As you all  heard, Diamond comic distributors has gone bankrupt because of their worse decision especially that some of the major comic book industries like DC and Marvel and major indie ones like image, Boom comics and Dark Horse have their own distribution systems and have left Diamond comic distributors like with Image comics recently.

While small to medium comic book companies rely on diamond comic distributors and Archie is one of them and with Diamond comic distributors bankrupt, this leads us to discuss in the current topic, what will happen to Archie comics now that diamond comic distributors is bankrupt?

I review "Where There's a Wilbur There's a Way!!" from World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #145.

World of Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #29 (November 2023) - CRUSADERS story: "Return of Denim!" has the older Joe Higgins Shield (gray hair and bearded). Fly Girl, the Jaguar, and the Web (younger New Crusaders versions) are also in the story.

Then in World of Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #31 (January 2024) - THE JAGUAR story: "Reindeer of Terror" has both the original Jaguar (Ralph Hardy) and Ivette Velez, the younger female Jaguar!

Then in World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #138 (May 2024) - THE SHIELD story: "Picture Perfect!" has the young Joe Higgins wearing his original (1940s) Shield costume, which he hasn't worn since before the NEW CRUSADERS: Rise of the Heroes miniseries in 2012.

I have also seen other digest stories where the younger (female) Shield appeared. Some recent stories have Fly-Girl now being referred to as "Firefly" (but of course there's already another MLJ superhero named Firefly, as well as one named Fireball).

Also in some digest stories the Crusaders coexist with Pureheart, Evilheart, Captain Hero, Superteen, and Powerteen, and in other stories where the superheroes appear there's no mention of Archie, Jughead, Betty & Veronica's alter egos...?

I have seen character design previews for an upcoming story by Dan Parent that will apparently feature both Fly-Girl and The Fly (don't know how that's possible if the latter character is still owned by the estate of Joe Simon), versus a new supervillain named Murder Hornet.

Granted that these various superhero digest stories are all being written by different people (mostly by Ian Flynn or Dan Parent, it seems) but doesn't Mike Pellerito actually do any editing so that everyone's writing the same versions of the characters?

Whatever happened to Jeff Shultz? I haven't seen a new story drawn by him in a good while now. On the other hand, Bill Galvan's artwork actually seems to have improved in the last year or two, it's good to have Holly G back drawing again, and the team of Steven & Lily Butler are doing some fine work in the classic style as well, somwhat helping to make up for the loss of the Fabulous K-Bros.

I review "Thunderstruck!" from World of Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #36.

I review "All About Meme!" from World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #143.

I review "Everyone Flips Out!" from Archie: The Decision #1.

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on September 11, 2024, 11:47:46 AM...you're just starting to worry about the future of Archie Comics NOW? I've been worried about them since they cancelled ARCHIE with #666 and BETTY & VERONICA with #278 back in 2015!! That's almost 10 years now, and it's been a long downhill slide to the point where I've come to accept the inevitable.

Well at first, after Archie comics ended the classic version of Archie (along with the classic version of Betty and Veronica)  with issue 666 and created a new Riverdale reboot of Archie (along with the gang) with issue 1, the company might survive but then Covid-19 happen and this lead to the company to put an end to their main line and focus on doing new stories made by remaining Archie house artists only published in digest, some stories revolving around old forgotten characters once published by MLJ (pre-archie) to interact with the Archie characters and one shot (and also miniseries) of Archie horror stories especially the cancelation of CW's Riverdale which are the few reasons why I am worried about the future of Archie comics 

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on September 11, 2024, 11:47:46 AMThe current owners will still own the company, and still sell digital Archie Comics... maybe not any new ones, though. Maybe just a few trade paperbacks for printed comics. Any new comics might be licensed to someone else (but probably not IDW, they have enough problems of their own).

That's true, but since you mention "not any new ones" that is the problem and another reason why I am worried about the companies future.


  

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on September 11, 2024, 11:47:46 AMCome to think of it, licensing the Archie characters to some other comic book company might be the best thing that Archie Comics could do for its fans.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking the same thing, in case if Archie comics are going to end up bankrupt and closed the owners will have to sell the rights to a different comic book company and reprint the old material and make new stories mostly limited main series or miniseries so that the Archie characters won't be forgotten,

by the way, check out my take of an Archie movie if it receives a barbie movie treatment https://www.archiefans.com/all-about-archie/should-archie-comics-rebrand-itself-as-an-horror-comic-book-company/new/#new

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on September 11, 2024, 11:52:33 AMThe worst thing any comic book publisher can do is to put all their eggs in one basket (meaning... all their comics in one genre). That's really what's been the downfall of Archie Comics... they failed to diversify their product line enough down through the decades. You can't expect to survive in the long run in publishing if you ONLY do humor, or ONLY do horror. Even Marvel and DC, as successful as they've been at superheroes, can't do ONLY superheroes. Overspecialization is a dead end.

Yeah, you have a good point on why Archie comics have to diversify their product line to survive, especially that this is one of the reasons why the forum and even the Archie comic Subreddits has fewer views, fewer people and fewer replies.

The worst thing any comic book publisher can do is to put all their eggs in one basket (meaning... all their comics in one genre). That's really what's been the downfall of Archie Comics... they failed to diversify their product line enough down through the decades. You can't expect to survive in the long run in publishing if you ONLY do humor, or ONLY do horror. Even Marvel and DC, as successful as they've been at superheroes, can't do ONLY superheroes. Overspecialization is a dead end.

The current owners will still own the company, and still sell digital Archie Comics... maybe not any new ones, though. Maybe just a few trade paperbacks for printed comics. Any new comics might be licensed to someone else (but probably not IDW, they have enough problems of their own).

...you're just starting to worry about the future of Archie Comics NOW? I've been worried about them since they cancelled ARCHIE with #666 and BETTY & VERONICA with #278 back in 2015!! That's almost 10 years now, and it's been a long downhill slide to the point where I've come to accept the inevitable.

Come to think of it, licensing the Archie characters to some other comic book company might be the best thing that Archie Comics could do for its fans.