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Everything Archie => All About Archie => Topic started by: Mr.Lodge on November 06, 2019, 07:48:53 PM

Title: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: Mr.Lodge on November 06, 2019, 07:48:53 PM
At the time I thought the original Archie - The Married Life was (and still is) one of the best series to come out there other than the classic stuff. I was forward to the this and boy, was I disappointed.

I know the Dan Parent apologists will skin me but I don't care.

I think the story and art on this absolutely stinks and doesn't hold a candle to the original.

Don't even get me started on Archie '55.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on November 07, 2019, 12:21:29 AM
Seems like it's ignoring everything after LIFE WITH ARCHIE #1 (i.e., all of "The Married Life" stories written by Paul Kupperberg). I like the art (well, except for Dan's decision that an older Archie should have a huge jaw in order to distinguish him from teenage Archie), but it's still too soon for me to pass final judgment on it as a story. I plan to re-read the whole thing in one sitting sometime after the last issue is released (or I might just wait for the TP), and maybe I'll have a clearer feeling about it by then. Clearly it's not a sequel to the run of LIFE WITH ARCHIE as written by Kupperberg, though. Having re-read the whole prior Married Life story fairly recently, both the strengths and flaws inherent in that series became a lot more obvious to me. After reading the whole thing again, I revised my initial opinion downward in terms of plot and story continuity, but felt like where it stood out was in terms of character interaction scenes and dialogue (only possible where you have a lot of pages for that kind of stuff).

That said, the story doesn't have anywhere near the same room to breath as the original LIFE WITH ARCHIE magazine, and the plot is necessarily compacted to fit into six standard-sized floppy comic issues -- which amounts to the same as only THREE magazine-sized issues of The Married Life, so it's hardly fair to compare one to the other as a complete series, either. Then again, I can recall the same sort of complaints about the final B&V story arc by Uslan and Parent. Either one is still miles better than what we're getting in the current ongoing ARCHIE title and miniseries like SABRINA.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on April 13, 2021, 09:07:46 PM
If a reader knows ahead of time this is a sequel to the original "Will You Marry Me" stories instead of the "Life With Archie" stories, then they will see that it's got some pretty good story lines. This is a mini series, and not the four year epic "Married Life" since Archie dies which I thought was a mistake to kill him off. The writers could have had Archie survive the gunshot wound and he would still be a hero. The 10th Anniversary series has all kinds of issues that now the 30 something gang has to face such as sick and dying parents, the struggling Chock'lit Shop, dreams put on hold so a spouse can achieve theirs, conflicts between work and family, marital stress, dealing with parent issues, political issues, etc. I feel this series could have went longer and went more in depth with the subjects. I'm hoping that there will be more Married Life stories in the future.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on April 30, 2021, 10:15:19 AM
It would probably make sense for someone who hasn't read any of this to start with ARCHIE MARRIES..., then the 10th Anniversary story. Then they could read the whole THE MARRIED LIFE for an alternate take if they were still interested. Oh, and the thing with Valerie marrying Archie, too. Seems like a lot more pathways diverged in the woods than just the original two.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on May 05, 2021, 09:03:08 PM
It would make sense to go from ARCHIE MARRIES and then the 10th ANNIVERSARY series. But fans see "The Married Life" as part of the newer 10th title and assume it's a continuation of "Life With Archie", which it isn't. But again, how would you able to continue the LWA Married Life, unless you can convince readers that Archie didn't die? I haven't read Archie Marries Valerie yet, but I feel that would be a great 3rd fork story on Memory Lane. Valerie is a successful musician and Archie could pursue his musical goals with her. I thought the LWA AMV was the most depressing of all the married stories, especially when Archie moves back home and pulls his acoustic guitar out of the closet with 2 strings busted. It showed that he gave up music when he married Veronica. I noticed Michael Uslan and Paul Kupperberg had different ideas on who certain characters would end up with and what their professions would be. I would have loved to see in the LWA series more of the characters unknowing crossing over from one universe to the other like Archie did in Issue #14. Imagine Betty and Reggie from different universes meeting up, since they are a couple only in AMV. Or AMV Jughead running into AMB Midge.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on May 06, 2021, 08:59:26 AM
"Archie Marries Valerie" was in ARCHIE #631-634... and later reprinted in the trade paperback ARCHIE: A Rock'n'Roll Romance (2014). That was strictly Dan Parent's idea. Neither Michael Uslan or Paul Kupperberg were involved.

