tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2875831102810287013.post7862316231097634833..comments2023-10-31T06:01:05.206-04:00Comments on Dork Forty: The Rise and Fall of the Comics Code, Part Three: "This is Not What I Had In Mind"Mark Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302251802161506688noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2875831102810287013.post-34134627394956620332014-08-09T22:29:29.485-04:002014-08-09T22:29:29.485-04:00Something else I also noticed that I always consid...Something else I also noticed that I always considered rather hypocritical on John Goldwater's part was the fact that he didn't want anyone satirizing his beloved Archie characters, yet he used his Archie characters to indirectly satirize pop culture and pop music stars! In one comic from the 60's Betty and Veronica loose their heads over "Bobby Barrin" and "Pelvis Resley" (Bobby Darrin and Elvis Presley, in case you couldn't figure it out!) And that's just one of thousands of times the Archie characters have satirized pop icons! There's even an Archie comic that ran sometime in the early to mid-1970's that literally rips off MAD's stylized square connecting speech balloons.........and they do it in an Archie parody of TV's M*A*S*H! Hypocritical, I say! Goldwater didn't want anybody-especially MAD-satirizing Archie, yet here was Archie, ripping off MAD's stylized speech balloons in a satire of a popular TV show! Well, anyway, it seems that Archie Comics has finally "lightened up" and is now trying new things that Goldwater Sr. probably never would have approved of-the recent "Death of Archie" and "Archie Meets The Punisher" are two prime examples that I'm sure would never be approved by Goldwater Sr.-yet still are able to keep the original Archie the same clean-cut teenager he always was, only now, maybe just a little more interesting. Thanks for posting this great blog! I hope to hear from you sometime!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12176999482758914902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2875831102810287013.post-14729373990114757782014-08-09T22:08:01.764-04:002014-08-09T22:08:01.764-04:00But I noticed that just about a year ago MAD did r...But I noticed that just about a year ago MAD did run an Archie satire, this time satirizing the "Archie marries Betty/Archie marries Veronica" saga! At the end of the satire MAD says that Archie is actually attracted to Jughead and Moose! After all, they say, Archie could never choose between brunettes and blonds! Ha! Ha! A gay Archie! I love it! I figured that maybe since the death of John Goldwater (Senior, that is-not Archie Comics current CEO Jon Goldwater) maybe Archie comics has loosened up a little and maybe MAD and Archie Comics had finally reconciled, so Archie Comics let MAD run the satire. And why not! Several years ago Archie Comics let Cracked Magazine run a funny satire of Archie that made Archie look like The Godfather! So why not MAD?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12176999482758914902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2875831102810287013.post-46789409016865679312014-08-09T21:56:48.969-04:002014-08-09T21:56:48.969-04:00So that's what Starchie and Bottleneck were do...So that's what Starchie and Bottleneck were doing! And that's why they had it in for "Wedgie", because he was muscling in on their territory! Now, something I'm interested to know is-is the "Starchie" comic the reason that MAD didn't run any more direct satires of Archie for almost 50 years? I know John Goldwater, Archie's creator, was "not amused" with "Starchie"....so "not amused" was he that he went on to help create the Comics Code Authority to prevent MAD-and anybody else-from trying to defile his beloved Archie characters again. At least, that's what I understand. And it seemed to have worked-sort of. For almost 50 years MAD never ran another Archie satire, although Archie did occasionally make "guest appearances" in MAD as comic strip character when MAD ran articles satirizing comic strips in general. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12176999482758914902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2875831102810287013.post-66668864347124371792014-08-09T21:41:56.122-04:002014-08-09T21:41:56.122-04:00And you notice in panel 11 that when "Biddy&q...And you notice in panel 11 that when "Biddy" throws herself at Starchie, her purse pops open, spilling the contents, among which we see a hypodermic needle and a bottle of pills? Drug references, no doubt! And the line in panel 16 when Starchie invites "Salonica" to cut class for a whiskey soda-you would never see that in a regular Archie comic! I always loved Kurtzman's story, but I must admit that it took me years before I finally figured out why Starchie was arrested (By Dick Tracy, nonetheless!) and imprisoned! I had no idea what "protection" was. