Archie Titles I Wish They'd Bring Back...

(Sometimes real life can get in the way of doing this blog on a daily basis.  In this case, I have to design something for my workplace that is going to take up some time.  So, I thought I'd use this space to share a blog entry that I wrote in my former blog.  Believe me, not much has changed - aside from a bit of tweaking to make some points more current.)

(Originally written on November 19, 2014 - ironically the same day I started this blog in 2018!)

So I'm guessing that if you probably all know that I am a major comic book geek - a label I've proudly worn since March of 1987 when I received my very first comic.

As far as what comics I've read, there have been so many titles that I have read.  I've dabbled in Harvey comics such as Richie Rich and Little Lotta, I've read mostly every Peanuts and Garfield comic strip, and I've even gotten into some superhero comics as well.  Things like Spider-Man, Batman, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Of course, my main love has always been Archie Comics, and I have quite a sizeable collection of well over three thousand books.  There are some that have a collection that is larger than mine, and many more whose collection is smaller.  But every single book in my collection has been collected with love and has been read and re-read about a hundred thousand times.  For I am one who believes that comics should be enjoyed and not sealed away in a plastic bag never to be read again.

Just recently, I have acquired a copy of Jughead With Archie Digest #6.  Prior to now, it was the last issue I needed to complete the whole set, and now I can boast that I have every single issue of that title.  In fact, I only lack just a few digests overall before I can make the claim that I own every single digest ever printed!  Not bad for someone who has collected the comics for over thirty years!

Of course, the Jughead With Archie Digest has not been printed for quite some time.  The last issue was #200, which was published in 2005. 

And in 2017, we said goodbye to Jughead and Archie Double Digest.  To me, this makes me sad, because Jughead was always my favourite character, and now he won't have his own digest title for the first time since 1974.  There is a bright side to this, as replacing the Jughead and Archie Double Digest title was the "Archie & Me" Digest, which debuted in late 2017. 

And it got me thinking...what other titles do I wish Archie resurrected? 

Now, everyone knows that Archie has recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, and that many of the Archie titles have been rebooted in a new art style.  This, coupled with the success of the CW show "Riverdale", has sent the company into a new, daring direction.  However, the company is starting to revisit the classic look that made them famous, and I appreciate the fact that the company is trying to appeal to new fans and old.  But we all have our wish lists over what titles we'd like to see come back.  Here's my list of eight titles that I hope return in some format.

1.  LITTLE ARCHIE

I wouldn't care if it was in the form of a 32-page comic or a Double Digest.  Little Archie was my introduction to Archie Comics all those years ago, and it will forever have a place in my heart.  I know that most of the artists who worked on Little Archie are now deceased, but surely with all of the new talent that Archie has, they can figure out how to bring the series back.  There are still plenty of stories to tell, and I think that there is still a place for Little Archie in this world.

2.  ARCHIE'S STORY & GAME DIGEST

One of the things I loved about the Story & Game Digest was that it was brilliant to take with you on long car rides.  The book had comic stories to keep you laughing, but it also had puzzles and games that you could play while passing the time.  Or, even better...if they would just release a book that had nothing but puzzles and games - similar to the short lived Archie's Activity Digest, that would be even better. 

3.  BETTY'S DIARY

There was always something about Betty's Diary stories that I loved.  I think it's because prior to the series debut in 1985, Betty was kind of disregarded as a goody two shoes character who always came in second best to Veronica.  But with Betty's Diary, we learned that Betty had a lot of layers, and that she was capable of feeling all sorts of things.  I can see a lot of people reading Betty's Diary and being able to relate to a lot of the things that Betty was going through.  It was a highlight of 1980s Archie that really needs to come back.

4.  VERONICA'S PASSPORT
Some of the biggest moments of Archie have taken place in the Veronica title, which ran from 1989 until 2011.  It was the title in which celebrity guests made appearances, where Veronica went into outer space, and where the first openly gay Archie character debuted.  But my favourite issues of that title were the first eighteen issues, where Veronica visited several different places all around the world from Africa to Switzerland (and everywhere in between).  A collection of these stories were published in a digest title called "Veronica's Passport", but I think there have been enough stories where Veronica has visited the world that it could be resurrected.  Come on Archie, make it happen!

5.  ARCHIE ALL CANADIAN DIGEST
Once upon a time in the summer of 1996, Archie released a collection of stories in which Archie and the gang visited Canada, and for this Canadian fan, it was the highlight of his collecting experience.  The problem was that only one digest was ever released.  And considering that it's been 21 years since that book came out, I think we're long overdue for a second edition.

6.  LIFE WITH ARCHIE

I'm not talking about the recent magazine series which ended with Archie getting shot to death (not kidding about that either).  I'm talking about the original series in which Archie and the gang find themselves in the most ridiculous situations (saving people from murderers, foiling kidnap plots, stopping drug trafficking), and come out the victors.  Sure, the plots were extremely farfetched, but I loved the stories, and if they can bring back Archie & Me as a digest title, they can do the same with Life With Archie!

7.  ARCHIE'S CHRISTMAS STOCKING/BETTY & VERONICA CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR
Seriously, a regular holiday title would be a pleasure.  I looked forward to getting a Christmas comic in my own Christmas stocking, and it makes me sad that they don't have anything like this.

Although some digest titles have released special holiday themed issues, I think we should have something like "Archie's Holidays Digest".  It could be released every few months and celebrate holidays like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, the 4th of July, Halloween, and Thanksgiving!  I think that would be very cool!

8.  JUGHEAD JONES DIGEST
Okay, so I know the reason they cancelled the Jughead digests were because of low sales.  But I still hold out hope that the Archie Comics people will reissue another Jughead Digest title one day.  I can hope anyway.

Any other ideas as to what books you'd bring back?