Susan's 2017 Reading Blog: Happy 75th Anniversary Archie Comics!

Happy 75th Anniversary Archie Comics! Quarterly Challenge

Dec. 15, 2016- March 14, 2017

Archie Comics Celebrates its 75th Anniversary in 2016

Archie Comics is the leading mass market comic book publisher in the world and the home to a wide array of the most popular humor, action-adventure and superhero characters in entertainment, including Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, Reggie, Kevin Keller, Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and many more. Archie Comics have sold billions comics worldwide and are published around the world in a number of languages. In addition to comics, Archie characters have been featured prominently in animation, television, film and music.

Happy 75th Anniversary Archie Comics!

Level 1-Read any 5 books- Visit Riverdale

Level 2- Read any 10 books- Meet the Archie Gang

Level 3- Read any 15 books- Hang out at Pop's Soda Shop

Level 4- Read any 20 books- Date one of the gang!

Bonus- 5 books (can be added to any level)

Tasks-

Fun Facts about the Archie Comics-

1. In an upcoming special issue, the Archies travel back in time and meet legendary punk band the Ramones.

-Read a book with time travel or a story with a 'punk' or rough around the edges character.

2. In 2004, Veronica lost her bikini top to a wave. Racy!

- Read a book published in 2004 or a book with a naked torso or water on the cover.

3. Archie's ancient red jalopy - which was forever breaking down and being repaired by Betty Cooper - was a 1916 Ford Model T. In more recent comics, he's seen driving a red Ford Mustang from the 1960s.

-Read a book with a car or any type of vehicle on the cover, or a book cover that has the color red.(bonus if you can find a red car!)

4. True to his Scottish roots, Archie can play the bagpipes and has worn a kilt.

- Read a book set in Scotland or a character from Scotland, or a Historical romance.

5. Though Jughead's love of food is legendary, he's generous if others are hungry. He's given a bag of candy to a penniless boy and donated pizzas to a soup kitchen where he volunteered.

- Read a book with an altruistic, good-hearted character, or a book with something round on the cover.

6. The iconic Archies song "Sugar, Sugar" was rumoured to be offered to the Monkees before the Archies.

- Read a book whose title repeats two of the words, or a book with a band or concert in the story. (i.e. Love Me or Lose Me, One Plus One Equals Trouble)

7. Big Moose's real name is Marmaduke Mason.

- Read a book whose author goes by a pseudonym, or uses more than one pen name, or has repeating initials ( i.e. Melissa McClone)

8. Jughead's real first name is Forsythe.

-Read a book with a character that hides their identity, or has amnesia, or goes by a nickname.

9. Betty is allergic to strawberries. Veronica once fed them to her so that she could steal Betty's modelling job.

- Read a book with a devious character, or a book with food on the cover.

10. Today, there are a number of highly successful Archie spinoff series, like Afterlife with Archie, in which Jughead is a zombie.

- Read a Paranormal Romance, or a book with zombies or a book that is part of a series.

11. The Archies' rock band consisted of Archie Andrews on lead guitar and vocals, Reggie Mantle on bass, Jughead Jones on drums, Veronica Lodge on keyboard and Betty Cooper on tambourine.

-Read a book that has a group of friends in the story, or a book with more than 2 people on the cover (needs to be people).

12. Archie comic's first openly gay character, Kevin Keller, appeared in Veronica #202 in Sept. 2010. The issue was so popular it prompted the series first- ever reprint.

- Read an LGBT book, or a book with an LGBT character, or a book that has had more than one printing.

Characters-

13.Archie Andrews- Archie is a typical small-town teenager. Generous, well-mannered, but clumsy, he is genuinely liked by many of his friends. Archie goes crazy when he sees an attractive girl, but his two main crushes are Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper, forming the love triangle driving the comic's plot-lines. He has the best intentions, but often comes into conflict with Veronica's father Hiram Lodge and Riverdale High's principal, Waldo Weatherbee. As the lead singer of The Archies, Archie performs with Betty and Veronica, as well as his rival Reggie, and best buddy Jughead.

- Read a small-town romance or a romance containing a love triangle.

14.Betty Cooper-The very kind hearted, though temperamental girl next door. She is romantically obsessed with Archie. She has a passion for writing and is a good student, athlete, cook, and auto mechanic.

- Read a book with an innocent, or kind character or a character who likes to cook or work on cars, or a book with a scene set in a school.

