Have you noticed a particular theme with the images that I have selected for the background? If you guessed that all of these digest covers have a publication date of 2018, you would be correct. And that's what this blog post is all about. We're going to take a look at some of the big events that defined the year in Archie comics, and we'll look at some of the experiments that the company took this year. Some of them were successes. Some of them, not so much. And there were even a couple of milestones that we reached this year for the company.
For instance, did you know that Archie printed its 700th issue this year? In November 2018, "Archie #700" went on sale, and it was another reboot that followed the first reboot after issue #666. It was kind of weird because beginning with issue 667, the title went under a new #1 issue and went back to the original numbering with issue #699, but either way, for a comic book to reach its 700th issue regardless of the journey it took to get there. And it appears as though even though the new art style has taken fans a bit of time to get used to, it seems to be doing well. I kind of like the new look Archie, though my heart will always belong to classic Archie.
2018 was also the year that all of the classic Archie digests became Jumbo Comics. Prior to that, the titles switched back and forth between regular comics, jumbo comics, and comic annuals. Even the lone single digest "Archie and Me" switched to permanent Jumbo Comics format in December 2018. This means more pages to enjoy - though less digests to enjoy it in, as only five digest titles remain in the Archie lineup. Here's hoping we see another digest creation in 2019.
2018 also seemed to be a year in which the classic Archie comics were embraced more than ever. In the summer of 2018, Archie comics released a three volume Archie Americana set. Book 1 dealt with the Golden Age of Archie comics, book 2 was about the Silver Age, and book 3 covered the Bronze Age. If you're a fan of classic Archie, these three volumes are certainly worth a look. This photo was actually taken in my own Archie comics room/office.
2018 was also a year in which Archie comics began reprinting some of their classic stories from some of the most popular titles of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. In the last year, we've seen seven different titles covered, including "Jughead's Time Police", "Cosmo: The Merry Martian", "Archie at Riverdale High", "Betty & Veronica Spectacular", "Life With Archie", "Archie and Me", and "Everything's Archie". And it appears as though 2019 will feature even more titles to look forward to.
The year 2018 seemed to be the year of "Cosmo", because a brand new Cosmo title was released in December 2017 and ran for a five-issue miniseries. I always liked the Cosmo stories and I remember reading them for the first time in a series of old Laugh Digests, and it was cool to see the character resurrected.
But then again, 2018 seemed to be a year of great experimentation for Archie comics as a whole.
Okay, so I've read both of these titles, and they don't really seem to be my cup of tea. That said, the artwork is really quite well done. And hey, at least this seems to be the only way that Jughead can ever get his own title in Archie comics.
I'm kind of hoping that they find a way to give Jughead another classic comic. Here's hoping, anyway.
The television series "Riverdale" was a surprise hit for the CW network in 2018, and already the show is in its third season! Though I'll be the first to admit that midway through season two, I thought the show had gotten too dark. I liked the first season a lot though, and am glad that it was ultimately made, and I hope the show can find a way to get back to that. Killing off evil Mr. Lodge might be a good first step. The series even found a way to get a printed comic book which ran for twelve issues, as well as a digest that ran for seven. But don't think the series is dead in the water from a comic perspective. It's set to come back in 2019.
Another huge success was the debut of "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina". The Netflix series was the first television adaptation of Sabrina since "Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch" debuted on ABC in 1996. Suffice to say, this version is WAY darker than the original series. But the cast is phenomenal in it, and it's actually quite creepy. But in a good way.
Finally, if you were lucky enough to get this colouring book, you can finish off 2018 by colouring some of your favourite Archie holiday pictures.
That's my look at 2018. What did you like about it? What didn't you like? I'd love to hear your comments.
Stay tuned for the next three days. I'll be featuring three different New Years themed stories!
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