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Archie: The Married Life #2
Archie: The Married Life Book 2
Find out what happens after the “I do"s!
Delve deeper into all of the emotion and drama. Last time we said goodbye to a mentor and hello to a new mayor, but what will the future hold for the rest of Riverdale? Is Reggie destined for a lifetime behind bars? And what’s the deal with Dilton? These questions and more will be answered in this volume of Archie: The Married Life.
Collects chapters 7-12 of both Archie Marries Veronica and Archie Marries Betty, the most critically acclaimed storyline Archie has ever published.
Delve deeper into all of the emotion and drama. Last time we said goodbye to a mentor and hello to a new mayor, but what will the future hold for the rest of Riverdale? Is Reggie destined for a lifetime behind bars? And what’s the deal with Dilton? These questions and more will be answered in this volume of Archie: The Married Life.
Collects chapters 7-12 of both Archie Marries Veronica and Archie Marries Betty, the most critically acclaimed storyline Archie has ever published.
320 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2012
About the author
Paul Kupperberg
771 books52 followersPaul Kupperberg is a nearly 50-year veteran of the comic book industry as a writer and editor for DC Comics, Archie Comics, Marvel, Bongo Charlton, and many more. He is also the author of more than three dozen books of fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages, as well as of short stories, articles, and essays for Crazy 8 Press, Heliosphere, Titan Books, Stone Arch Books, Rosen Publishing, Citadel Press, Pocket Books, TwoMorrows, and others.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
September 26, 2015
Imagine your favorite Archie comic book characters, once forever locked in the glory days of high school, now twenty-something adults, making their way in the fantasy town of Riverdale. You may ask, “Who did Archie marry? Betty or Veronica?” Well in an alternate universe, anything can happen and here is where Archie lives in two worlds, married to fresh-faced and hard-working Betty in one, and hitched to rich-girl Veronica, daughter of the ruthless, money hungry Hiram Lodge.
I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this familiar looking comic book. I’d read plenty of Archie comic books as a girl, but I’d never read a full graphic novel before. This is a substantial work of more than 300 pages of entertaining plot, dialogue and terrific graphics, with a great variety of illustrations, bubble thoughts, plot summaries, zoom-outs, silliness, subtle jokes and amusing wordplay. In addition, there are just enough shady characters and wholesome romantic innuendo to sustain a mysterious plot.
Both stories revolve around Mr. Lodge’s obsession with controlling the town of Riverdale and the upcoming trial of Reggie Mantle, who has been charged with trying to bribe the mayor. An additional common subplot covers Jughead’s rapidly expanding Chocklit Shoppe business, soon to be a nationwide franchise.
Paul Kupperberg is a veteran comic book writer and does an excellent job presenting these modern and edgy stories, while retaining the happy fantasy of the eternally optimistic and ultimately good and universally good-looking Archie characters.
Here's my recommendation: if you’re looking for a fun diversion and an easy read, try reading one of these graphic novels. There’s a lot more to them than you think!
I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this familiar looking comic book. I’d read plenty of Archie comic books as a girl, but I’d never read a full graphic novel before. This is a substantial work of more than 300 pages of entertaining plot, dialogue and terrific graphics, with a great variety of illustrations, bubble thoughts, plot summaries, zoom-outs, silliness, subtle jokes and amusing wordplay. In addition, there are just enough shady characters and wholesome romantic innuendo to sustain a mysterious plot.
Both stories revolve around Mr. Lodge’s obsession with controlling the town of Riverdale and the upcoming trial of Reggie Mantle, who has been charged with trying to bribe the mayor. An additional common subplot covers Jughead’s rapidly expanding Chocklit Shoppe business, soon to be a nationwide franchise.
Paul Kupperberg is a veteran comic book writer and does an excellent job presenting these modern and edgy stories, while retaining the happy fantasy of the eternally optimistic and ultimately good and universally good-looking Archie characters.
Here's my recommendation: if you’re looking for a fun diversion and an easy read, try reading one of these graphic novels. There’s a lot more to them than you think!
January 22, 2012
Archie Is Married. Now The Real Story Begins. Twice.
I have always been a Betty person. Every Archie story I have ever enjoyed has me cheering for them to finally get together and leave Veronica pouting. My long standing wish has been partially granted in the past few years with the newest incarnation of these beloved characters. And I am totally and completely hooked.
The drama all started when the new CEO of Archie came into the 70 plus year old company and wanted to shake the universe up. This desire led to a six part storyline wherein Archie took a walk one night down Memory Lane in Riverdale and saw visions of two different futures. In one, he wed Veronica, in the other, Betty.
Fans lapped up this idea en masse, and Archie launched a new magazine to continue the saga. Life With Archie: The Married Life premiered just over a year ago and in the first half of each issue the Veronica storyline is told, while in the second half the Betty journey is explored. This new magazine take place between parts two and three of the original series, before the babies came along.