I think the 10th Anniversary series was unfortunately named, since it should have been more accurately titled ARCHIE MARRIES 10th Anniversary to avoid confusing potential readers about what, exactly, it was a sequel to. Nevertheless, it seems like The Married Life from LIFE WITH ARCHIE was more likely to be a stronger draw, sales-wise, than Archie Marries as a title, and ACP chose it deliberately.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on May 13, 2021, 09:03:45 PM
I found the storylines and layout somewhat of a hybrid between the Archie Marries and Life With Archie Married Life books. True, the stories are more a sequel to Archie Marries, but there were a couple of storylines from LWA that Uslan used in the 10th Anniversary, such as Moose becoming a politician and Ms. Grundy is deceased. Also, the layout in all 6 issues was done with the Archie/Veronica chapter done first followed by the Archie/Betty one, just like  LWA. The plots in 10th were written with a more serious tone with virtually none of the humor found in Archie Marries. Story wise, you really can't make jokes over losing a father, or seeing anther parent whose memory health is in decline (Archie's Father). And these are issues the gang in their 30's will start to face as well as other ones. I think the 10th Anniversary could have went a few issues longer like LWA. Hey, in 2024, maybe we'll get a 15th anniversary series!
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on May 22, 2022, 09:54:22 PM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on November 07, 2019, 12:21:29 AMSeems like it's ignoring everything after LIFE WITH ARCHIE #1 (i.e., all of "The Married Life" stories written by Paul Kupperberg). I like the art (well, except for Dan's decision that an older Archie should have a huge jaw in order to distinguish him from teenage Archie), but it's still too soon for me to pass final judgment on it as a story. I plan to re-read the whole thing in one sitting sometime after the last issue is released (or I might just wait for the TP), and maybe I'll have a clearer feeling about it by then. Clearly it's not a sequel to the run of LIFE WITH ARCHIE as written by Kupperberg, though. Having re-read the whole prior Married Life story fairly recently, both the strengths and flaws inherent in that series became a lot more obvious to me. After reading the whole thing again, I revised my initial opinion downward in terms of plot and story continuity, but felt like where it stood out was in terms of character interaction scenes and dialogue (only possible where you have a lot of pages for that kind of stuff).

That said, the story doesn't have anywhere near the same room to breath as the original LIFE WITH ARCHIE magazine, and the plot is necessarily compacted to fit into six standard-sized floppy comic issues -- which amounts to the same as only THREE magazine-sized issues of The Married Life, so it's hardly fair to compare one to the other as a complete series, either. Then again, I can recall the same sort of complaints about the final B&V story arc by Uslan and Parent. Either one is still miles better than what we're getting in the current ongoing ARCHIE title and miniseries like SABRINA.
Maybe there were some legal issues keeping Michael Uslan from incorporating any of Paul Kupperberg's storylines from LWA and was only allowed to expand on the ones he created. Moose getting into politics, Miss Grundy sick, Archie working for Veronica's father and the other pairings were started by Uslan.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on May 23, 2022, 11:57:00 AM
I suspect there are NO legal issues. Archie Comic Publications owns the work-for-hire produced for them by both Uslan and Kupperberg.

It would be somewhat more helpful to know exactly what sort of discussions or notes passed between Uslan and Kupperberg in the handoff between LWA #1 and LWA #2... but with Uslan stepping away from steering the course of the series, Kupperberg may not have felt beholden to follow ALL of Uslan's intended directions. And upon returning to the 10th Anniversary series, Uslan may have felt equally not-beholden to follow what Kupperberg established on his own after Uslan's initial departure from LWA.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on May 28, 2022, 09:59:00 AM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on May 23, 2022, 11:57:00 AMI suspect there are NO legal issues. Archie Comic Publications owns the work-for-hire produced for them by both Uslan and Kupperberg.

