This review mentions some of my favourite books. Not all, and not the obvious ones such as Harry Potter. If this time around the review gets deleted, then I won’t post it again.
Before I say anything else, let me dedicate the review to all those who commented on Part One: Anuj, Soma, King, Adi, Jai, Aditya, Jaya, Sujata, Tanmay, Swaraj, Sonika, Pari and Mayank. The first part was focused mainly on the characters of Archie Comics, and this part focuses on the various types of comics Archie comic lovers have been offered. But nope, the saga of reviews on Archie is not over, see comments section for details!
The Review
Life With Archie was an innovative idea which was created in the 50?s. These comic books were adventurous but still had the trademark Archie charm. In the books, Archie, Jughead, Reggie, Betty, Veronica and sometimes the rest of the gang (though many were not created at that point of time) had many adventures, sometimes accidentally boarding a ship to Italy, running off to Hollywood to get a movie star?s autograph for Betty, or being chased by aliens all the way up the Empire State Building. The comics did not last long, and today there are no known copies available, but they were a big hit at that point of time, and proved that when Archie is around, life never gets boring.
Archie?s Weird Mysteries, according to my information, was created in the 90?s. The books featured Archie and the gang running around during freaky, creepy mysteries. I haven?t read many, but I know that they must be immensely scary, due to other horrific comic strips I have read, such as the one about the satanic teddy bear which scared me out of my wits. However, I have watched the Archie?s Weird Mysteries TV show, which is quite scary. It?s fun to see your favourite characters battling it out with evil forces.
Josie and the Pussycats Josie was created in the mid-40?s, a bland and dull alternative to Archie comics. Josie got her own comic book in the 60?s, but it was still horrifyingly dull until it featured Josie, Melody and Valerie teaming up to make the band named Josie and the Pussycats. Their roadie and helper was Alan M, and their manager was Alexander Cabot III. There was also Alexandria Cabot, sister of Alexander, who always tried to become the lead singer of the Pussycats. Other characters were Pepper and Ambrose, but they were cut suddenly.
Bingo Wilkin, what can I say about him? The catchline phrase is If you thought Archie caused trouble, then wait till you meet that Bingo Wilkin! The Bingo Wilkin comic strips star Bingo, his uncle, mother, father, and his frail old dog, as well as Samantha, his girlfriend, with her mother, her exceptionally muscled father, and a Casanova a bit like Reggie, named Teddy. Try reading these comics, they?re hilarious!
Betty?s Diary was first introduced in the 50?s, but it was made so that people could have a laugh at Betty?s wacky entries. But the comic book Betty?s Diary surfaced in April, 1986. This involved Betty pouring out her entire heart, about her issues and her life; her friendship with Veronica, which was challenged by their fights over Archie; Betty?s fixation with bears (and not just the stuffed kind!); and Betty?s birthday, along with the most popular topic: Betty and her friend Lydia Wyndham, who died and passed on her legacy to Betty. Betty?s Diary comics were written by Kathleen Webb, Frank Doyle and Rod Ollerenshaw, though occasionally other writers wrote the stories. To this day, Betty?s Diary comic strips are printed in all the digests, and sometimes new ones are even printed. Betty?s Diary comics were not written with the mere intention of making you laugh; they made you think about life, family and friends.
Archie 3000 is one of my most favourite Archie ideas so far. If you thought Archie caused trouble in the 20th Century, check him out in the 31st century! With wacky hairdos, and new fashions, along with new gizmos and devices, Archie 3000 is funny and witty. Also, there is Archie 1, in which there are only a few main characters (Archie, Reggie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead), and they live amongst dinosaurs and learn the meaning of life and knowledge. Before the dawn of civilization, there was Archie!
Faculty Funnies was hilarious. It all started when Professor Flutesnoot wanted to show Mr. Weatherbee, Miss Grundy, and Coach Clayton his class?s Chemistry projects. As usual, Archie?s started fizzing and smoking ? and there was an explosion, which enhanced the powers they already had. Miss Grundy could stretch her arm out from pointing at the blackboard for years, Professor Flutesnoot couldn?t get hurt because of the resistance he already had from Archie?s constant explosions, Mr. Weatherbee got a super-sense about the future from years of predicting problems with his students, and Coach Clayton had super lung power from blowing the whistle during his lessons. Their first case was the number of students being absent.
Later on, the faculty realized that there was a gang, led by a menacing computer, which had set up a video shop, ?Only for TEENS?, in which anyone who had already graduated from school was not allowed. The videos that the teens rented out had messages that flashed for less than a millisecond, but penetrated the subconscious. They were things like ?School is a drag? and ?Leave School?. The faculty battled bravely, which led to the computer being broken. But, the computer survived and remained as a virus, which caused havoc later on? Other cases showed up, such as a maniac named Mr. Petite who used a ray to shrink down buildings and sell them off, even the school gymnasium and the cafeteria. The last issue was #5, in which the faculty lost their powers in a toxic fire.
Continued in Comments