archie" Andrews,[6] main character, a typical red-headed teenage boy with a great interest in dating. He tends to be clumsy and accident prone.

Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper,[6] the blonde girl next door, who is a good student, athlete, cook, and auto mechanic.

Veronica "Ronnie/Ron" Lodge,[6] the rich, sometimes nice and sometimes snobbish girl. Betty's best friend and rival for Archie's affections.

Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III,[6] Archie's best friend, Jughead is sarcastic, obsessed with eating, lazy, and apathetic towards girls; however he is also portrayed to be very clever and knowledgeable on a wide variety of subjects, being second only to Dilton Doiley.

Reginald "Reggie" Mantle III,[6] the vain and conceited practical joker who thinks he can date anyone he wants.

Parents (of the main characters)

Of all the parents, it is Veronica's father and Archie's parents who appear most frequently.

Mr. Hiram Lodge,[6] Veronica's rich father; who often dreads meeting Archie due to Archie's clumsiness and knack for causing him trouble
Mr. Frederick "Fred" Andrews,[7] Archie's father who is pear-shaped, old-fashioned, and balding.
Mrs. Mary Andrews,[7] Archie's typical all-American suburban mother.
The other parents appear less frequently:

Mrs. Hermione Lodge,[6] Veronica's mother. Appears far less frequently than her husband, and rarely plays a significant role in most of the stories. She is mostly involved in charity work (also been called Julie circa 1980s).
Mr. Hal Cooper,[7] Betty's middle-class but hard-working father who works as a druggist.
Mrs. Alice Cooper,[7] Betty's caring, highly supportive mother.
Mr. Forsythe Pendleton Jones Jr,[7] Jughead's father (referred to as Timothy Jones in one story), who looks just like his son, only older and balding.
Mrs. Gladys Jones,[7] Jughead's mother.
Other parents of Archie characters.

Other Teens/Expanded Archie Gang (supporting)
Marmaduke "Moose"/"Big Moose" Mason[6] (earlier Moose McGee), a muscular star athlete who is a poor student and is possessive about his girlfriend. He also is known to be dyslexic. [8]
Midge Klump,[6] Moose's girlfriend. (earlier "Midge Collins")
Dilton Donald "Dilly" Doiley,[6] the very intelligent nerd and inventor.
Ethel "Big Ethel" Muggs (earlier Ethel Dinklehof),[6] a tall, stringy, somewhat dorky but goodhearted teenager who always tries to win over Jughead, albeit unsuccessfully.
Charles "Chuck" Clayton,[6] an African-American athlete and cartoonist.
Nancy Woods,[6] Chuck's girlfriend.
Other teenagers in Archie Comics.

The Faculty
Mr. Waldo Weatherbee,[6] the school principal, popularly referred to as 'The Bee'. He is often a victim of Archie's clumsiness, and the latter frequently finds himself in detention.
Miss Geraldine Grundy,[6] a teacher at Riverdale High. Usually portrayed as an English teacher. She mostly teaches every subject not including gym or chemistry. Most students consider her as a "nice" or "good" teacher. She is pretty old with white hair.
Professor Benjamin Flutesnoot,[6] science teacher (also band teacher in Little Archie).
Coach Kleats,[6] the head physical education teacher. He only teaches football and baseball.
Coach Floyd Clayton,[2] Chuck's dad, also a physical education teacher. He is the basketball coach.
Miss Bernice Beazley,[6] the somewhat grouchy school cafeteria cook. No one likes her food besides Jughead. No one likes her but herself.
Mr. Svenson,[6] Swedish school custodian. He often stays at school when it is closed and cleans. A lot of the students like him and try to help him if he has problems. He also has a girlfriend named Olga.
Other faculty members.

Other Characters
Terry "Pop" Tate, (earlier Leo Tate)[6]owner of the Chocklit Shoppe (in older comics, Pop's Malt Shop) where Archie and the gang frequently hang out.
Jellybean,[7] Jughead's little sister. Her real name is Forsythia.
Hot Dog,[6] Jughead's faithful pet dog.
Minor characters in Archie Comics

Excuse me Wiki! Hot Dog could *never* be considered a minor character (better check with Dog Fancy Magazine!)

I will wait with great anticipation to find out if Archie Comics is pulling a fast one to boost slumping sales. If so, IT IS BRILLIANT! :o)