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.

Quote from: 60sBettyandReggie on March 09, 2017, 08:43:07 PM
Betty's hair is all wrong. Where are the bangs? The ponytail?

I don't think Betty had bangs or a ponytail in the 1950s, which is what this is supposed to look like (that or 1940s).

From my defunct Betty Cooper FAQ:

This information comes from Archie Comics Online as of Saturday, October 23, 1999:

Just as it's hard not to like Archie, it's absolutely impossible not to love Betty. Blue eyed, blonde, perky and beautiful with a personality that's sweeter than honey, Betty is the sort of girl boys can't help but fall madly in love with. A smile from Betty can brighten even the darkest mood and her bubbly, always positive outlook on life makes everyone around her feel like a million dollars.

While Betty isn't perfect, it just seems that she is. Her faith in people is unshakable, and her loyalty to her friends is unbreakable. Betty is many things to many people: a warm, vibrant, fun loving girl who lives for the present but thinks of her future; a tomboy with spunk and a lady with polish; an irrepressible free spirit and a responsible young woman, a dreamer and a realist with a heart that's bigger than all outdoors.

Even though Betty can date any boy she wants, her heart always has and always will belong to Archie. Despite playing second fiddle to her best friend, Veronica, Betty never gives up hope that one day, Archie will come to his senses and see that she is the only girl for him. And while her own little plots and schemes don't always work, Betty finds that what works best for snaring Archie is when she's simply her sweet, loving self.

However, boys do line up at Betty's door to win her affections, most notably a couple of bad guys. Longtime friend and all around creep Reggie Mantle has started to show genuine feelings for Betty while Cheryl Blossom's rotten twin brother Jason is deeply attracted to her. And why not? As the old saying goes, "Blondes have more fun!", and no girl in Riverdale has more fun than Betty.

This information comes from the official Archie Comics website as of Friday, May 26, 2006:

Name: Betty Cooper
First Appearance: Pep Comics #22 (1941)
Age: 17
Height: 5'6
Weight: 120
Hair: Blonde
Birthday: June 29 (Cancer)

Betty Cooper is the girl next door. She is your average small town girl; blonde hair, blue eyes and very sweet and earnest. She is a cute, practical dresser and is always ready to have fun (especially where Archie is concerned). But in addition to having fun, Betty always finds time to do her studying, and enjoys writing. In addition to her concern for the environment and other social issues, we've established that Betty's goal is to become a famous writer. She is good at sports, can repair cars, is artistic and can make her own clothes. She does well in school, loves children. She has a brother named Chic and a sister named Polly (these characters were introduced in the Little Archie series). She also sings with The Archies band and plays tambourine. Betty is extremely devoted to Archie, but sadly is most often playing second fiddle to her best friend Veronica for his affections. Through every crazy, loving scheme to win Archie's love, Betty always remains completely unaffected, loyal and sweet.

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on March 09, 2017, 01:24:40 PM

Quote from: Tuxedo Mark on March 09, 2017, 11:07:21 AM
The floppy titles would be:

Archie
Jughead
Betty
Veronica
Cheryl
Reggie
Sabrina
Josie and the Pussycats
Katy Keene

Well you've obviously identified the major problem with Archie's floppy comic books. Betty and Veronica in a comic book together must have led to the downfall of the entire empire. Obviously those two need to stay far away from each other.

Meh. I just meant, with floppies not money-makers, it'd be pointless to have a title for a B&V team-up. They can interact in their solo titles.

I don't know exactly what I would have done, but here are some ideas (whether plausible or not):

Instead of canceling the floppies, I'd cancel the digest line and, instead of just reprinting the same stories over and over, print full-sized chronological collections of every story (reissue the collections as demand warrants).

I'd also digitize every previous floppy issue and sell them cheaply on Amazon and other platforms.

I'd also collect the new stories from the digests and sell those digitally as well.

As for the floppies:

Instead of doing New Riverdale, I'd do more of a soft reboot. Older stories, published before the characters' lifetimes, wouldn't hold any weight. The stories would be more modern and relevant. But it wouldn't be a fresh start. The characters wouldn't be meeting each other for the first time.

Story lengths and art styles would vary, from 5-6 pages to 20, from Classic style to various New Look styles. The older and newer writers and artists would contribute.

I'd set up a "continuity of situations", meaning if a character is in one place or predicament in one title, it would carry through to the other titles, so we could avoid situations like Betty and Veronica globetrotting in their own title but being in Riverdale in "Archie", all during seemingly the same school year. Or Riverdale High having different principals in "Archie" and "Jughead".

The floppy titles would be:

Archie
Jughead
Betty
Veronica
Cheryl
Reggie
Sabrina
Josie and the Pussycats
Katy Keene

I'd work in Sabrina's supporting casts from the original live-action film and the various TV series (Seth, Katy Lemore, Fran, Freddie, Marnie/Jenny, Libby, Gem, Cassandra, etc.).

I'd have everyone live in Riverdale to make for easier interaction.

I'd still do the "Riverdale" TV series but without the murder plot, and each season would be only 13 episodes long. I'd introduce all of the characters right away. Between all of them, there should be enough artificial drama to fill 40+ minutes per week.

There was no review last week, because my DSL modem gave out, so I started doing non-Internet things, and then there wasn't enough time to get a review done once I was back online.

This week, I'm reviewing "Cheryl and Cheryl Alike!", a new Classic Archie story from early last year.

Maybe I got up to do something at some point, but I didn't see the Betty/Jughead kiss at all.

Where the hell was Cheryl? Betty learns she and Cheryl are gonna have a niece/nephew in common. You'd think we'd get a scene of Betty telling Cheryl immediately.

The Pussycat slo-mo march was cool. Veronica's so cute in those ears!

Heehee, that's awesome! That dinner scene was sooo awkward. It kind of reminds me of that flashback scene to the Blossom Thanksgiving dinner in Afterlife.

Awesome episode last night. I feel so bad for Cheryl. Her mom is such a bitch. But good for Cheryl for calling her parents out on their hypocrisy and for defying her mom to speak at Jason's funeral (that was seriously an iconic moment!).

Ooh, looks like Cheryl and Veronica are friends now.

Cheryl's nightmare at the beginning was really freaky. Might her being confronted by a zombie Jason be an Afterlife reference?

So is Cheryl off the cheerleading squad? Can her mother even do that?

Seriously, Penelope makes a good case for legal murder.

Who's that old woman that's living with the Blossoms?

Betty seems to be good at fixing cars like in the comics.

Interesting that Betty has to remind Veronica to be nice to Cheryl.

Reggie gets more screen time. I like the resolution of his and Archie's plot.