To say this is a riveting reinvention and realization of the Archie mythos is an understatement. In each reality our favourite perpetual teenagers are now adults who have to find love, keep love, pay bills, get jobs, keep jobs, discover who they really are, and survive the wrath of Mr. Lodge. You will be shocked and surprised to discover the possible destinies of the Riverdale gang. Some of the ideas played with include couples breaking up, someone running for public office, another going on trial, a fortune being made, an old friend located, several weddings occur, and a death torments everyone. Whew! And that is only in the first year of this fascinating series.
Mixed amidst all this excitement and turmoil is the constant thread of friendship Archie and his gang still treasure and cherish. Even if arguments happen, the true life long love they have for each other wins out. Throughout the series, get togethers and reunions are featured prominently, and talking their individual problems out with each other is the norm here. And I find this story element quite touching and natural.
Propelling the dramatic thrust throughout all this is the evil (?), rich, and manipulate Mr. Lodge. But is his erratic driven behavior the result of some secret plan masterminded by the now mysterious Dilton Doiley? A scheme that harkens back to the original Memory Lane story that our hero Archie experienced? The tension is building with a conclusion promised soon to this development.
Dilton's involvement highlights the destiny versus chance theme Archie The Married Life plays with quite effectively. Each reality has similarities, constants, which reinforce the notion of an idea being meant to happen. The recent Kevin Keller wedding story illustrates this perfectly, with the backstory of the meeting with his future husband being the same in each universe. It was meant to be this way. You will get a kick out of noticing fate converging in both timelines. I may need a scorecard soon to keep up. Is their an App for that?
All this greatness is brought to us by veteran comics scribe Paul Kupperberg, whom, with the artist on the first year, Norm Breyfogle, make each issue flow and sing. Page by page, thought by thought, these two created an entirely new world for Archie and Riverdale, with the new artists continuing and enhancing this wonderful experience. This success allowed Archie Comics to re-imagine another classic character which I would be remiss for not mentioning. Li'l Jinx is now a teenager called, well, Jinx, and she is simply wonderful. Previews of Jinx was featured in three issues of Life With Archie and the new series is now only available digitally. My Luddite ways must stop so I can catch up with her adventures and misadventures.
You can start dipping into the lives of Archie and his friends at your local comic shop (mine is Excalibur Comics, plug, plug) and you will not be disappointed. My anticipation of each new issue puts it on the top of my reading stack. Where it rightly belongs. Because, as the old saying goes:
People will change. People will not change. And the Archie Universes will never be the same.
And I am still a Betty person.
Scoopriches
I have always been a Betty person. Every Archie story I have ever enjoyed has me cheering for them to finally get together and leave Veronica pouting. My long standing wish has been partially granted in the past few years with the newest incarnation of these beloved characters. And I am totally and completely hooked.
The drama all started when the new CEO of Archie came into the 70 plus year old company and wanted to shake the universe up. This desire led to a six part storyline wherein Archie took a walk one night down Memory Lane in Riverdale and saw visions of two different futures. In one, he wed Veronica, in the other, Betty.
Fans lapped up this idea en masse, and Archie launched a new magazine to continue the saga. Life With Archie: The Married Life premiered just over a year ago and in the first half of each issue the Veronica storyline is told, while in the second half the Betty journey is explored. This new magazine take place between parts two and three of the original series, before the babies came along.
To say this is a riveting reinvention and realization of the Archie mythos is an understatement. In each reality our favourite perpetual teenagers are now adults who have to find love, keep love, pay bills, get jobs, keep jobs, discover who they really are, and survive the wrath of Mr. Lodge. You will be shocked and surprised to discover the possible destinies of the Riverdale gang. Some of the ideas played with include couples breaking up, someone running for public office, another going on trial, a fortune being made, an old friend located, several weddings occur, and a death torments everyone. Whew! And that is only in the first year of this fascinating series.
Mixed amidst all this excitement and turmoil is the constant thread of friendship Archie and his gang still treasure and cherish. Even if arguments happen, the true life long love they have for each other wins out. Throughout the series, get togethers and reunions are featured prominently, and talking their individual problems out with each other is the norm here. And I find this story element quite touching and natural.
Propelling the dramatic thrust throughout all this is the evil (?), rich, and manipulate Mr. Lodge. But is his erratic driven behavior the result of some secret plan masterminded by the now mysterious Dilton Doiley? A scheme that harkens back to the original Memory Lane story that our hero Archie experienced? The tension is building with a conclusion promised soon to this development.
Dilton's involvement highlights the destiny versus chance theme Archie The Married Life plays with quite effectively. Each reality has similarities, constants, which reinforce the notion of an idea being meant to happen. The recent Kevin Keller wedding story illustrates this perfectly, with the backstory of the meeting with his future husband being the same in each universe. It was meant to be this way. You will get a kick out of noticing fate converging in both timelines. I may need a scorecard soon to keep up. Is their an App for that?
