If you could write the stories however you want, how would you do it? Which main character(s) would you write about? Which supporting characters (from any time period)? Which genre would the stories be? Which rating would it be?

I'd focus on Betty and Cheryl. I'd pair this together romantically, which would cause complications and fighting among the other people in their lives (most notably, Archie and Veronica). It'd be at least Teen+ (if I could get away with it, I'd do a Mature Readers title, since I have my fanfic versions of Betty and Cheryl have sex and drop f-bombs casually). It'd be generally down-to-Earth in tone. Supporting characters would include Tomoko, Kumi, and Crystal (the New Age girl from the '90s, since I identify with that now, but I'd update her look from "hippie" to "ethereal").

This is a good question, I need to sit on it. I can't write that well and I wouldn't want to do any creative work for Archie anyway but if I was a billionaire who bought the company one thing I would try as an experiment would be rehiring the classic Archie artists to write and draw titles for each of the main five with the rule that none of them could appear in each other's books. Even though they work best as a unit I'd want to see how they each stand up on their own. But I have to think about what they'd each do.

Quote from: daren on June 28, 2016, 02:13:58 AM
This is a good question, I need to sit on it. I can't write that well and I wouldn't want to do any creative work for Archie anyway but if I was a billionaire who bought the company one thing I would try as an experiment would be rehiring the classic Archie artists to write and draw titles for each of the main five with the rule that none of them could appear in each other's books. Even though they work best as a unit I'd want to see how they each stand up on their own. But I have to think about what they'd each do.

I agree of the part where you make the billionaire point and rehiring the Classic Archie artists and such, but the other Archie characters couldn't appear in each other's books? that would seem to me to be pretty difficult to pull off. For example, how could Jughead not be in Archie's book for a panel or two, at least, the same for Betty and Ronica? I mean, even Daredevil has appeared in a Spider-Man book or spin off, and vice versa...

Quote from: SAGG on June 28, 2016, 01:13:33 PM

Quote from: daren on June 28, 2016, 02:13:58 AM
This is a good question, I need to sit on it. I can't write that well and I wouldn't want to do any creative work for Archie anyway but if I was a billionaire who bought the company one thing I would try as an experiment would be rehiring the classic Archie artists to write and draw titles for each of the main five with the rule that none of them could appear in each other's books. Even though they work best as a unit I'd want to see how they each stand up on their own. But I have to think about what they'd each do.

I agree of the part where you make the billionaire point and rehiring the Classic Archie artists and such, but the other Archie characters couldn't appear in each other's books? that would seem to me to be pretty difficult to pull off. For example, how could Jughead not be in Archie's book for a panel or two, at least, the same for Betty and Ronica? I mean, even Daredevil has appeared in a Spider-Man book or spin off, and vice versa...

No, I think I can see what Daren's saying (and I agree, if I'm reading it right). In order for each character to be the STAR of his own title, it would work better if none of the other "star" characters were part of the regular ongoing supporting cast. That gives you a chance to break the existing mold, and not rely on repetition of the same previously-existing character relationships over and over.

Not to say that Archie or Jughead could NEVER ever appear in an issue of Reggie's comic, but that that would amount to a "guest appearance" in the same way Spider-Man appearing in DAREDEVIL would. Spider-Man's relationship to Daredevil isn't something that the book relies on as its main source of character interaction. So Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and Reggie are all more or less forced to develop their OWN ongoing supporting casts (which, of course, can be drawn from the existing pool of secondary characters). Is that about right, Daren?

Given that scenario, there should probably also be a sixth title, what amounts to a "team" title, like a new version of ARCHIE'S PALS 'N' GALS or ARCHIE & FRIENDS, just to satisfy that craving for seeing the Gang of Five interacting, traditional-style. In that title, no one is the main star of the story -- it's an ensemble story, with an equal focus on all of them (plus Moose & Midge, Chuck & Nancy, Cheryl, Dilton, and Ethel).

