This week, I'm reviewing "The New Archies" segment, "I Gotta Be Me or Is It You?".

It'll probably be some minor character that no one cares about - maybe even a no-name background character.

But, yeah, comic book deaths don't mean anything - not even in TV and film adaptations. That's why I roll my eyes whenever a reactor cries out a main character's name when s/he's in trouble on screen - as if they're in any real danger.

Here are my thoughts:

Tree-tapping ceremony. WTF?

Maple syrup empire. WTF?

Why does the board fear Cheryl being in charge? She seems capable of leading the company.

LOL at Cheryl's "Also, 4.0."

So Polly supposedly thinks the Blossoms had "something to do" with Jason's death, but they actually were responsible for sending Hiram to jail, so maybe Hiram put a hit out on Jason?

Veronica's apparent go-to solution after feeling she's wronged someone: flowers.

I'm surprised that Mrs. Muggs kept Veronica's flowers.

What will Cheryl do? Will it be as imminent as the repercussions from the sacked football players, which hasn't happened yet?

I enjoy "Riverdale". Yeah, it gets dark (more so than the comics), but there's also plenty of humor. I especially laugh at a lot of Cheryl's lines.

Also, the Blossoms made their fortune by building a maple syrup empire. A Maple. Syrup. Empire. And they have an annual tree-tapping ceremony (as YouTuber Andre calls it, "white-people $#|t"). The creators are clearly having fun with the concept and don't take it too seriously.

Also, anyone notice episode 11 is called "To Riverdale and Back Again"? Sounds like the perfect opportunity for some cameos!

This week, I'm reviewing Archie, Vol. 2, No. 14.

I've been wondering what might have changed for Cheryl to go from telling Polly to avoid the Blossoms to inviting her to live with them. Did Cheryl and her parents have a little chat?

Then again, maybe nothing's changed, and Cheryl simply wants a big sister, so she won't be alone with her parents in that house. And maybe Cheryl's hoping Polly will divert some of her parents' attention away from her.

Quote from: gillibean on April 02, 2017, 01:15:43 PM

Quote from: Tuxedo Mark on April 02, 2017, 09:32:58 AM

So Hal got Alice to have her first child aborted. Is this a joking reference to Chic, who's barely acknowledged in the comics?

I was thinking the same exact thing, because he doesn't exist in the show at all!

Honestly, I'm beginning to think he no longer exists in the comics. What's the most recent reference to him?

I was also starting to think the same thing about Jason (in the Classic Archieverse), but he appeared for all of one panel in "Cheryl and Cheryl Alike!" early last year.

Some things that I noticed:

Penelope seemed surprised when Cheryl invited Polly to stay with them.

Cheryl's "She should be so lucky" line seems odd coming from her, considering what her home life is like.

Cheryl jokingly wants to be named the godmother (after Betty was already named the godmother). Then Granny predicts Polly will have twins. Looks like both girls will get the role.

What did Alice mean when she said "You should know by now what I'm capable of"?

So Hal got Alice to have her first child aborted. Is this a joking reference to Chic, who's barely acknowledged in the comics?

For all of Cheryl's excitement at wanting Polly to come and live with them, she's not there to greet Polly.

This week, I've reviewed Archie, Vol. 2, No. 13 (Cheryl's introduction into New Riverdale continuity).

I'm sorry that this is so late. I've reviewed the "Sabrina's Secret Life" episode, "Lather, Rinse, Repent".

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on March 10, 2017, 12:42:18 AM
No, what ACP should have done, after cancelling one floppy title after another, is they should have started tranferring all that new content (20-25 pages worth) into all the digest titles. To encourage print digest sales, they shouldn't sell a digital version of the digests. They could make the new content from the digest issues available later (6 months to a year) as a digital single, for $2 -- but if you want those new stories earlier, you need to buy the print digest.

Meh, I'm not a fan of the "delay digital to get you to use the old format" tactic. Heck, I was pissed when The CW used to wait 8 days before putting a new episode online. Now, it's the more reasonable day after.

If floppies don't sell anywhere other than comic shops, ditch the physical format entirely and go digital-only. That way, customers can have a 20-page story (or a group of stories totaling 20 pages) for around $3.99 (heck, maybe less) and wouldn't have to pay shipping costs or deal with packaging. For anyone that really wants a physical copy, Archie Comics could set up a POD service.

Quote from: BettyReggie on March 10, 2017, 08:29:54 PM
I saw that review. That guy is hysterical. I have watched his Riverdale Reviews. And there is 3 girls who Review Riverdale too . They are called Sugar Coat.

I haven't watched Sugar Coat's reactions (though I'm aware of them), but two other reactors are ComicKairi (an Archie Comics fan) and Shipperfeels (two sisters that know nothing about Archie but like the show).

Quote from: BettyReggie on March 10, 2017, 05:49:03 PM
Episode #7 was great. Betty & Jughead seemed to be a couple now because they really care about each other. And they were holding hands while walking in the rain. That was my favorite part.

But Andre Black Nerd made an interesting point in his review: Betty didn't talk about Jughead as her boyfriend. She said stuff like "He was there for me." This might be an indication that she might no longer desire to be with him once she's out of her low place.

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on March 10, 2017, 04:24:51 PM
And it's consistent thereafter.

Not really. She seemed to switch between that and pigtails around the late 1990s / early 2000s (and maybe earlier; not sure) and also sometimes just plain wore her hair down (albeit rarely).

My thoughts:

LOL at Veronica's way of handling her mom.

Yay for underage drinking.

How'd they get in the club? Do they all have fake IDs?

What did Penelope and Cheryl say in their short scene together? I couldn't hear it.

What's Cheryl's deal? She's back on her whole "Psycho bitch Polly killed Jason" theory. What happened to "If Jason hurt Polly, I'm sorry"?

I did like how Cheryl got the River Vixens back, even though she threw Polly under the bus to do it.

Betty could have avoided this whole awkward situation if she'd simply gone to Cheryl with her info last week. (I seriously don't get why Cheryl wasn't in that episode.) I know Betty says "I don't trust you", but that's after Cheryl texted everyone with her "Polly killed Jason and torched the evidence" theory.

So Betty got to hear her parents flat-out lie to her face. Polly wants to give up the baby. Suuuuuure. She knows she can't trust her parents, which is likely why she met with the Blossoms after Cheryl offered to help.

Buuut it seems Betty can't trust the Blossoms either. Bravo for Cheryl coming and warning Betty. Now Cheryl will have to deal with her parents. Probably "Betty and Polly chickened out and didn't show" or whatever.

What made Cheryl doubt her parents' sincerity? Not that she needs any specific reason to mistrust them after 16+ years in that house, but I'm curious.

That's a very nice Polly/Cheryl moment. I love how Cheryl's nervous, but then Polly takes her hand and places it on her belly.

Penelope was right about one thing: Betty is family now (in a roundabout way). Betty and Cheryl are bonded by a common niece/nephew. This child will one day call each of them "aunt". They need to be there for her/him. Also, Cheryl is now, essentially, Betty's boss again. It really would be to their mutual benefit to become friends and stop this stupid "feud".

LOL at Cheryl's face after Penelope's line to Betty. What was she reacting to? The idea that she and Betty are now family or Penelope's "protect you ferociously" line?

Finally, with this episode, "Riverdale" reaches an important milestone: it surpasses "The New Archies" in total running time (7 one-hour episodes versus 13 half-hour episodes). This makes "Riverdale" the third-most successful incarnation of the Riverdale gang on TV.