It would be somewhat more helpful to know exactly what sort of discussions or notes passed between Uslan and Kupperberg in the handoff between LWA #1 and LWA #2... but with Uslan stepping away from steering the course of the series, Kupperberg may not have felt beholden to follow ALL of Uslan's intended directions. And upon returning to the 10th Anniversary series, Uslan may have felt equally not-beholden to follow what Kupperberg established on his own after Uslan's initial departure from LWA.
I think a couple of the characters Kupperberg created could have been used here in the 10th Anniversary. For instance, Ambrose, who had a somewhat heroic storyline in LWA, was downgraded to being a creep in the 10th. Uslan could have used Moe Miller (the franchise "expert" in LWA) to play that role. Also, Uslan could have continued the Kevin/Clay storyline here. But again, the 10th Anniversary is Uslan's project and he probably wanted to keep it all his own storylines. He did try to pack a lot of story in these 6 issues though. 
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on May 28, 2022, 01:27:36 PM
I did read a 2009 NYT interview with Michael Uslan where he said he wrote "Archie's Fate in one of the two storylines". He said this after being asked about "which girl will Archie be destined to spend his life with". Of course, that will end the love triangle, but I'm curious to see which girl ends up being Archie's true wife.  I think I know who it is......
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on May 29, 2022, 09:28:10 AM
Quote from: beatman10 on May 28, 2022, 01:27:36 PMI did read a 2009 NYT interview with Michael Uslan where he said he wrote "Archie's Fate in one of the two storylines". He said this after being asked about "which girl will Archie be destined to spend his life with". Of course, that will end the love triangle, but I'm curious to see which girl ends up being Archie's true wife.  I think I know who it is......

I'm afraid I don't understand what you're saying. The question is decided in both girls' favor at the very beginning of ARCHIE MARRIES... and thus, the two divergent timelines. And of course, a third is added much later with Valerie becoming his "true wife". It's simply a matter of what is true in one alternate timeline is different than what is true in another.

So... the triangle remains unresolved. Or it's been resolved both ways, take your choice.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on June 15, 2022, 09:37:09 PM
I had interpreted what Uslan meant in the interview is he had written an actual ending showing only one of the "Archie Marries" timelines will be "canon" and the other one is a "fantasy".  And like a lot of other fans of these stories, I tried to find any clues that Mr. Uslan may have left. Like, why did Archie look so distraught near the end of the Veronica timeline when he went for his Christmas Eve walk? He had money, family and his marriage to Veronica seemed pretty solid. We'll probably never know the answer and maybe we're not supposed to.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on June 20, 2022, 02:40:29 PM
Quote from: beatman10 on June 15, 2022, 09:37:09 PMI had interpreted what Uslan meant in the interview is he had written an actual ending showing only one of the "Archie Marries" timelines will be "canon" and the other one is a "fantasy".  And like a lot of other fans of these stories, I tried to find any clues that Mr. Uslan may have left. Like, why did Archie look so distraught near the end of the Veronica timeline when he went for his Christmas Eve walk? He had money, family and his marriage to Veronica seemed pretty solid. We'll probably never know the answer and maybe we're not supposed to.

Yeah, I don't know how anything in the future can be deemed "canon"; all future stories are possible futures. It would only be canon if it got an ongoing series. And maybe not even then... Is January McAndrews "canon"? Or just a descendant of Archie in some possible future?

