I am THRILLED that Archie comics is taking a stand against bullies.  There's a little 2-page addition towards the back of the magazine that has stories from celebrities about their experiences with being bullied, and what they did to overcome it.  And, there's even a section that details tips that both parents and children can take to stop it.  As someone who suffered from the after-effects of bullying for YEARS, I think this is a positive step, and I just wanted to offer my complete thanks for tackling this issue.

Thank you very much. This was very nice to see.

Quote from: Captain Hero on December 14, 2010, 12:43:28 AM

Now, the next step would be to do a storyline based on bullying at Riverdale High, because I think it would be awesome to see how Archie and the gang handles a situation like that.  I'd even volunteer to write it!   

How would you think of handling it?  I think for the story to have any meaningful emotional impact, at least some of the main Archie characters would have to be involved in the actual bullying-- otherwise the bullies would just seem like abstract, un-relatable "bad" characters, and readers wouldn't learn anything about how to examine and improve their own personal behavior.

So, who would be bullied in your story?  A new character introduced just for the purposes of the story, or an existing character?  And how would it get resolved?  Would you have to bring in Grundy and Weatherbee or the parents, or could the kids take care of it themselves?

Yeah, I was actually thinking of using a new character...maybe a freshman being bullied by seniors, or someone bullied for the way they dress...was actually thinking of making it a couple of members of the Riverdale High football team or something doing the bullying so that Reggie and Archie get indirectly involved.  Maybe Archie befriends the kid, and is unaware that he's being bullied until Reggie points it out, or they witness the football team picking on him after a football game...at least, I think that's how it would start.  What do you think?

Maybe when I get some time, I'll draw up a draft...I can't draw to save my life, but I certainly can write. 

Quote from: Captain Hero on December 17, 2010, 09:29:19 PM

Yeah, I was actually thinking of using a new character...maybe a freshman being bullied by seniors, or someone bullied for the way they dress...was actually thinking of making it a couple of members of the Riverdale High football team or something doing the bullying so that Reggie and Archie get indirectly involved.  Maybe Archie befriends the kid, and is unaware that he's being bullied until Reggie points it out, or they witness the football team picking on him after a football game...at least, I think that's how it would start.  What do you think?

Yes, this sounds like a good start... and I think a multi-part story would be the best format, to show how real bullying is not just a one-time teasing situation, but an ongoing problem with intense, long-term emotional effects.  For the story to be meaningful it would have to explore that dynamic in some depth.

Also, my idea was that major Archie characters should be involved directly at either the giving or the receiving end of the bullying; this would get readers to take it more seriously as an issue that can affect *anyone,* and feel more invested in seeing the matter fully resolved.

Hmmm...that actually gives me an idea...a way that I could bring Jughead into the storyline as well.  Ooooh...this will be great once I get time to plot it.

(I'm dead serious about writing this story too...LOL)

Okay, so I guess I've been sort of issued a challenge here, since I brought it up. 

Recall that I said that I would love to read a story in which Archie comics focused on the subject of bullying in schools, and how I jokingly suggested that I would write it.

Seems some of you actually want me to write a story based on exactly that. 

Well, here's the very beginning of it so far.  I hope you like it.    It may not seem like a lot now, but I've been planning this for the past couple of weeks, so bear with me.

It's a story I like to call "The History Of Friendship".  Here's the first section.