Actually, the more I think on this notion, the more it seems like not only a good idea, but a GREAT idea. It would really generate some fresh situations, and allow each book to focus on ONE star (except for the 'team' book), in effect becoming more unique and distinct, less like an "Archie spinoff" than an individual title, like JOSIE or SABRINA. There's fresh territory there for exploring these characters outside of their relationships with the other main four. The right, and smart, way to do this in order to make these books the basis of an "Archieverse" is not to ignore the other characters entirely, as if they didn't exist -- you throw in small references and asides in the dialogue (maybe a line of dialogue referencing something that happened/is happening in one of the other titles) or small cameo appearances, like Archie talking to Veronica or Jughead on the phone (or texting them) for a panel or three. You do it in a subtle way so that those appearances don't amount to them being an actual character in the story, just a bit of "universe" subtext.

And if successful, you could go on to add a second tier of titles that does just the opposite, say ARCHIE & REGGIE, JUGHEAD & ARCHIE, BETTY & VERONICA, ARCHIE & BETTY, and ARCHIE & VERONICA. Those books could focus on just the relationship between the two co-stars, leaving out the other three characters again. You could again add another one (maybe TALES FROM RIVERDALE?) that would be like a random "team-up" story, focusing on ANY two co-stars (most likely one major character, and one minor character) -- different co-stars in every issue.

So there's a pretty good basic plan for 6 core titles, followed by a second wave of 6 titles. Enough to fill a healthy comic publisher's universe. And of course, from there you could keep expanding with new titles for Cheryl, Kevin, Josie, Sabrina, That Wilkin Boy, etc. Maybe even give one of the secondary characters who's never had a series of his/her own a title.

If I owned Archie Comics I would hire Gabbie Gross to do a Reggie comic. She loves him.  I don't think it's fair that he doesn't have a comic while all the others do.

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 28, 2016, 04:06:20 PM

Quote from: SAGG on June 28, 2016, 01:13:33 PM

Quote from: daren on June 28, 2016, 02:13:58 AM
This is a good question, I need to sit on it. I can't write that well and I wouldn't want to do any creative work for Archie anyway but if I was a billionaire who bought the company one thing I would try as an experiment would be rehiring the classic Archie artists to write and draw titles for each of the main five with the rule that none of them could appear in each other's books. Even though they work best as a unit I'd want to see how they each stand up on their own. But I have to think about what they'd each do.

I agree of the part where you make the billionaire point and rehiring the Classic Archie artists and such, but the other Archie characters couldn't appear in each other's books? that would seem to me to be pretty difficult to pull off. For example, how could Jughead not be in Archie's book for a panel or two, at least, the same for Betty and Ronica? I mean, even Daredevil has appeared in a Spider-Man book or spin off, and vice versa...

No, I think I can see what Daren's saying (and I agree, if I'm reading it right). In order for each character to be the STAR of his own title, it would work better if none of the other "star" characters were part of the regular ongoing supporting cast. That gives you a chance to break the existing mold, and not rely on repetition of the same previously-existing character relationships over and over.

Not to say that Archie or Jughead could NEVER ever appear in an issue of Reggie's comic, but that that would amount to a "guest appearance" in the same way Spider-Man appearing in DAREDEVIL would. Spider-Man's relationship to Daredevil isn't something that the book relies on as its main source of character interaction. So Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and Reggie are all more or less forced to develop their OWN ongoing supporting casts (which, of course, can be drawn from the existing pool of secondary characters). Is that about right, Daren?

Given that scenario, there should probably also be a sixth title, what amounts to a "team" title, like a new version of ARCHIE'S PALS 'N' GALS or ARCHIE & FRIENDS, just to satisfy that craving for seeing the Gang of Five interacting, traditional-style. In that title, no one is the main star of the story -- it's an ensemble story, with an equal focus on all of them (plus Moose & Midge, Chuck & Nancy, Cheryl, Dilton, and Ethel).

Actually, the more I think on this notion, the more it seems like not only a good idea, but a GREAT idea. It would really generate some fresh situations, and allow each book to focus on ONE star (except for the 'team' book), in effect becoming more unique and distinct, less like an "Archie spinoff" than an individual title, like JOSIE or SABRINA. There's fresh territory there for exploring these characters outside of their relationships with the other main four. The right, and smart, way to do this in order to make these books the basis of an "Archieverse" is not to ignore the other characters entirely, as if they didn't exist -- you throw in small references and asides in the dialogue (maybe a line of dialogue referencing something that happened/is happening in one of the other titles) or small cameo appearances, like Archie talking to Veronica or Jughead on the phone (or texting them) for a panel or three. You do it in a subtle way so that those appearances don't amount to them being an actual character in the story, just a bit of "universe" subtext.