All this greatness is brought to us by veteran comics scribe Paul Kupperberg, whom, with the artist on the first year, Norm Breyfogle, make each issue flow and sing. Page by page, thought by thought, these two created an entirely new world for Archie and Riverdale, with the new artists continuing and enhancing this wonderful experience. This success allowed Archie Comics to re-imagine another classic character which I would be remiss for not mentioning. Li'l Jinx is now a teenager called, well, Jinx, and she is simply wonderful. Previews of Jinx was featured in three issues of Life With Archie and the new series is now only available digitally. My Luddite ways must stop so I can catch up with her adventures and misadventures.
You can start dipping into the lives of Archie and his friends at your local comic shop (mine is Excalibur Comics, plug, plug) and you will not be disappointed. My anticipation of each new issue puts it on the top of my reading stack. Where it rightly belongs. Because, as the old saying goes:
People will change. People will not change. And the Archie Universes will never be the same.
And I am still a Betty person.
Scoopriches
April 16, 2012
Growing up is hard to do, as Archie, Veronica, Betty and the rest of the Riverdale gang are finding in the two divergent futures that split after Archie married Veronica and Archie married Betty. In this second installment of the ongoing Married Life series, Reggie faces imprisonment and investigates some shady land deals, Moose proves his worth as a mayor and as a head janitor dealing with never-ending school disasters, Jughead and Midge find out that their booming business comes with a high price tag, Chuck and Nancy struggle with their newfound fame, Archie and Betty learn how difficult teaching careers can be, and Archie and Veronica may be torn apart by Lodge Industries and Veronica's ruthless father. Lurking behind the scenes is the mysteriously elusive Dilton Doiley; what part does he play in these two alternate universes that are so different and yet so very similar?
Though the novelty of the series has worn off in this second book, I still enjoyed reading it, though I continue to be a little perplexed and unhappy with Mr. Lodge's character. He has yet to redeem himself and become the stuffy but still lovable Hiram Lodge that I knew in the old comics. However, like the previous book, the beautiful artwork, charged plot and believable and realistic characters provided for a very good read despite that continued flaw. I thought the series would end with this book but there is obviously more to come...I can't wait to see how the authors resolve the plots and tie the two futures together.
Though the novelty of the series has worn off in this second book, I still enjoyed reading it, though I continue to be a little perplexed and unhappy with Mr. Lodge's character. He has yet to redeem himself and become the stuffy but still lovable Hiram Lodge that I knew in the old comics. However, like the previous book, the beautiful artwork, charged plot and believable and realistic characters provided for a very good read despite that continued flaw. I thought the series would end with this book but there is obviously more to come...I can't wait to see how the authors resolve the plots and tie the two futures together.
July 5, 2012
I finally got my hands on the second volume of The Married LIfe. Mr. Lodge is still very much the villain in both of the story lines although Fred Mirth has been added to the Archie Marries Betty storyline. although maybe Mirth is in both story lines? I still find myself confused sometimes, especially since a lot of the rest of the couples are working out the same way.
I am beginning to wonder two things, one, if the stories are somehow going to come together via some kind of time traveler and two, if someone else is pulling Mr. Lodge's strings in both stories b/c there are definitely hints of that in the Archie Marries Veronica storyline and as I pointed out in my review of the first book in the series, I don't remember Mr. Lodge feeling so over the top evil.
I am apparently a Betty girl b/c I like Betty better with both Reggie and Archie. I am a huge fan of how Reggie has changed in both story lines. He has definitely become more of a grown up.
So I definitely feel like I'm enjoying the school story line from Archie Marries Betty more, although I feel like I like Betty better with Reggie. I think my problem is that I was never a huge fan of Archie himself. He feels wishy washy in both stories where the women have always felt stronger, maybe b/c they could fight over him but still be friends?
Either way I can't wait to see where the two stories are going and I definitely plan on continuing to follow the series.
I am beginning to wonder two things, one, if the stories are somehow going to come together via some kind of time traveler and two, if someone else is pulling Mr. Lodge's strings in both stories b/c there are definitely hints of that in the Archie Marries Veronica storyline and as I pointed out in my review of the first book in the series, I don't remember Mr. Lodge feeling so over the top evil.
I am apparently a Betty girl b/c I like Betty better with both Reggie and Archie. I am a huge fan of how Reggie has changed in both story lines. He has definitely become more of a grown up.
So I definitely feel like I'm enjoying the school story line from Archie Marries Betty more, although I feel like I like Betty better with Reggie. I think my problem is that I was never a huge fan of Archie himself. He feels wishy washy in both stories where the women have always felt stronger, maybe b/c they could fight over him but still be friends?
