Staff Writer: Roxanne Hepburn
*This article is written as a parody for the Torchure.
Archie Comics has been a beloved comic book series since its creation in 1941 and stands as the longest-running publication to come from M.L.J. Magazines, Inc. The series faced a relaunch in 2015, restarting at issue #1 with a new and improved look designed to draw in a new generation of readers. And those efforts succeeded.
The relaunch of Archie Comics birthed the creation of the CW television show, Riverdale, in 2017. It featured the same cherished characters of the comics and strongly pulled from the series for its plot.
The adaption is set as an American teen drama featuring Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, and Jughead Jones after a murder in town sturs the teens into action to investigate what remains unseen in their seemingly quiet town.
After the airing of its pilot episode, Netflix acquired its broadcasting rights, appointing it as a “Netflix Original Series.” Season 1 of Riverdale was received extremely well by critics, with generally positive responses to the show scoring it a fresh rating of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.
And from then on, it goes off the rails. In the best way possible. The CW perfectly adapted the outdated comedy of the original comics into a satirical depiction of other teen dramas coming out around the same time.
As the seasons progressed, (Riverdale was just recently renewed for a 7th season) the story degraded into a mess of plot holes, cults, witches, parallel universes, and The Rat King. The origins of the series being almost completely erased from its later plot points.
You would think the birth of Riverdale would be the proverbial “nail in the coffin” for Archie Comics, but it was the exact opposite. The comic book series released a series of graphic novels titled, “Road To Riverdale,” to provide a direct connection to Riverdale in the comic book universe. Moreover, several tie-in novels were released in conjunction with the CW show to provide prequel and “between the seasons” content oh-so-desired by the die-hard fans of Riverdale. The disaster that is known as Riverdale has been a stunt since the very beginning, fabricated to draw attention back to the original Archie Comics and renew sales. I believe that stunt was a success not only for the company but for the fans of the comics as well.