And I don't know how either one (Archie marries Betty or Archie marries Veronica) can ever become canon, because it's automatically divisive and alienates half the readers... and they sure don't want that. Even when the premise of "Archie Marries" became the ongoing title LIFE WITH ARCHIE, each universe is equally true and valid... and so are the ones they didn't show (or even think of) until later, like "Archie Marries Valerie".
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on June 20, 2022, 02:54:21 PM
(https://64.media.tumblr.com/1c9910886ec4f0358c4bb6fa06e079e0/tumblr_pkp11j68ik1w8kopxo3_r1_1280.jpg)
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on June 25, 2022, 03:44:40 PM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 20, 2022, 02:54:21 PM(https://64.media.tumblr.com/1c9910886ec4f0358c4bb6fa06e079e0/tumblr_pkp11j68ik1w8kopxo3_r1_1280.jpg)
Yep! I remember reading this one. I  also remember a storyline where Archie has a dream where he meets up with a rich, middle aged, hamburger chain mogul (sound familiar?) Jughead. And, Jughead tells Archie that he married Betty Cooper!!
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: Jabroniville on November 26, 2022, 01:40:43 AM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on November 07, 2019, 12:21:29 AMSeems like it's ignoring everything after LIFE WITH ARCHIE #1 (i.e., all of "The Married Life" stories written by Paul Kupperberg). I like the art (well, except for Dan's decision that an older Archie should have a huge jaw in order to distinguish him from teenage Archie), but it's still too soon for me to pass final judgment on it as a story. I plan to re-read the whole thing in one sitting sometime after the last issue is released (or I might just wait for the TP), and maybe I'll have a clearer feeling about it by then. Clearly it's not a sequel to the run of LIFE WITH ARCHIE as written by Kupperberg, though. Having re-read the whole prior Married Life story fairly recently, both the strengths and flaws inherent in that series became a lot more obvious to me. After reading the whole thing again, I revised my initial opinion downward in terms of plot and story continuity, but felt like where it stood out was in terms of character interaction scenes and dialogue (only possible where you have a lot of pages for that kind of stuff).

That said, the story doesn't have anywhere near the same room to breath as the original LIFE WITH ARCHIE magazine, and the plot is necessarily compacted to fit into six standard-sized floppy comic issues -- which amounts to the same as only THREE magazine-sized issues of The Married Life, so it's hardly fair to compare one to the other as a complete series, either. Then again, I can recall the same sort of complaints about the final B&V story arc by Uslan and Parent. Either one is still miles better than what we're getting in the current ongoing ARCHIE title and miniseries like SABRINA.
I'm curious what you think the flaws were. Apologies if the re-read is now too long ago for you to remember XD.

I found that it had definitely gone off the rails at some point (I believe during a writer switch) and sometimes the two universes weren't different enough to really justify having both stories. It was neat seeing Little Ambrose and others return, though :). 
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on November 26, 2022, 03:59:02 PM
Quote from: Jabroniville on November 26, 2022, 01:40:43 AM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on November 07, 2019, 12:21:29 AMSeems like it's ignoring everything after LIFE WITH ARCHIE #1 (i.e., all of "The Married Life" stories written by Paul Kupperberg). I like the art (well, except for Dan's decision that an older Archie should have a huge jaw in order to distinguish him from teenage Archie), but it's still too soon for me to pass final judgment on it as a story. I plan to re-read the whole thing in one sitting sometime after the last issue is released (or I might just wait for the TP), and maybe I'll have a clearer feeling about it by then. Clearly it's not a sequel to the run of LIFE WITH ARCHIE as written by Kupperberg, though. Having re-read the whole prior Married Life story fairly recently, both the strengths and flaws inherent in that series became a lot more obvious to me. After reading the whole thing again, I revised my initial opinion downward in terms of plot and story continuity, but felt like where it stood out was in terms of character interaction scenes and dialogue (only possible where you have a lot of pages for that kind of stuff).

That said, the story doesn't have anywhere near the same room to breath as the original LIFE WITH ARCHIE magazine, and the plot is necessarily compacted to fit into six standard-sized floppy comic issues -- which amounts to the same as only THREE magazine-sized issues of The Married Life, so it's hardly fair to compare one to the other as a complete series, either. Then again, I can recall the same sort of complaints about the final B&V story arc by Uslan and Parent. Either one is still miles better than what we're getting in the current ongoing ARCHIE title and miniseries like SABRINA.
I'm curious what you think the flaws were. Apologies if the re-read is now too long ago for you to remember XD.