Either way I can't wait to see where the two stories are going and I definitely plan on continuing to follow the series.
September 26, 2014
So Archie is still married to both Betty and Veronica. He has a "School of Rock" scenerio going on in one, and he is jobless and alone in the other. Tough being married to two chicks. Reggie gets Archie's leftovers. Jughead eats the leftovers.
February 6, 2022
I thought this second collection was a good move forward. There is a bit more balance, so it's not exclusively heartbreak, tragedy, and unrealized dreams. There is definitely some of that, but there are also some positive moments in most characters' lives.
I liked that the two storylines moved apart a bit more in this collection, so it gives more of a sense that Archie's decision really does affect the direction of everyone's lives. There is also a mystery introduced, which leaves me wondering where this is all going. The writing was good and realistic, so I was happy with this collection and where things are heading.
I liked that the two storylines moved apart a bit more in this collection, so it gives more of a sense that Archie's decision really does affect the direction of everyone's lives. There is also a mystery introduced, which leaves me wondering where this is all going. The writing was good and realistic, so I was happy with this collection and where things are heading.
November 27, 2021
This is a collective review for Life With Archie: The Married Life, which is collected in six volumes.
I am not an Archie fan. Like most comics readers, I’m familiar with Archie - a brand that has been around for so long that even fi you aren’t a fan, even if you don’t buy the books, somehow, somewhere, you have read enough Archie to be familiar with the basic gist of it all:
Archie Andrews is an all-American teenager from the heartland city of Riverdale, where he runs a gauntlet of harmless misadventures that involve juggling his romances between rivals Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper (each whom own an equal share of Archie’s attentions), and goofing with his friends, rivals and colleagues - Jughead, Reggie, Moose, Ethel, Midge, Chuck, Nancy, Cheryl, Kevin, Sabrina the Witch, Josie the Pussycats, and more. Along the way, he tangles with the adults in his life - mainly Veronica’s father, Hiram Lodge; Principal Weatherbee and Miss Grundy, who run Riverdale High; and occasionally Pop, who runs the Chocklit Shoppe, the local diner where everyone hangs out.
For the most part, the stories are nothing too dramatic; dealing with asking each other out on dates, pranking each other, riffs on typical high school rites of passage, etc. And for decades, this was Archie; a comic that aside from superficial updates that reflected the times (such as fashion, technology and slang), the comic remained trapped in amber. There was no character progression or meta plot, just a Groundhog’s Day of eternally repeating, low-stakes, harmless hi-jinks that was meant to be mild, fun, and safe. There’s a reason why so many grandparents buy Archie for their grandkids, even if they disapprove of comics.
In this way, Archie has been an extremely conservative comic. Not politically - it goes out of its way to steer clear of divisive issues, but when it does address them, it reflects the rising tide of the audience it serves, and even then it tries to aim for a middle road that offends no one. This is part of the whole trapped-in-amber thing. Archie and his pals, and Riverdale by extension, are meant to be a safe place where “at least somethings never change,” and where such a place is seen as something wholesome and embracing, rather than stifling and restrictive.
But that all did change in 2009, when a new generation rose to run Archie Comics, and after a brutal office battle (chronicled by an excellent 2012 article in the New York Times) resulted in the brand taking bold new changes with its property. New characters would be introduced (like Kevin Keller) who would reflect a more liberal society. The brand would also take the approach that after 75 years or so of pretty much running the same Archie stories forever, it would declare Archie and Riverdale to be a state of mind, and began running stories that were the Archie equivalent of DC’s Elseworlds - non-canonical, but fun takes on established canon. (Though it is worth noting that perhaps the most infamous of these - and maybe the one that established the idea of taking Archie in weird new directions - was 1994’s Archie Meets The Punisher.)
But supreme among these were a novel, and canonical, decision to finally have Archie propose to one of his girlfriends. As he did, there was a notion of him walking down Memory Lane and seeing how his life might play out if he settled down with Veronica or Betty. What resulted was an extended What If…? story in Life With Archie that became The Married Life, later collected in six massive volumes. The end of it all leads us to a plot point that was so surprising to readers that it made global headlines. The sixth volume tells you up front what it is, but I’ll spare you any spoilers so you can see them for yourself.
But in The Married Life, we get two parallel stories, one where Archie, married to Veronica, pursues a corporate life and one where Archie, married to Betty, returns to Riverdale High as a music teacher. Along the way, we get a lot of the same sort of low-stakes storytelling that makes Archie Archie—entire plot lines seem to magically appear out of thin air and are resolved fairly harmlessly not long after, with good results all around. But there are plot lines that have sticking power. We lose one character to terminal illness, and we see another fight bravely against cancer. We a character shot in cold blood during a robbery. We see one struggle with anger issues. We see couples wed, and have kids. We see them growing up and grown up, in a story that for the first time really shows us what life might be like in Riverdale if there really were consequences to one’s actions. (The Archie Wedding: Ten Years Later also tried this, with a look at life 10 years after Archie’s wedding, but it doesn’t come close to the storytelling we get in The Married Life, nor does it share any of The Married Life’s events.)
