The Best of Archie Comics: 80 Years, 80 Stories

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The Best of Archie Comics: Eighty Years, Eighty Stories is the comic franchise’s first “memory lane” celebration in five years. The retrospective highlights some of the most memorable adventures and capers featuring Riverdale teenagers Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, Reggie, and others, with introductory, behind-the-scenes commentary by writers Mike Pellerito and Jamie L. Rotante. The selected stories are presented in reverse chronological order, starting in 2021 and ending with the comic’s debut as America’s “laugh sensation” in 1941. Each five-year section starts with a discussion about the artists, writers, and collaborations that have defined Archie for eight decades.

Having followed the gang’s hijinks and misadventures over the years, it was interesting to see how the preoccupations of American teenage life have changed, and how they’ve remained the same. In Archie’s world, there’s always a love triangle, misunderstandings with grownups, and complicated friendships. Stories touch on themes of fitting in, dating, and getting by in school. Through the years, Archie showed more diversity in characters to reflect the reality of multicultural high schools. The 2010s saw the appearance of Harper, a Black girl with a disability, and Kevin Keller, the first openly gay character. While comedy is at the center of the Riverdale universe, recent stories depicting diverse characters have been tastefully done.


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Author Archie Superstars
Star Count 4/5
Format Trade
Page Count 704 pages
Publisher Archie Comics
Publish Date 14-Sep-2021
ISBN 9781645769231
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Category Sequential Art
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