I found that it had definitely gone off the rails at some point (I believe during a writer switch) and sometimes the two universes weren't different enough to really justify having both stories. It was neat seeing Little Ambrose and others return, though :).

The only writer switch in THE MARRIED LIFE (or LIFE WITH ARCHIE magazine, if you prefer) was at the very beginning, where issue #1 is the setup written by Mike Uslan -- and immediately after that, it's Paul Kupperberg for the follow-up through the rest of the series.

The major flaw is a lack of any general plan or direction (until looming cancellation forces one upon Kupperberg; i.e. "The Death of Archie"). The pendulum swings wide with Mr. Lodge initially as the seeming villain, and then (as things take a distinct turn towards more of a harder SF theme) seemingly Dilton Doiley... but then Kupperberg backs away on the SF angle (perhaps due to reader reaction?) shortly after launching a meandering plotline featuring Veronica's lost plane crossing into the Bettyverse. Sure the various twists kept readers on tenterhooks from issue to issue of the magazine, but read as a whole there's no real plot structure overall. Various characters' threads get lost in the miasma in the latter half.

ARCHIE: THE MARRIED LIFE 10th ANNIVERSARY has Mike Uslan back in the driver's seat again, but this time it's "10 Years Later" after the original "ARCHIE MARRIES..." (ARCHIE #600-606), and while incorporating some of Uslan's ideas from LIFE WITH ARCHIE Magazine #1, goes off on completely different tangents than Kupperberg's story did.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: Jabroniville on November 27, 2022, 01:52:41 AM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on November 26, 2022, 03:59:02 PMThe major flaw is a lack of any general plan or direction (until looming cancellation forces one upon Kupperberg; i.e. "The Death of Archie"). The pendulum swings wide with Mr. Lodge initially as the seeming villain, and then (as things take a distinct turn towards more of a harder SF theme) seemingly Dilton Doiley... but then Kupperberg backs away on the SF angle (perhaps due to reader reaction?) shortly after launching a meandering plotline featuring Veronica's lost plane crossing into the Bettyverse. Sure the various twists kept readers on tenterhooks from issue to issue of the magazine, but read as a whole there's no real plot structure overall. Various characters' threads get lost in the miasma in the latter half.

ARCHIE: THE MARRIED LIFE 10th ANNIVERSARY has Mike Uslan back in the driver's seat again, but this time it's "10 Years Later" after the original "ARCHIE MARRIES..." (ARCHIE #600-606), and while incorporating some of Uslan's ideas from LIFE WITH ARCHIE Magazine #1, goes off on completely different tangents than Kupperberg's story did.

Ah, OK- I can't remember the specifics this long after the fact, but I recall the huge first issue for sure- all that wild stuff being added in. I felt a very sudden narrative shift at some point in the first year (what you describe as the "pendulum swing") and that's probably what I'm thinking of. Dilton doing the science-fiction stuff comes in heavy and then feels like it's dropped completely. 

I'm forgetting "Hiram the Villain" but I definitely recall him being antagonistic at some point. Was it to Archie/Veronica or to Reggie? Boy I don't remember a plane crossing universes either, lol- so much of the comic really left my memory ages ago. 

In retrospect the one thing that still bothers me is that Jughead MARRIES MIDGE and Archie only learns about it after the fact. As if at any point someone would get married and not tell their best friend XD. 