________________________________________________________________

It was 2:55 in the afternoon at Riverdale High School.  Five minutes were all that stood in the way before the dawn of another weekend.  The only barrier standing in the way of the school bell ringing was the tail-end of Miss Grundy's history class.'
   And for the students in the class, all of them were thinking about the weekend, and all the plans they were making for it.
   “I hope Archie asks me out so we can go and see that new vampire movie”.  Betty Cooper thought.
   “I hope Archie asks me out so we can go and see that new vampire movie”.  Veronica Lodge dreamed, with a sly smile forming across her mouth.
   “I hope I have enough money to be able to see the new horror film with Jughead and the guys.”  Archie Andrews thought.
   Jughead Jones meanwhile was rubbing his stomach with a weird look on his face.  “I am so hungry!!!  Please let this class end so I can run over to Pop's.”
   “It's almost time to go, and Grundy hasn't assigned any homework yet.”  Reggie Mantle thought triumphantly.  “This weekend couldn't get any better.”
   “Class.”  Miss Grundy said.  “Before class lets out, I'd like to talk about today's homework assignment.”
   The entire class groaned.
   “I knew it was too good to be true.”  Reggie muttered.
   “Goodbye weekend.”  Midge Klump sighed.
   “Now, now.”  Miss Grundy said with a smile.  “I think you will all really enjoy this assignment.”
   “We also enjoy eating ice cream, but that doesn't mean we want it every day.”  Veronica piped up.
   “Speak for yourself, Ronnie.”  Jughead said.
   “Veronica, Jughead, enough.”  Miss Grundy said.  “And to anyone else who keeps interrupting, I'll keep the class in late until I explain the homework assignment in detail.”
   “What is the homework, Miss Grundy?”  Betty asked.
   “I'm glad you asked, Betty.”  Miss Grundy said.  “Since we just finished our unit on twentieth century history, I've designed a project for all of you to take part in.  I would like each one of you to bring in something from your homes that holds some significance in your life, or those of your families.  I'd also like you all to write a five hundred word composition about the item you bring in, and you will be asked to submit an oral presentation of your item.”
   “Sounds pretty cool.”  Chuck Clayton said.
   “Are there any restrictions as to what items we can bring?”  Archie asked.
   “Well, obviously no weapons or anything similar to that will be allowed.”  Miss Grundy said.  “But, as long as the item is from the twentieth century and has some sort of meaning for you or your family, you can bring in anything you wish.”
   As soon as Miss Grundy finished her statement, the sound of a ringing bell was heard throughout the school, and the students inside Miss Grundy's classroom stood up and headed towards the classroom door.
   “Okay, class, that's all for today.”  Miss Grundy said with a smile.  “Have a great weekend, and think about what you want to do for your project.  I want to start the oral reports on Friday the twenty-first, so you have one week to prepare your assignments.  Thank you.”
   Outside in the main hallway, Archie, Betty, Jughead, Veronica, and Reggie gathered around the wall of lockers next to Miss Grundy's classroom door.
   “Can you believe Miss Grundy assigning us a homework assignment like that and expecting us to have it done in just a week?”  Reggie whined.  “Why couldn't she just give us a break from homework?”
   “Yeah, really.”  Veronica said.  “She always seems to want to take all the fun out of things, doesn't she?”
   “Come on, guys.”  Betty said.  “I think this assignment could be a lot of fun.”
   “Yeah.”  Jughead said.  “Imagine...doing a history assignment on anything that existed in the twentieth century.  I could do a project on the greatest junk foods of the last hundred years.  I might need more than 500 words to do it justice.”