And if successful, you could go on to add a second tier of titles that does just the opposite, say ARCHIE & REGGIE, JUGHEAD & ARCHIE, BETTY & VERONICA, ARCHIE & BETTY, and ARCHIE & VERONICA. Those books could focus on just the relationship between the two co-stars, leaving out the other three characters again. You could again add another one (maybe TALES FROM RIVERDALE?) that would be like a random "team-up" story, focusing on ANY two co-stars (most likely one major character, and one minor character) -- different co-stars in every issue.

So there's a pretty good basic plan for 6 core titles, followed by a second wave of 6 titles. Enough to fill a healthy comic publisher's universe. And of course, from there you could keep expanding with new titles for Cheryl, Kevin, Josie, Sabrina, That Wilkin Boy, etc. Maybe even give one of the secondary characters who's never had a series of his/her own a title.

Leave it to me to inadvertently get you two to actually agree on something on these boards. So every Archie character can basically avoid each other from our comic book POV while still being buds, and the "team title" would be like a Justice League or Avengers-type? I dunno, man. I think it could be a novelty maybe at first, but old habits die hard. There would eventually be pressure from some quarters to get The Gang together more, like, yeah, crossovers. Perhaps some big, all encompassing story that would have all of the titles entangled somehow. I just can't see it...

Quote from: SAGG on June 29, 2016, 04:19:53 AM
Leave it to me to inadvertently get you two to actually agree on something on these boards. So every Archie character can basically avoid each other from our comic book POV while still being buds, and the "team title" would be like a Justice League or Avengers-type?

Well, obviously they're not going to function like some kind of formal group. I just meant in terms of having one book where they would all be more or less equal players, with no one being the star of the book, or they're ALL the stars. Not to say that they'd all get an equal amount of panel space in every issue, it could vary from one issue to another.

Quote from: SAGG on June 29, 2016, 04:19:53 AM
I think it could be a novelty maybe at first

But you know what? Back in 1949-1950, the idea of giving Jughead, Betty & Veronica, and Reggie their own titles was "a novelty" too. Before that they were just supporting characters.

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 29, 2016, 04:41:38 AM

Quote from: SAGG on June 29, 2016, 04:19:53 AM
Leave it to me to inadvertently get you two to actually agree on something on these boards. So every Archie character can basically avoid each other from our comic book POV while still being buds, and the "team title" would be like a Justice League or Avengers-type?

Well, obviously they're not going to function like some kind of formal group. I just meant in terms of having one book where they would all be more or less equal players, with no one being the star of the book, or they're ALL the stars. Not to say that they'd all get an equal amount of panel space in every issue, it could vary from one issue to another.

Quote from: SAGG on June 29, 2016, 04:19:53 AM
I think it could be a novelty maybe at first

But you know what? Back in 1949-1950, the idea of giving Jughead, Betty & Veronica, and Reggie their own titles was "a novelty" too. Before that they were just supporting characters.

Yes, yes, I agree, but and still the characters interacted with each other, even in their own titles. How about this, something in between: each character could have their own title, but there would be an occasional appearance by another character every several issues...? It's kind of hard not seeing Archie without one of his "main" two girlfriends, though I can see him go through other girls without seeing B & V for several issues...

Quote from: SAGG on June 29, 2016, 10:46:29 AM

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 29, 2016, 04:41:38 AM

Quote from: SAGG on June 29, 2016, 04:19:53 AM
Leave it to me to inadvertently get you two to actually agree on something on these boards. So every Archie character can basically avoid each other from our comic book POV while still being buds, and the "team title" would be like a Justice League or Avengers-type?

Well, obviously they're not going to function like some kind of formal group. I just meant in terms of having one book where they would all be more or less equal players, with no one being the star of the book, or they're ALL the stars. Not to say that they'd all get an equal amount of panel space in every issue, it could vary from one issue to another.

Quote from: SAGG on June 29, 2016, 04:19:53 AM
I think it could be a novelty maybe at first

But you know what? Back in 1949-1950, the idea of giving Jughead, Betty & Veronica, and Reggie their own titles was "a novelty" too. Before that they were just supporting characters.