I barely recall the "10th Anniversary" book coming out and I never checked it out. Reviews weren't great but now I'm curious, lol. The benefit of hindsight can help out a LOT of stories. 
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on November 28, 2022, 09:59:13 PM
In the "Veronica" story, Mr. Lodge tries to frame Reggie for bribery and extortion. And then he lies to Veronica about Archie demanding a million dollar dowry before he would marry her. Mr. Lodge felt as long as Veronica was married to Archie, she would lack the killer instinct needed to take over Lodge industries.Mr. Lodge's meddling nearly ended their marriage. It didn't help that Veronica believed her "Daddy" over Archie. So yeah, Mr. Lodge was antagonistic to both Archie and Reggie.
    In the "Betty" story , Mr. Lodge vowed to ruin Archie and anyone else associated with him for turning down his bribe to leave Betty and marry Veronica. It nearly worked until Veronica found out about it and got her father to leave her friends alone.  From what I've read, most readers didn't like seeing Mr. Lodge as a villain.
    I believe the storyline where Jughead marries Midge and Archie didn't know about it until after the fact was in the original "Archie Wedding" series. This was Mr. Uslan bringing out the "SURPRISE"!!! I kind of knew something would happen to Jughead because he said earlier in the story 'No girl trapped me!" Archie and Betty did go to Jughead's wedding in LWA issue #5 and are kind of shocked  to see that Jug "finally noticed a girl".
    If you go in with the mindset that the "10th Anniversary" is only a mini series and isn't trying to compete with the 4 year, 37 issue "Life With Archie"  you may feel more positive about it. This really only focuses on what is going on with Archie's marriage(s) at the 10 year mark. There are some real issues discussed here that happen at that point in a marriage. And there are some surprises. Plue Archie doesn't die!!!!
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: Jabroniville on November 30, 2022, 12:43:06 AM
Quote from: beatman10 on November 28, 2022, 09:59:13 PMIn the "Veronica" story, Mr. Lodge tries to frame Reggie for bribery and extortion. And then he lies to Veronica about Archie demanding a million dollar dowry before he would marry her. Mr. Lodge felt as long as Veronica was married to Archie, she would lack the killer instinct needed to take over Lodge industries.Mr. Lodge's meddling nearly ended their marriage. It didn't help that Veronica believed her "Daddy" over Archie. So yeah, Mr. Lodge was antagonistic to both Archie and Reggie.
    In the "Betty" story , Mr. Lodge vowed to ruin Archie and anyone else associated with him for turning down his bribe to leave Betty and marry Veronica. It nearly worked until Veronica found out about it and got her father to leave her friends alone.  From what I've read, most readers didn't like seeing Mr. Lodge as a villain.
    I believe the storyline where Jughead marries Midge and Archie didn't know about it until after the fact was in the original "Archie Wedding" series. This was Mr. Uslan bringing out the "SURPRISE"!!! I kind of knew something would happen to Jughead because he said earlier in the story 'No girl trapped me!" Archie and Betty did go to Jughead's wedding in LWA issue #5 and are kind of shocked  to see that Jug "finally noticed a girl".
    If you go in with the mindset that the "10th Anniversary" is only a mini series and isn't trying to compete with the 4 year, 37 issue "Life With Archie"  you may feel more positive about it. This really only focuses on what is going on with Archie's marriage(s) at the 10 year mark. There are some real issues discussed here that happen at that point in a marriage. And there are some surprises. Plue Archie doesn't die!!!!
ahhhhhhhhh- I remember the "You MUST leave Betty for Veronica!" plot point! Yeah, that was wild, and seemed out of nowhere with Mr. Lodge as the bad guy. 

Yeah I remember the "Married Life" stories re-treating old ground and fixing some stuff up- Jughead & Midge were seen slowly falling in love instead of going all "LOL surprise, best friend! I'm married!". I had forgotten they had retconned out that bit of Archie being in the dark. Thanks!
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on November 30, 2022, 04:29:36 PM
Quote from: beatman10 on November 28, 2022, 09:59:13 PMFrom what I've read, most readers didn't like seeing Mr. Lodge as a villain.

It's a violation of Mr. Lodge's basic character. Sure, there are plenty of stories where he doesn't like Archie and tries to thwart him. And there are stories where sometimes there is an adversarial relationship between Lodge and "the gang" in general because of a generation gap thing -- but in pretty much ALL of those stories, Mr. Lodge comes around in the end. In most classic Archie stories, Mr. Lodge is not an bad man at all... he's shown to be a good man, despite the fact that he's rich. There are many instances where the gang points out an issue which Lodge helps resolve through his philanthropy.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on December 13, 2022, 09:32:00 PM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on November 30, 2022, 04:29:36 PM
Quote from: beatman10 on November 28, 2022, 09:59:13 PMFrom what I've read, most readers didn't like seeing Mr. Lodge as a villain.