   “Jughead, it's a project that's to demonstrate the history of the last one hundred years, not a project to see how much food you can eat.”  Archie said.
   “I can make food educational.”  Jughead said.
   “What are you going to bring in?”  Archie asked Betty.
   “I may bring in a couple of diaries from Lydia, the writer friend of mine who passed away some time ago.”  Betty said.  “Her accounts of her life as a teenager in the early twentieth century is beautiful, yet tragic at the same time.  I think people will be really moved.  How about you?”
   “I was thinking about bringing in my grandfather's old bagpipes to celebrate our Scottish history.”  Archie said.
   “Please don't entertain us with a song, Archie.  History class is already unbearable enough as it is.”  Reggie scoffed.
   “Har-dee-har-har.”  Archie said, sarcastically.
   “You're certainly in a mood.”  Veronica said.
   “I can't help it.”  Reggie said.  “It's bad enough Coach Kleats is doubling our football practice time in wake of the big Riverdale vs. Central homecoming game.  With Miss Grundy's history assignment, it's as if I don't have any moments to myself.”
   “Maybe you should bring along a bottle of glass cleaner along with your favourite mirror for your project so that you can make homework fun.”  Jughead said with a smirk on his face.
   “That's not a bad idea.”  Reggie said, smiling.
   “Reggie, I was kidding.”  Jughead said.
   “I wasn't.”  Reggie said.
   “You know, I think that we should get out of here.”  Veronica said.  “Archie, I'm going to let you buy me a shake at Pop's and then we'll work on our homework together.”
   “Veronica, first of all, it's a solo project, and secondly, Archie promised to buy me a shake during lunch.”  Betty said.
   “Why don't I just buy one shake, and put three straws inside of it like we always do?”  Archie asked.
   Betty and Veronica gave each other a look and walked towards the end of the hallway.
   Archie just shook his head.  “Was it something I said?”
   Reggie and Jughead exchanged a look.
   “Archie...I'd love to tell you all about the blunder you made, but I'm late for football practice.”  Reggie said.  “Bye.”
   As Reggie left, Archie turned towards Jughead.  “Jughead, what is it about women?”
   Jughead stared at Archie.  “You're asking ME?”
   Archie smiled.  “Nevermind, Jug.”  he said, realizing his mistake.  Look, I'd better go to Pop's...right after I hit the bank machine for enough money for three shakes...you coming?”
   “Give me a second.”  Jughead said.  “I just realized that I have to grab a snack from my locker.”
   “Jughead, aren't we going to Pop's FOR a snack?”  Archie asked.
   “Well, I need something to eat on the way!”  Jughead said.
   Archie shook his head.  “I'll wait for you outside.”
   Archie turned around and headed towards the door while Jughead walked across the hall to open up his locker.  As Jughead fiddled around with the combination lock, he heard something coming from further down the hall.
   “Sounds like some people are more excited about the weekend than others.”  Jughead concluded.
   Then Jughead heard the sound of someone's voice yelling “Leave me alone!”
   Jughead immediately ran down the hall to investigate.  By the time he arrived at the end of the hall where the gymnasium was, all Jughead could see was a boy who looked like he was not having a good day.  Jughead recognized the boy as being in Miss Grundy's history class, but that was all that he knew of him, other than the fact that he had only arrived at Riverdale High a month prior to today.
   Jughead approached the boy.  “Hey, kid...you all right?”
   The boy refused to look at Jughead, instead staring down at his shoes.
   “I said...are you okay?”  Jughead said, coming closer.
   The boy started to back away and left the hallway without saying a word to Jughead, his feet making double time as he showed a facial expression that read 'I need to leave now'.
   “Wonder what that was about?”  Jughead wondered.