Yes, yes, I agree, but and still the characters interacted with each other, even in their own titles. How about this, something in between: each character could have their own title, but there would be an occasional appearance by another character every several issues...? It's kind of hard not seeing Archie without one of his "main" two girlfriends, though I can see him go through other girls without seeing B & V for several issues...

Hey, don't ask me. I'm just spitballing. Daren the billionaire gets to make the call, it's his money.

I'm just guessing, but what I THINK he was trying to get at there, was -- let's get back to classic Archie, and give it another chance. But the status quo needs to be shaken up in some way to stir things up and put a new spin on these old characters, and get people to take another look. So instead of rehashing the same character relationships over again, let's isolate each of the main gang a little, and see what kind of new things we can discover about the characters by their interactions with OTHER people besides the main gang. Again, just a guess. But I figured there'd be a little resistance there, which is why I suggested a "gang" title as well, so as not to freak out the traditional readers TOO much. If the gang title outsold all the others by a significant margin, then I guess the publisher knows how the reading public votes. But I sort of agree with Daren that it's not the classic Archie creators who are at fault, it's a failure of imagination in publishing decisions. You just need to erase that sort of "ho, hum - seen one, seen 'em all" boredom that comes from decades of repetition. It's also an excuse to fill out each character's title with a supporting cast of little-seen secondary characters and new ones as well. The minute that Archie shows up in Jughead's comic, well -- we're back on familiar ground again, just regurgitating bits from stories written decades ago. It's a little too easy to fall back on as a crutch, because they sort of write themselves that way. I say that with no disrespect to any of the classic Archie writers that worked on the characters in recent decades, because they were doing the job as it was assigned to them. If someone reshuffled the cards and handed them a new deck, I think many of them would rise to that challenge and find new inspiration, possibly a new level of freedom that they didn't feel before. There was a brief period there in which MANY new characters (New Kids, etc.) were created, and ultimately Kevin Keller got his own book. That kind of stuff needed to be happening more often and with more consistency, and followed up on so that those characters continued to be nurtured. There just wasn't the space to do it, or the level of editorial vision needed to guide that over the existing lineup of comics at that time.

Yeah exactly, the classic Archie talents could take it in a whole new direction. I like your idea of a group title too.


Possible stories: Betty's title could be in the tone of Betty's Diary with Betty journaling and planning to be a writer. She could have Sayid as a boyfriend, at least at first, Sayid has a lot of younger brothers and sisters and Betty likes kids, somehow I'd like to see Sayid as a cat person too so that would give them another link. Then there could be some drama dealing with Islamophobia the way they dealt with homophobia a few years ago with Betty and Sayid just wanting to be a quiet couple but some people won't let them, then maybe Betty's brother Chic visits Riverdale as part of his CIA job because of some alleged anti government activity by someone close to Sayid, and Chic has to balance his commitment to national security with civil liberties (and not hurting his sister), but it turns out to be a false alarm. Kevin could spend some time with them too, usually I like him better with Veronica but for this story I think he would be good. Cheryl might be there too since she gets along better with Betty than anyone and Betty has some of the same chemistry with her that she has with Veronica, and then Jason could show up and be a rival with Sayid for Betty.


I'd like to see Jughead spend more time with Hot Dog and his Uncle Herman (his REAL Uncle Herman, the one who hasn't been around since the '50s) and maybe Souphead, Uncle Herman would get them into all kinds of trouble. I also like the whole detective Jughead idea from the digests (the one the tv show is going with) so he could do some of that with mysteries involving food. Ethel and Trula could show up and be rivals for Jughead with neither of them getting anywhere till in one story he's driven to fake his own death. They could also show a little more of the Jones family history and relatives, they seem like the most interesting Riverdale family besides the Lodges.


For Reggie I'd like him to spend a LOT more time with both his parents, also to see Reggie spend more time at his father's newspaper doing a lot of jobs that end up causing trouble but we also see that he's smarter than he's sometimes given credit for. I've always wanted to see Reggie be friends with Chuck too, just because neither of them have a close friend (not that there's anything wrong with that but we need some drama) and they're both into sports. Except Chuck is more of a henpecked cartoonist now, so Reggie starts trying to get Chuck to spend more time doing sports and maybe cruising around with him picking up girls, which causes stress between them, between Chuck and Nancy and between Nancy and Reggie. Coach Clayton would be a big part too, and Moose and Midge just because their triangle is funny sometimes.