It's a violation of Mr. Lodge's basic character. Sure, there are plenty of stories where he doesn't like Archie and tries to thwart him. And there are stories where sometimes there is an adversarial relationship between Lodge and "the gang" in general because of a generation gap thing -- but in pretty much ALL of those stories, Mr. Lodge comes around in the end. In most classic Archie stories, Mr. Lodge is not an bad man at all... he's shown to be a good man, despite the fact that he's rich. There are many instances where the gang points out an issue which Lodge helps resolve through his philanthropy.
What I remember mostly about Mr. Lodge and Archie's relationship in the comics was, whenever Archie was at the Lodge mansion, he would end up breaking all of the Lodge's prized possessions, accidentally, of course. Mr. Lodge would get so frustrated with him and end up throwing him out, usually with Smithers' help. And I remember one story, even Ronnie helped to throw him out. Another thing I remember about Mr. Lodge was that he was always protective of Veronica and made sure Archie minded his manners when he was with her, just like any good father would be.
I can maybe understand Mr. Lodge being antagonistic toward Archie more so in the "Betty" timeline since Archie married Betty and sent Veronica into a depression. That whole "You hurt my little girl but you can make her happy again by leaving Betty" was wrong and Veronica would never accept Archie being paid to marry her.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on December 15, 2022, 12:05:12 PM
As far as I'm concerned, every single time (and boy, were there lots of them) that Mr. Lodge and/or Smithers gave Archie the old heave-ho out the front door of the Lodge mansion, he was perfectly justified. Good for him!
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on December 25, 2022, 11:31:29 AM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on December 15, 2022, 12:05:12 PMAs far as I'm concerned, every single time (and boy, were there lots of them) that Mr. Lodge and/or Smithers gave Archie the old heave-ho out the front door of the Lodge mansion, he was perfectly justified. Good for him!
Yeah, this reminds me of SNL's "Mr Bill Show". You know that Mr Bill is going to get destroyed every episode just like Archie is going to make a fool of himself at the Lodge Mansion and get thrown out. But it's still funny.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on December 25, 2022, 12:03:02 PM
Quote from: Jabroniville on November 30, 2022, 12:43:06 AMeah I remember the "Married Life" stories re-treating old ground and fixing some stuff up- Jughead & Midge were seen slowly falling in love instead of going all "LOL surprise, best friend! I'm married!". I had forgotten they had retconned out that bit of Archie being in the dark. Thanks!
That was pretty bold of Midge proposing to Jughead and him accepting!!! I think all along she wanted a real marriage with him. She is apparently someone who goes after what and who she wants.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on December 25, 2022, 01:04:01 PM
Well that was ONE writer's idea of Midge's character, anyway...

It's still wide open, and I'm sure some writers would be aghast at anything other than "Moose & Midge 4-EVA"...

