The undying appeal of comics

There was a time when comic books ruled the world, and our favorite from childhood to graduate school was Batman and Robin, a partnership out to save anyone who needed help. We would sit in front of the TV set and ready ourselves for the entire Sunday, devoted to the adventures of our favorite comic heroes. We truly believed what was happening on the screen, and found ourselves cheering the duo in their batmobile.

The Batman story first appeared in the ’40s as produced by DC Comics. In the initial volumes, the story shows a young boy traumatized by the murder of his parents that happened right in front of his eyes. By the ’80s, comic book writing had improved with the story and scripting closer to reality. Director Tim Burton, known for his gothic filmmaking style, first brought Batman to the big screen in 1989. 

The duo teamed up again for the sequel Batman Returns, then Batman Forever followed by Batman & Robin with George Clooney in the lead. A remake of a Batman cartoon during this same era possessed the same dreary appeal, as more remakes followed from 2005 to 2012, including the Christopher Nolan-directed The Dark Knight Returns and The Dark Knight Rises, both of which earned over $1B worldwide.

Archie (left) belonged to the Silver Age of Comic Books. Batman and Robin (right) remain favorites in comics history

At about this time, we decided to change allegiance and picked on a new superhero called Spiderman whose expertise was in climbing buildings, so that at the top of the building he could have a bird’s eye view of the entire city. It didn’t take very long for Spiderman to make waves at the box-office. First introduced with much success in 1963 by Marvel Comics, Spiderman’s alias Peter Parker was a nerdy teenager who dealt with typical adolescent problems like fitting in, dealing with bullies and puppy love while hiding his crime-fighting identity. Unlike other young heroes before him, Spiderman learned the ropes all by himself without a mentor. Unlike Robin, he had no Batman.

But still, we were not completely contented with what was going on in the comics world. We wanted to know what had happened to Archie, another popular comic character. Archie Comic Publications, Inc. is an American comic book publisher with headquarters in New York. The comic series featured fictional characters Archie Andrews and his teen friends, created by publisher/editor John Goldwater and based in part on people he met during his travels throughout the United States. Archie’s first appearance was in Pep Comics in 1941.

In the mid-’60s, which historians call the Silver Age of Comic Books, Archie launched a short-lived fantasy and horror imprint, planned to publish superheroes featuring well-known celebrities which was also cancelled, and even scheduled a play titled Archie’s Weird Fantasy,  which depicted Archie as a gay character which was the company’s worst decision. Although the comics started in the ’40s, it has changed over the years to stay current with the times. However, in March 2014, it was announced that Archie would die in the July issue of Life with Archie.

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