Veronica would be the one main character I would want to see without ANY supporting characters except her relatives and the Lodge staff, I'd like to see if it could be pulled off. Or maybe there would be a few appearances by Kevin just showing him talking to her on the phone, but that's all. Her title would be all about her having to learn about her dad's business trying to come to grips with what's expected of her someday as his heir, finding her place in the sprawling Lodge family tree which we would learn more about as we see her meeting her relatives (both the ones we know like Leroy, Marcy and Harper and new ones) and learning about all the family drama which would have partly included her father as we see flashbacks to his younger years and such, and flashbacks to Veronica's younger years and she has self-realizations and identity crises, the Lodges are so full of potential I can't really decide on one approach.


Archie's both the hardest and easiest one, the easiest because he would have the easiest time by far of selling his own title and the hardest because I can't think of anything I REALLY want to see him do because he does so much already. Probably something to do with a lot of physical danger and risks, he's good at that and would make a lot of exciting stories, with a lot of girls thrown in. Maybe Dilton could have some kind of partnership with him where Archie's his ongoing test subject.


A lot of that is obvious stuff that people probably already want to see, if not in the form I described, I'm sure the pro writers could do a better job with actual plots though.

Quote from: SAGG on June 29, 2016, 04:19:53 AM
Leave it to me to inadvertently get you two to actually agree on something on these boards.  

Are we that bad? 

Quote from: daren on June 30, 2016, 04:26:12 AM

Quote from: SAGG on June 29, 2016, 04:19:53 AM
Leave it to me to inadvertently get you two to actually agree on something on these boards.  

Are we that bad? 

After seeing all those back and forths between you guys? Oh, yeah...

Quote from: daren on June 30, 2016, 04:23:02 AM
Yeah exactly, the classic Archie talents could take it in a whole new direction. I like your idea of a group title too.


Possible stories: Betty's title could be in the tone of Betty's Diary with Betty journaling and planning to be a writer. She could have Sayid as a boyfriend, at least at first, Sayid has a lot of younger brothers and sisters and Betty likes kids, somehow I'd like to see Sayid as a cat person too so that would give them another link. Then there could be some drama dealing with Islamophobia the way they dealt with homophobia a few years ago with Betty and Sayid just wanting to be a quiet couple but some people won't let them, then maybe Betty's brother Chic visits Riverdale as part of his CIA job because of some alleged anti government activity by someone close to Sayid, and Chic has to balance his commitment to national security with civil liberties (and not hurting his sister), but it turns out to be a false alarm. Kevin could spend some time with them too, usually I like him better with Veronica but for this story I think he would be good. Cheryl might be there too since she gets along better with Betty than anyone and Betty has some of the same chemistry with her that she has with Veronica, and then Jason could show up and be a rival with Sayid for Betty.

These are some good ideas. I'd like to see some others in the mix as well. Possibly toss in Adam as well, as the ex-boyfriend who still has feelings for "just friends" Betty. You already mentioned Chic, but Polly should be in there as well. Betty's the only character with older siblings, and I'd like to see her relationship with them explored some more, plus both characters are good potential generators of plots and subplots. A little more expansion on Betty's relationship with her parents, as well, both as individuals and as a family unit. Toss a few more gal pals in as well, like Tomoko, Midge and Nancy, and maybe explore a little rivalry between Betty and new kid Chloe Mancuso. Both of them are achievers and involved in a lot of school activities.

Quote from: daren on June 30, 2016, 04:23:02 AM
I'd like to see Jughead spend more time with Hot Dog and his Uncle Herman (his REAL Uncle Herman, the one who hasn't been around since the '50s) and maybe Souphead, Uncle Herman would get them into all kinds of trouble. I also like the whole detective Jughead idea from the digests (the one the tv show is going with) so he could do some of that with mysteries involving food. Ethel and Trula could show up and be rivals for Jughead with neither of them getting anywhere till in one story he's driven to fake his own death. They could also show a little more of the Jones family history and relatives, they seem like the most interesting Riverdale family besides the Lodges.