Hell, it would have been interesting if she'd wound up with Reggie after all! Anything's possible really.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on December 25, 2022, 06:45:20 PM
Yes, I'm sure the writers as well as the fans all have their feelings on which pairings they like or even if the characters should be shown as "adults". I read somewhere that not everyone at corporate was on board with seeing Archie and the gang as grown ups .It was interesting that Reggie never tried to date Midge after her breakup with Moose.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: Jabroniville on January 28, 2023, 08:18:07 PM
I'm still a bit upset they paired the girl who didn't get chosen off with Reggie in both stories- it ruined the Betty/Jughead shipping opportunity XD!
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on January 31, 2023, 10:05:20 PM
Quote from: Jabroniville on January 28, 2023, 08:18:07 PMI'm still a bit upset they paired the girl who didn't get chosen off with Reggie in both stories- it ruined the Betty/Jughead shipping opportunity XD!
Uh Oh! There were two members of this forum who had "Betty" and "Reggie" in their usernames. You don't want to ruffle their feathers by bring up "Bughead", do you? ;D But yeah, I've read comments saying "It should have been Jughead and Betty in the Veronica story". And it kind of makes sense being the both of them chose food preparation careers. I think Reggie messed up a little with that reality show bit. Betty wanted no part of that but went along with it to make Reggie happy. (Good ol' Betts,,,the people pleaser!) In the 10th Anniversary, on the Veronica side it was only hinted at the end that Reggie and Betty would become a couple. I'm curious to know if Mr. Uslan had written more chapters of"Life With Archie" but they got shelved when he opted out and Mr. Kupperberg took over.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: DeCarlo Rules on March 16, 2023, 12:21:56 PM
Quote from: beatman10 on January 31, 2023, 10:05:20 PMI'm curious to know if Mr. Uslan had written more chapters of"Life With Archie" but they got shelved when he opted out and Mr. Kupperberg took over.

I'm sure if Uslan had actually written more chapters that he'd have been paid for those scripts, and ACP would have used them. I'm more curious why the series didn't just start out with Kupperberg as the writer. As in, did Uslan have some disagreement with editor Gorelick that caused a parting of ways, or was it always the intention that Uslan "lay the foundation stone" for the series by writing #1 (and ONLY #1) and then move on to other projects?
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on March 23, 2023, 08:20:14 PM
Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on March 16, 2023, 12:21:56 PM
Quote from: beatman10 on January 31, 2023, 10:05:20 PMI'm curious to know if Mr. Uslan had written more chapters of"Life With Archie" but they got shelved when he opted out and Mr. Kupperberg took over.

I'm sure if Uslan had actually written more chapters that he'd have been paid for those scripts, and ACP would have used them. I'm more curious why the series didn't just start out with Kupperberg as the writer. As in, did Uslan have some disagreement with editor Gorelick that caused a parting of ways, or was it always the intention that Uslan "lay the foundation stone" for the series by writing #1 (and ONLY #1) and then move on to other projects?
I believe your second theory is correct about Uslan 'laying the foundation". Kupperberg had said "Michael (Uslan) simply wasn't able to commit" full time to writing for LWA. Kupperberg also credits Uslan with "getting the ball rolling" on the project. Uslan did set up a lot of good storylines for Kupperberg to explore and make his own.  Moose running for mayor, Ms. Grundy's illness, Mr. Lodge's character, bringing back Ambrose were all Uslan's ideas. He even toyed with Veronica possibly dying when a picture Dilton is showing has an "X" over her face. Although I liked the 10 Anniversary series, there were two things I found puzzling: What happened to Moose's girlfriend, Illana and why was Ambrose made to be a creep in this series? That's why I wondered if Uslan had more chapters that didn't make the cut. Kind of like when a band makes an album with 12 songs on it but another additional 5 were recorded and they were left off.
Title: Re: Archie - The Married Life - 10th Anniversary - Opinions?
Post by: beatman10 on March 28, 2023, 08:51:33 PM
I apologize for all the underlines in my previous post. Don't know how that happened. The one thing I liked that Michael Uslan did in the "10th Anniversary" as well as in the 2009 "Archie Wedding" and the one issue he wrote in LWA, is, he made the Archie/Veronica marriage more of an equal partnership. I felt In the LWA Kupperberg "Veronica" story, Archie took on a subordinate roll, not only in business, but in their marriage as well. Veronica believed her father about the phony dowry story and never questioned Archie about it even though he was living in a roach motel and waiting tables at Jughead's. Hardly what someone would be doing with millions in bribe money. And it took until Issue #23 before Veronica asked for the truth from her Dad. In the 10 Anniversary, Uslan paints her more sympathetic. She loses her father to a heart attack and is now the head of Lodge industries. And she now has to juggle her business obligations while being a wife and mother. And she has issues with Archie, who, while working long hours, put Veronica feeling like she was a single parent raising their children. I liked the way Betty put it all in perspective to Archie near the end.