The Married Life is almost 2,000 pages, all told, and it is as deep a dive into Archie as one could hope for, slowly pulling you in and involving you in a ton of earned moments that slowly chisel away at your hardened heart, slowly eroding your cynicism so that by the final volume, you’re caring about these characters. You want to see how this all turns out. Notably, the parallel storylines that have run side by side for so long - and remain distinct even though the risk is so high for them to blur into each other - do converge at the end in a way that feels natural and right, offering a kind of resolution to both sides of this twin tale. Whether Archie married Veronica or Betty, the result is ultimately the same. And when this story comes to an end, you appreciate why farewells can be so hard.
There are a lot of folks out there who will never touch an Archie comic because they’re too simple, too square, too hokey. But you know, The Married Life is as earnest an attempt for a comic to reinvent itself not in some cheap ploy to gin up extra sales, but out of an honest effort to radically turn the clock forward on one of the oldest running comics out there so that readers new and old can read something new and relate to it. That’s pretty great. Not a lot of comic publishers have the will to do that, or the integrity to let it be driven by story. And even if The Married Life isn’t for you, it’s something every comic reader should take in, because it represents something that all comics should have, but so often lack: heart.
There are a ton of other Archie Comics to read after these. There is a modern reboot from which the TV show Riverdale was adapted. There are the non-canon riffs, like The Hunger (Jughead is a werewolf) and not one, but two go-rounds of Archie vs. The Predator. If Archie can be anywhere and in anything, well, then I’m here for it. The Married Life certainly disavowed me of the notion that I’m never going to enjoy Archie. And boy, am I glad that it did.
I am not an Archie fan. Like most comics readers, I’m familiar with Archie - a brand that has been around for so long that even fi you aren’t a fan, even if you don’t buy the books, somehow, somewhere, you have read enough Archie to be familiar with the basic gist of it all:
Archie Andrews is an all-American teenager from the heartland city of Riverdale, where he runs a gauntlet of harmless misadventures that involve juggling his romances between rivals Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper (each whom own an equal share of Archie’s attentions), and goofing with his friends, rivals and colleagues - Jughead, Reggie, Moose, Ethel, Midge, Chuck, Nancy, Cheryl, Kevin, Sabrina the Witch, Josie the Pussycats, and more. Along the way, he tangles with the adults in his life - mainly Veronica’s father, Hiram Lodge; Principal Weatherbee and Miss Grundy, who run Riverdale High; and occasionally Pop, who runs the Chocklit Shoppe, the local diner where everyone hangs out.
For the most part, the stories are nothing too dramatic; dealing with asking each other out on dates, pranking each other, riffs on typical high school rites of passage, etc. And for decades, this was Archie; a comic that aside from superficial updates that reflected the times (such as fashion, technology and slang), the comic remained trapped in amber. There was no character progression or meta plot, just a Groundhog’s Day of eternally repeating, low-stakes, harmless hi-jinks that was meant to be mild, fun, and safe. There’s a reason why so many grandparents buy Archie for their grandkids, even if they disapprove of comics.
In this way, Archie has been an extremely conservative comic. Not politically - it goes out of its way to steer clear of divisive issues, but when it does address them, it reflects the rising tide of the audience it serves, and even then it tries to aim for a middle road that offends no one. This is part of the whole trapped-in-amber thing. Archie and his pals, and Riverdale by extension, are meant to be a safe place where “at least somethings never change,” and where such a place is seen as something wholesome and embracing, rather than stifling and restrictive.
But that all did change in 2009, when a new generation rose to run Archie Comics, and after a brutal office battle (chronicled by an excellent 2012 article in the New York Times) resulted in the brand taking bold new changes with its property. New characters would be introduced (like Kevin Keller) who would reflect a more liberal society. The brand would also take the approach that after 75 years or so of pretty much running the same Archie stories forever, it would declare Archie and Riverdale to be a state of mind, and began running stories that were the Archie equivalent of DC’s Elseworlds - non-canonical, but fun takes on established canon. (Though it is worth noting that perhaps the most infamous of these - and maybe the one that established the idea of taking Archie in weird new directions - was 1994’s Archie Meets The Punisher.)
But supreme among these were a novel, and canonical, decision to finally have Archie propose to one of his girlfriends. As he did, there was a notion of him walking down Memory Lane and seeing how his life might play out if he settled down with Veronica or Betty. What resulted was an extended What If…? story in Life With Archie that became The Married Life, later collected in six massive volumes. The end of it all leads us to a plot point that was so surprising to readers that it made global headlines. The sixth volume tells you up front what it is, but I’ll spare you any spoilers so you can see them for yourself.