Jughead and Archie decided to approach Wembley at the booth next to the gumball machine.  Jughead was hoping that this time, Wembley would stick around.
   “Hi.”  Jughead said.  “Would you mind if we joined you?”
   Wembley did not say a word.  Instead, he grabbed a nearby menu and buried his face in it, trying to make it seem that Archie and Jughead weren't there.
   “This is going well.”  Archie said.
   Unwilling to give up, Jughead sat down at the booth across from Wembley.  “Look...I know you're new in school, and I know that you're kind of quiet, and that's okay.  I was once like that too.  But, I'm sure that if you give my friend and I a chance to get to know you, you would find that you might like to know us too.”
   Wembley put down the menu and stared at Jughead intently, but still didn't speak.
   “Well, at least I can see your face now.”  Jughead said with a smile.  “Hey, listen.  I know you're in Miss Grundy's class.  I'm Jughead.  I sit in the back row on the opposite side of the room.  You may...have caught me sleeping in class a couple of times.”
   “A couple?”  Archie joked.
   Jughead shrugged his shoulders.  “The guy back there is Archie Andrews, my best friend.  Most days.”
   Archie laughed.  “He kids because he can.  Hey, Wembley.  Nice to meet you.”
   “You see?”  Jughead said.  “Archie wants to get to know you, and so do I.  But, it's kind of hard to get to know you if we don't know who you are.  We don't even know if you can speak!”
   Wembley cracked a tiny smile.  “I speak, all right.”
   “Oh my goodness!”  Jughead exclaimed.  “He speaks!”
   Archie nodded.  “I hear, I hear!”
   Wembley sighed.  “Okay, okay...I guess I don't have to be so nervous around you two.”
   “Of course you don't!”  Jughead said.  “Why would you be nervous at all?”
   Wembley sighed.  “It's a long story mate...I don't know if I really wanna go into it.”
   “It's okay.”  Jughead said.  “No rush.”
   “So, Wembley.”  Archie said.  “Tell us a bit about yourself.”
   “Well, I...um...there's not much to tell, really.”  Wembley said.  “I started at Riverdale High a month ago.  You two are really the first people who have actually come to me and welcomed me here.”
   “Really?”  Jughead exclaimed.  “You've been here a month and we're the first ones who have spoken to you?”
   “Well, no...”  Wembley said.  “...I mean, yes.  I mean...what I meant to say is...you two are the only ones who have welcomed me warmly.”
   “Again, I find that hard to believe.”  Jughead said.
   “I guess I'm just...quiet.”  Wembley said.  “It's not easy for me to...open up.”
   “Some people are like that.”  Jughead said.
   “Yeah, there's lots of people like that at Riverdale High.”  Archie said.  “All of us have had to overcome shyness at one point.  I have.  Certainly Jughead has.”
   “Yeah, but I don't think that either of you have quite had...the same things happen to you as I have.”  Wembley said.
   “Probably not, but you aren't alone in feeling shy at some point.”  Jughead said.
   Wembley sighed.  “I suppose.”
   Jughead smiled.  “Say...I have a great idea.  Archie and I are supposed to be going to the screening of the new horror movie tonight at the mall movie theatre along with a few of our friends.  Would you like to go?”
   “Yeah, Wembley.”  Archie said.  “We'd like it if you could go with us...maybe get to meet some more people?”
   “Who's all going?”  Wembley asked.
   “Well...us two.”  Jughead said.  “Reggie Mantle, Moose Mason, Chuck Clayton.”
   “Probably you'll see the Riverdale High football team there too.”  Archie said.  “Reggie says that they've been talking about going to see it since they saw the trailers for it online.”
   As soon as Archie mentioned the words 'football team', the colour in Wembley's face drained, and he looked as though he was going to be sick.
   “Wembley, are you all right?”  Jughead asked.
   “Oh...um...yeah.”  Wembley said.  “Just fine.  I just remembered that I don't like...um...I don't like horror movies.  They're too scary even for me.  I'm gonna pass.”
   “Sorry to hear that.”  Archie said.  “But, hey.  Maybe we can do something else this weekend.”
   “I'm...sorry, guys.”  Wembley said.  “Look.  I have to go.  Bye, guys.”
   Wembley stood up, left the booth, and darted out of the door, leaving Archie and Jughead very confused.
   “He sure left in a hurry.”  Archie said.
   “Yeah.”  Jughead said.  “Too much of a hurry.  Did you notice how oddly he reacted to us when you mentioned that the football team might be at the movie theatre tonight?”
   “Yeah, come to think of it, I did.”  Archie said. 
   “Something's up.”  Jughead said.  “When I saw Wembley outside the gym, he looked like he was visibly shaken.  And, the gym was where Coach Kleats held football practice today.  And, now when you mentioned the football team, Wembley clammed up and had to leave.  There's something about the football team that is making Wembley act this way.  It can't be a coincidence.”
   “What do you think it is?”  Archie said.
   “I'm not sure...but I'm going to find out.”  Jughead said.
   “And, how are you going to do that?”  Archie asked.
   “Like this.”  Jughead said, pointing towards a book on the table of the booth.
   “Is that...a history notebook?”  Archie asked.
   “Yes.”  Jughead said, looking on the inside cover.  “And, it belongs to Wembley Morris.  There's even an address on the cover.  I'm sure if I return this book to him tonight, maybe if I'm lucky, he'll open up to me more about why he gets so anxious about the football team.”
   “What about the movie?”  Archie asked.
   “Forget the movie.”  Jughead said.  “There's something going on with Wembley and he's for whatever reason too afraid or stubborn to talk about it.”
   “I don't know if you can do much.”  Archie said.  “But, if anyone can get through to him, I know you can.”
   “Thanks, pal.”  Jughead said.  “Just tell Reggie when he comes that I won't be at the movie.  Just tell him I had to babysit Jellybean.”
   “Why not tell him the truth?”  Archie asked.
   “Just a hunch.”  Jughead said.
   Archie nodded.  “Go on.  I'll see you later.”
   Jughead walked out of Pop's as Archie pondered the turn of events.  “Why would Jughead want me to lie to Reggie about where he was going?  And, why would Wembley react that way to the football team?  I know Jughead seems to have an idea of what's happening, but I think it's time I did some digging of my own.”

Wow. Really good. You nailed how they all react with one another, set things up, and I'm guessing the big reveal is next.

Only bad thing is that I was imagining the old Archie show voices instead of the Archie Weird Myster voices. The old voices kind of creep me out a bit.

Could be worse...they could've been the New Archies voices with Veronica's Valley-Girl accent.

But, thanks for the compliments.  I read your Jughead story too.  It was really good too!