Oh, without a doubt, Trula has GOT to be in there. I like bringing back Uncle Herman (the original) and Souphead as well, and exploring his wacky and eccentric relatives, both historic and present day (along with Uncle Herman). Then there's the OTHER side of Jughead's family, the side with the other Uncle Herman (last name never revealed) and cousin Bingo Wilkin -- if only we can establish what Gladys and Wilma's maiden name and Herman's last name is. They should occasionally visit, or Jughead visit them. I definitely want Toni Topaz in there too. I can see some potential for interesting stories involving her, Jughead, Trula and/or Ethel (which might be the world's only four-way love quadrangle involving a possible asexual). The detective thing can be a reoccuring plotline to break up Jughead's more "normal" (for whatever that's worth in reference to Jughead) routine. Maybe add a couple of new characters to the supporting cast, as well.

Quote from: daren on June 30, 2016, 04:23:02 AM
For Reggie I'd like him to spend a LOT more time with both his parents, also to see Reggie spend more time at his father's newspaper doing a lot of jobs that end up causing trouble but we also see that he's smarter than he's sometimes given credit for. I've always wanted to see Reggie be friends with Chuck too, just because neither of them have a close friend (not that there's anything wrong with that but we need some drama) and they're both into sports. Except Chuck is more of a henpecked cartoonist now, so Reggie starts trying to get Chuck to spend more time doing sports and maybe cruising around with him picking up girls, which causes stress between them, between Chuck and Nancy and between Nancy and Reggie. Coach Clayton would be a big part too, and Moose and Midge just because their triangle is funny sometimes.

But... WHAT ABOUT MIDGE ?? Only half-kidding. It may be played-out or too impolitic for the Moose/Midge\Reggie triangle in the 21st century -- unless there's a new wrinkle to dig up. It's already old hat unless there's something NEW to be added. Dirty tricks and pranks - a thing of the past? Somehow I feel there should be a Reggie the schemer/dreamer/manipulator angle in here somewhere. It just seems a little too bland if you make him TOO nice. WHAT ABOUT HARPER ??

Quote from: daren on June 30, 2016, 04:23:02 AM
Veronica would be the one main character I would want to see without ANY supporting characters except her relatives and the Lodge staff, I'd like to see if it could be pulled off. Or maybe there would be a few appearances by Kevin just showing him talking to her on the phone, but that's all. Her title would be all about her having to learn about her dad's business trying to come to grips with what's expected of her someday as his heir, finding her place in the sprawling Lodge family tree which we would learn more about as we see her meeting her relatives (both the ones we know like Leroy, Marcy and Harper and new ones) and learning about all the family drama which would have partly included her father as we see flashbacks to his younger years and such, and flashbacks to Veronica's younger years and she has self-realizations and identity crises, the Lodges are so full of potential I can't really decide on one approach.

The "learning about the family business" angle is a good one. Don't forget that Veronica loves to play as well, so she needs to jet off to Milan or Paris or Hong Kong every so often and "live la dolce vita". A lot of these stories can be about Veronica learning some kind of life lesson (without getting too preachy about it -- this would be mostly character-building scenarios). Otherwise I'm liking the general premise. What about BOYS?

Quote from: daren on June 30, 2016, 04:23:02 AM
Archie's both the hardest and easiest one, the easiest because he would have the easiest time by far of selling his own title and the hardest because I can't think of anything I REALLY want to see him do because he does so much already. Probably something to do with a lot of physical danger and risks, he's good at that and would make a lot of exciting stories, with a lot of girls thrown in. Maybe Dilton could have some kind of partnership with him where Archie's his ongoing test subject.

Archie's desperate enough for money to volunteer himself as a human guinea pig. That seems both plausible for his character, as well as something that could generate a lot of funny situations, plus I really like Dilton, and would like to see him appearing somewhere on a regular basis. I like the part where you added "lots of girls".  Maybe some of those plots could be Archie trying to help Dilton out in the relationship department, with decidedly mixed results.

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 30, 2016, 06:24:30 AM
These are some good ideas. I'd like to see some others in the mix as well. Possibly toss in Adam as well, as the ex-boyfriend who still has feelings for "just friends" Betty. You already mentioned Chic, but Polly should be in there as well. Betty's the only character with older siblings, and I'd like to see her relationship with them explored some more, plus both characters are good potential generators of plots and subplots. A little more expansion on Betty's relationship with her parents, as well, both as individuals and as a family unit. Toss a few more gal pals in as well, like Tomoko, Midge and Nancy, and maybe explore a little rivalry between Betty and new kid Chloe Mancuso. Both of them are achievers and involved in a lot of school activities.