15.Veronica Lodge-Veronica (sometimes called Ronnie or Ron by her close friends) is a very rich girl, the daughter of the billionaire Hiram Lodge. She is a spendthrift, quite spoiled and very vain, but gets along well with most of her classmates. Like her best friend Betty, she is romantically obsessed with Archie and constantly competes for his affections, though she is quick to fall in love with the next hunk around the corner, and occasionally dates Reggie. She rarely gets along with Jughead due to his sloppiness.

- Read a book with a wealthy or vain character, or a book whose author has an initial of V, L, or R.

16. Jughead Jones-Archie's best friend ever since they met as children is named Forsythe. Jughead is obsessed with food, and is a moocher, constantly asking his friends, especially Archie, for money and food. he maintains loyalty to Archie, and is usually the one who has to bail him out of trouble. He usually wears his trademark gray crown beanie.

- Read a book with a 'knight in shining armor' character, or a character who needs a friend's help, or a book with a hat, or crown on the cover.

17.Reggie Mantle-Archie’s main rival, particularly for Veronica's affections. Though they are ultimately good friends, he often taunts Archie and does not understand why girls prefer to date him. He is highly vain and conceited, thinks he can date anyone he wants, and expects everyone to think the world of him.

- Read a book with a character who thinks very highly of themselves, or a book with a title that has repeating letters in one of the words (i.e. Apples Should Be Read, Just Desserts)

18.Moose Mason-Marmaduke Mason is a muscular star athlete who is a poor student, He is dimwitted and can be easily manipulated by others, particularly Reggie. At the same time, he is also kind, sensitive and helpful toward his closest friends.

- Read a book with an athletic character, or a sensitive character, or read a book with any kind of sports equipment or an animal on the cover.

19.Kevin Keller- The first openly gay character in Archie Comics. Kevin is an aspiring journalist, with many hobbies including collecting comics and competitive eating.

- Read a book with a character who likes to write, or a character who is competitive, or a book that is the first in a series or an author's debut book.

20.Terry "Pop" Tate- is the owner and manager of the Chok'lit Shoppe, an ice cream parlor and frequent hangout of Archie's Gang. Pop Tate is the self-designated philanthropist for the Archie gang, hearing about their problems while serving ice cream and a variety of other goodies.

- Read a book with a character in the food industry, or a business owner, or a book with an older character in it.

*Bonus -

Josie and the Pussycats-

Josie was introduced in Archie's Pals 'n' Gals #23 (Winter 1962-1963). Occasionally Josie and her friends would appear in "crossover" issues with the main Archie characters.

Josie and the Pussycats became its own comic book about a fictional rock band, in 1963.

1 .Josie- levelheaded, sweet-natured redhead. She is the lead vocalist and plays guitar.

2. Melody- a cute blond, She is an absent-minded, bubbly sort of character who provides much of the comic relief of the series

3. Valerie- plays the bass and is the main songwriter. good at science and a skilled auto mechanic

Sabrina the Teenage Witch-

Sabrina the Teenage Witch is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional teenager named Sabrina Spellman. She first appeared in Archie's Madhouse #22 (cover-dated Oct. 1962).

The series' premise is that Sabrina, a "half-witch" – her mother is an ordinary human, or "mortal" as witches refer to them, while her father is a witch – lives with her two aunts, Hilda and Zelda Spellman, both witches themselves, in the fictional town of Greendale, which is located somewhere near Riverdale, the home of Archie Andrews. Also living with the three women as the family pet is Salem Saberhagen, a witch who's been turned into a cat as punishment for world domination attempts.

4. Sabrina- the lead character of the series. In the early comic series, Sabrina is a well-meaning girl, but she struggles with constant pressure to be "bad" from all the other witches around her, especially her aunts, as well as learning to master her powers.

5. Salem Saberhagen: the Spellmans' American shorthair cat. Salem was formerly a witch, who was turned into a cat as punishment by the Witches' Council for plotting to take over the world. Salem has the ability to talk and possesses a sarcastic and somewhat self-centered attitude.

Bonus Tasks-

Read 5 books that include any or all of the following :

(items below can be used more than once, or not at all. i.e. you can read all 5 books about music if you choose to)

1. Friendship

2. Music

3. Family

4. Witchcraft

5. Cats (all varieties, including shapeshifters)

1. Eagle Warrior - Jenna Kernan (HI #1692 - Feb 2017) (bad boy/rough edges) - Feb 7

2. Mixed Messages - Linda Lael Miller (SD #568 - May 1990) (naked chest) - Dec 28

3. The Maverick's Holiday Surprise - Karen Rose Smith (HSE #2510 - Nov 2016) (red coat) - Jan 10

4. Cold-Hearted Rake - Lisa Kleypas (Avon - Nov 2015) (historical romance) - Jan 12