One of Goldwater's earliest successes was the creation of the Archie Comics app in 2010, making it easy to find digital copies of Archie back issues and new releases. 2010 to 2014: Archie Comics moves forward while keeping an eye on the past People who didn’t read comics knew who Archie was, and with the rise of comics and graphic novels in pop culture, Goldwater dedicated himself to revitalizing Archie Comics for a contemporary audience. He recognized that the traditional Archie style, while still charming, had become stale over time, and the company had lost relevance in the 21st-century comic book marketplace.īut he also saw the long reach of the Archie brand: The distribution of Archie Comics digests in grocery stores had kept the general public aware of Archie, and while the publisher didn’t sell nearly as many books as competitors like Marvel and DC, that exposure made Archie Comics an American institution. Twitterīoth of Archie’s co-CEOs passed away from cancer within a year of each other, and in 2009, Richard Goldwater’s half-brother Jon gave up his career as a music executive to keep Archie in the family. Apa and Cole Sprouse, who play Archie Andrews and Jughead Jones in the upcoming CW series Riverdale, at San Diego Comic-Con 2016. Without that image, we're nothing.'' Jon Goldwater (center) with K.J. Silberkleit told the New York Times: ''The importance is the image of Archie, which everybody knows is good, clean, wholesome stuff. When Archie Comics filed a trademark lawsuit against Warner Music Group in 2005 for its promotion and release of a new album by Australian pop-rock duo the Veronicas, Michael I. Goldwater and Silberkleit’s eldest sons, Richard and Michael, took over the company as co-CEOs when their fathers retired in 1983, and they were both firmly dedicated to preserving the classic Archie image. Goldwater, and Goldwater’s co-founder, Louis H. When Jon Goldwater became Archie Comics’ CEO and publisher in 2009, the company was still dominated by the rudimentary, inoffensive stories and visuals first published by his father, John L. 2009: A new Goldwater flows through Riverdale But the changes have come in waves rather one aggressive push. Under Goldwater’s watch, diversification and experimentation have become the new driving forces of Archie Comics. He’s taken editorial risks that have creatively and commercially reinvigorated the Archie line by improving representation in Riverdale, encouraging unconventional approaches to Archie concepts, and bringing in new creators to completely overhaul the publisher’s core titles.Īnd it’s worked: 75 years after the character’s introduction, Archie is getting a big push into the mainstream spotlight as The CW launches Riverdale, a new TV show offering a Twin Peaks-inspired take on the classic comic series. That evolution has been gradually occurring since Jon Goldwater stepped into the role of Archie Comics CEO and publisher in 2009. But with sales diminishing through the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s, Riverdale and its inhabitants needed to evolve if the company was going to flourish - or even just survive - in the 21st century. The publisher was tethered to a cartoony, simplistic art style, and the safety of the visuals was reflected in the stories, which rarely took risks and consistently returned to well-trodden narrative territory: Archie stuck in his love triangle, Betty and Veronica vying for Archie’s affection, Jughead avoiding romance in favor of gastronomic satisfaction. ![]() While certain elements like fashion and technology changed to reflect modern trends, the general appearance and content of the Archie series remained a throwback to a more innocent, naive past. ![]() But it was the visual aesthetic first established by artist Dan DeCarlo in the late 1950s that ultimately defined the look of Archie Comics for the next half a century. ![]() Inspired by MGM’s Andy Hardy films of the 1930s, Riverdale - the home of Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, and the rest of the Archie gang - is a place where soda shops are still the preferred teen hangout spots and adolescent love triangles never end because the characters never age.Īrchie himself debuted in December 1941, in Pep Comics No. The reputation of Archie Comics is built on an idealized American city frozen in time.
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