But in The Married Life, we get two parallel stories, one where Archie, married to Veronica, pursues a corporate life and one where Archie, married to Betty, returns to Riverdale High as a music teacher. Along the way, we get a lot of the same sort of low-stakes storytelling that makes Archie Archie—entire plot lines seem to magically appear out of thin air and are resolved fairly harmlessly not long after, with good results all around. But there are plot lines that have sticking power. We lose one character to terminal illness, and we see another fight bravely against cancer. We a character shot in cold blood during a robbery. We see one struggle with anger issues. We see couples wed, and have kids. We see them growing up and grown up, in a story that for the first time really shows us what life might be like in Riverdale if there really were consequences to one’s actions. (The Archie Wedding: Ten Years Later also tried this, with a look at life 10 years after Archie’s wedding, but it doesn’t come close to the storytelling we get in The Married Life, nor does it share any of The Married Life’s events.)
The Married Life is almost 2,000 pages, all told, and it is as deep a dive into Archie as one could hope for, slowly pulling you in and involving you in a ton of earned moments that slowly chisel away at your hardened heart, slowly eroding your cynicism so that by the final volume, you’re caring about these characters. You want to see how this all turns out. Notably, the parallel storylines that have run side by side for so long - and remain distinct even though the risk is so high for them to blur into each other - do converge at the end in a way that feels natural and right, offering a kind of resolution to both sides of this twin tale. Whether Archie married Veronica or Betty, the result is ultimately the same. And when this story comes to an end, you appreciate why farewells can be so hard.
There are a lot of folks out there who will never touch an Archie comic because they’re too simple, too square, too hokey. But you know, The Married Life is as earnest an attempt for a comic to reinvent itself not in some cheap ploy to gin up extra sales, but out of an honest effort to radically turn the clock forward on one of the oldest running comics out there so that readers new and old can read something new and relate to it. That’s pretty great. Not a lot of comic publishers have the will to do that, or the integrity to let it be driven by story. And even if The Married Life isn’t for you, it’s something every comic reader should take in, because it represents something that all comics should have, but so often lack: heart.
There are a ton of other Archie Comics to read after these. There is a modern reboot from which the TV show Riverdale was adapted. There are the non-canon riffs, like The Hunger (Jughead is a werewolf) and not one, but two go-rounds of Archie vs. The Predator. If Archie can be anywhere and in anything, well, then I’m here for it. The Married Life certainly disavowed me of the notion that I’m never going to enjoy Archie. And boy, am I glad that it did.
March 12, 2015
I have to admit, I did not expect to be reading these. As a kid, I did not read Archie comics. I was into the superheroes, and even at 10 years old, I saw Archie as kiddie comics. I did watch the cartoon. When I was kid we watched all the cartoons, even the bad ones. You had to wait until they were on, after school or Saturday mornings. There weren't that many. So, if Archie was on and there wasn't anything else better on, I was watching Archie, even though I didn't like it that much. For this reason, I've puzzled over my fascination with this book. I think I must have been so young when I watched Archie, these characters became a part of my DNA. So, there's a bit of nostalgia going on and the writing happens to be pretty damn good. I got curious after reading Afterlife with Archie. I remembered hearing there was an alternate universe story going on with Archie marrying Betty in one and Veronica in the other. I even remember looking for it at the comic shop when it started, but didn't find it. These stories were originally published in magazine format. They looked like teen mags, with pictures of Justin Bieber on the cover. My comic shop didn't even carry them, for that reason. So, it took me a while to find these. I've collected a bunch of the magazines and now read the first two trades. At $3.99 for 48 pages of story, oversized for a comic book, these were the best bargain on the stands at the time. Who knew? If you grew up on the Archie cartoon, as I did, this storyline is worth your time. I can't wait to see what they'll do with the relaunch of the main Archie title. With Mark Waid writing and Fiona Staples on art, it should be amazing.
October 26, 2013
I enjoyed book 2 in this series just as much as book 1. It is really entertaining, and I love both the writing and the artwork. The character development in "Archie: The Married Life" is just great. There is more depth here than in any other Archie comic I have read before. I just genuinely adore these characters and I am just so happy that this series exists! Book 2 ends on a crazy cliffhanger, so I very much want to get my hands on the next installment, pronto! I would highly, highly, highly recommend this series to longtime fans of Archie and friends.
November 29, 2023
I don't know- I kind of enjoyed reading a couple of Archie comics earlier for nostalgia reasons, but this one was just full of drama. It's not funny; it's just about the Archie kids grown up suffering grown up problems with no comic relief. I made it through because it was on my Kindle app and I picked it up and read some during times I was bored and didn't have a real book with me, but it took a long time. Can't recommend.
June 9, 2019
So many loose ends tied! I cried! I rhymed!*shot* what a satisfying start toward a conclusion of my childhood.