Yeah Betty gets along well with almost all the girls so I would want them to be there, same for her parents and Polly since her family is important to her. I don't remember Chloe and Adam but some rivalry for Betty and her boyfriends would be good.

Quote
Oh, without a doubt, Trula has GOT to be in there. I like bringing back Uncle Herman (the original) and Souphead as well, and exploring his wacky and eccentric relatives, both historic and present day (along with Uncle Herman). Then there's the OTHER side of Jughead's family, the side with the other Uncle Herman (last name never revealed) and cousin Bingo Wilkin -- if only we can establish what Gladys and Wilma's maiden name and Herman's last name is. They should occasionally visit, or Jughead visit them. I definitely want Toni Topaz in there too. I can see some potential for interesting stories involving her, Jughead, Trula and/or Ethel (which might be the world's only four-way love quadrangle involving a possible asexual). The detective thing can be a reoccuring plotline to break up Jughead's more "normal" (for whatever that's worth in reference to Jughead) routine. Maybe add a couple of new characters to the supporting cast, as well.

Well...I cant say I'm a fan of the "cousin Bingo" idea, I think the best thing might be to just ignore it instead of trying to make it work although your idea of two uncles is better than how they tried to pass off Bingo's Uncle Herman as Jughead's Uncle Herman.  The four way love quadrangle featuring a possible asexual though, that I can get behind. 

Quote
But... WHAT ABOUT MIDGE ?? Only half-kidding. It may be played-out or too impolitic for the Moose/Midge\Reggie triangle in the 21st century -- unless there's a new wrinkle to dig up. It's already old hat unless there's something NEW to be added. Dirty tricks and pranks - a thing of the past? Somehow I feel there should be a Reggie the schemer/dreamer/manipulator angle in here somewhere. It just seems a little too bland if you make him TOO nice. WHAT ABOUT HARPER ??

I'm not a big fan of Reggie/Midge but their triangle stories are funny as long as Moose doesn't get TOO violent, yeah they can't get away with what they used to, but he can still chase him around and maybe we could learn more about Midge to add the new wrinkle. For dirty tricks I was thinking he would play them on his family/Chuck/Nancy/Moose/Midge    why not? I thought it would be hard to have Harper show up since she lives far away and Reggie would be playing the field, I also was thinking of Harper being more in Veronica's title but maybe she could show up for some Reggie stories.

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The "learning about the family business" angle is a good one. Don't forget that Veronica loves to play as well, so she needs to jet off to Milan or Paris or Hong Kong every so often and "live la dolce vita". A lot of these stories can be about Veronica learning some kind of life lesson (without getting too preachy about it -- this would be mostly character-building scenarios). Otherwise I'm liking the general premise. What about BOYS?

Yeah I think she should jet set around too and learn life lessons but I hadn't thought of any guys because she has so many relationships with guys in regular Archie, it might be refreshing if we didn't see her with any, at least for a while but there could be some romance sometime...

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Archie's desperate enough for money to volunteer himself as a human guinea pig. That seems both plausible for his character, as well as something that could generate a lot of funny situations, plus I really like Dilton, and would like to see him appearing somewhere on a regular basis. I like the part where you added "lots of girls".  Maybe some of those plots could be Archie trying to help Dilton out in the relationship department, with decidedly mixed results.

Good points, I think the stories where Archie tries to help Dilton might end up with Dilton helping Archie though.


Well now I'm bummed they won't be getting their own titles but what the hey, what other directions do you think they could go in?

QuoteYeah Betty gets along well with almost all the girls so I would want them to be there, same for her parents and Polly since her family is important to her. I don't remember Chloe and Adam but some rivalry for Betty and her boyfriends would be good.

Chloe Mancuso was one of the big batch of "new kids" (along with Sayid actually) and took over as editor of the Riverdale High student paper when Betty stepped down to focus on her writing.
Adam Chisolm was a second love interest for her from the late '90s and quite regular for a while — seeing everything in her that Archie ignored. He and Archie were quite competitive about it, and not in a B&V friendly way, but then they just forgot about him it seems ...