January 13, 2020
I'm pleasantly surprised with how good this is. The Dilton plot sounds weird. I'm intrigued.
February 27, 2022
Entertaining soap opera. Reminds me of my childhood reading these :)
July 15, 2018
Way more wheel spinning than the first volume, but the characters still ring true, and things do get wrapped up. I'm very curious to know how they're going to do this for four more volumes.
March 8, 2013
I feel like in this second book, my expectations have settled. In the first book, it felt like anything could happen – like the Archie comics could have gone totally off the rails and plunged into some kind of nightmarish/hyperrealistic Dennis Cooper universe. But while the content of the comics has gotten serious – death comes to Riverdale, et cetera – we're still in the old Archie universe, where certain types of evil and harm are simply absent, and everyone is well-provided for at the end of the day.
So now that I know where I am, I just settle in to enjoy a little achingly cheerful wholesome good fun when the right mood strikes. Trying to read the volume through in one or two sittings is a bad idea – better to parcel it out. The issues (and digests) are never that long, after all.
I'm desperate to find out what that mad Dilton Doiley's up to. It has to be for good (right?), but how? Because right now Dilton's working for all the wrong people.
There are certain story lines in both universes that I don't care about, and others I wish would return (come back, Amos!). Moose-as-mayor seems silly. I still don't understand how Jughead has gotten so terrible (Jughead is basically dead to me at this point). I love Hiram Lodge, nefarious with a heart of gold. I love Ronnie but she seems to be getting a little flat (after initial gains in depth), so I hope there'll be more for her to do soon.
Note to the Archie publishers: if you get Dennis Cooper to write an "unauthorized" Archie spin-off, I will totally read it.
I will also read Book 3 of "Archie: The Married Life" when it's released.
So now that I know where I am, I just settle in to enjoy a little achingly cheerful wholesome good fun when the right mood strikes. Trying to read the volume through in one or two sittings is a bad idea – better to parcel it out. The issues (and digests) are never that long, after all.
I'm desperate to find out what that mad Dilton Doiley's up to. It has to be for good (right?), but how? Because right now Dilton's working for all the wrong people.
There are certain story lines in both universes that I don't care about, and others I wish would return (come back, Amos!). Moose-as-mayor seems silly. I still don't understand how Jughead has gotten so terrible (Jughead is basically dead to me at this point). I love Hiram Lodge, nefarious with a heart of gold. I love Ronnie but she seems to be getting a little flat (after initial gains in depth), so I hope there'll be more for her to do soon.
Note to the Archie publishers: if you get Dennis Cooper to write an "unauthorized" Archie spin-off, I will totally read it.
I will also read Book 3 of "Archie: The Married Life" when it's released.
June 17, 2014
I was completely addicted to Archies as a kid. When we went on road trips, a treat would be to get one of the Archie digests at the stores where we stopped. I have a somewhat impressive collection at home.
Anyway, something inspired me to check out the first three volumes of the updated The Married Life series, which plays with multidimensional space travel and fates and destinies, and the choices we make as adults. Corporate espionage, romantic entanglement, big city vs. small town lifestyles, marital strife, small business theory, and politics all come into play.
Which makes me wonder how interesting this would be to a teen who didn't grow up reading about Archie and the gang. The plots are fairly complex (though the fact that you're alternating reading two different plotlines might have something to do with that), the art is familiar (to someone who read a lot of these), and the dialog is pretty terrible.
One major weird thing to me was the fact that a lot of the plot revolves around keeping major chains out of Riverdale, in order to save Jughead's place. But then Jughead ends up pursuing making his place a chain. I mean, this ultimately goes away as an issue, but it doesn't make sense that anyone would consider it a reasonable idea in the first place.
Honestly, I'm not sure why I powered through a thousand pages or so of this in a day, and I'm pretty sure I won't attempt anything past volume 3. But it was a fun trip down Memory Lane.
Anyway, something inspired me to check out the first three volumes of the updated The Married Life series, which plays with multidimensional space travel and fates and destinies, and the choices we make as adults. Corporate espionage, romantic entanglement, big city vs. small town lifestyles, marital strife, small business theory, and politics all come into play.
Which makes me wonder how interesting this would be to a teen who didn't grow up reading about Archie and the gang. The plots are fairly complex (though the fact that you're alternating reading two different plotlines might have something to do with that), the art is familiar (to someone who read a lot of these), and the dialog is pretty terrible.
One major weird thing to me was the fact that a lot of the plot revolves around keeping major chains out of Riverdale, in order to save Jughead's place. But then Jughead ends up pursuing making his place a chain. I mean, this ultimately goes away as an issue, but it doesn't make sense that anyone would consider it a reasonable idea in the first place.
Honestly, I'm not sure why I powered through a thousand pages or so of this in a day, and I'm pretty sure I won't attempt anything past volume 3. But it was a fun trip down Memory Lane.
May 30, 2012
Didn't read this volume at all, whereas I read portions of book 1.
Although my husband and our children held this series in high regard I just didn't like the realistic portrayal of the characters and I didn't care for art as I prefer the more simplistic style from my youth in the 80s. I didn't actually finish either book 1 or two as I lost interest and am a tad bit rushed as these Archie books are public library copies and I've already got a pile of 6 other Lynda La Plante books so maybe I'm just not in the proper mind set to read comics right now.
Although my husband and our children held this series in high regard I just didn't like the realistic portrayal of the characters and I didn't care for art as I prefer the more simplistic style from my youth in the 80s. I didn't actually finish either book 1 or two as I lost interest and am a tad bit rushed as these Archie books are public library copies and I've already got a pile of 6 other Lynda La Plante books so maybe I'm just not in the proper mind set to read comics right now.
January 18, 2014
Questions:
1) Where is Jellybean, Jughead's little sister?
2) What the hell happened to Jason Blossom's beautiful face?
3) Will we ever see Cheryl Blossom/Arch and Betty's New York friends ever again?
4) Why are the couples so similar in both storylines?
5) Will we ever see the Pussycats or Sabrina?
6) The crap does Dilton think he's doing, and how long can this entire thing continue?
Comments:
1) Loved seeing Polly, Betty's secret sister. Literally in all the Archies I've read I've prolly only seen her referenced 3 times tops.
1) Where is Jellybean, Jughead's little sister?
2) What the hell happened to Jason Blossom's beautiful face?
3) Will we ever see Cheryl Blossom/Arch and Betty's New York friends ever again?
4) Why are the couples so similar in both storylines?
5) Will we ever see the Pussycats or Sabrina?
6) The crap does Dilton think he's doing, and how long can this entire thing continue?
Comments:
1) Loved seeing Polly, Betty's secret sister. Literally in all the Archies I've read I've prolly only seen her referenced 3 times tops.
Currently reading
September 17, 2013I think this book is interesting because it talk about a boy name archie going on a date with Betty and Ron. Betty and Ron are both a girl that like Archie. Archie accept them both on a date. Archie went on a date with Betty first and then the next day he went on a date with Ron. The next day, Ron and betty found out that Archie went on a date with both of them so at the end, archie need to pick ONE girl to go out with. it either Ron or betty. if you want to know more, read this book.
Read
September 14, 2015This second volume of the series continues to explore the potential out comes of Archie marrying Veronica & Betty.
Archie & Veronica find long hours working for the Lodge corporation ehausting an unpredictable since they cant trust Lodge.
In the Archie & Betty universe, the pair have moved back to Riverdale to work as teachers. They also watch their friend Moose become Mayor, and help Reggie through a court case.
An enjoyable story though it did move slowly in a few places
Archie & Veronica find long hours working for the Lodge corporation ehausting an unpredictable since they cant trust Lodge.
In the Archie & Betty universe, the pair have moved back to Riverdale to work as teachers. They also watch their friend Moose become Mayor, and help Reggie through a court case.
An enjoyable story though it did move slowly in a few places
August 31, 2013
Where the first volume gets stuck having to recap the time-space shift of the "Will You Marry Me?" arc, this volume is able to hit the ground running. Loads of emotion and mature situations, this definitely isn't the Archie you grew up with. Ends with a cliffhanger that will leave you clambering for volume 3.
March 12, 2016
I used to read Archie all the time when I was a kid. At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like this, but once I got into it I was hooked. It's kind of like a sci-fi thriller novel following the grown up lives of the Archie characters. I like how it presents two different realities; one where Archie marries Betty and one where he marries Veronica.
May 29, 2012
Just about the best comic book/graphic novel I ever read. We finally begin to piece together what the heck is going on with Dilton Doiley and Mr. Lodge. I sincerely hope there is a third volume of this amazing series. Can't wait.
April 8, 2014
I thought it was interesting to see where everyone is going and how both story lines show totally different aspects of some characters. While the characters are true to themselves, we get to see a side of them that shows what happens when you have to grow up.
May 5, 2012
4 1/2 stars this time rather than 5 as the amazing artist Norm Breyfogle does not draw the entire interior art of Book 2.
September 25, 2012
I flew thru this one and was disappointed when I learned that there is a third volume that isn't out yet!
July 3, 2013
Great but then again there's a cliff-hanger
September 3, 2013
The overarching story is still confusing, and it's hard to keep track what has happened in which universe but overall still enjoyable
November 6, 2013
Still not quite sure what is going on here - mind has been blown.
Although was Mr Lodge always that mean?
Although was Mr Lodge always that mean?
August 12, 2014
Betwen watchng the charctrs that I love grow & deel with rel isses, & whatver the heck is happnng to Diltn, I'm compltly hookd!!!
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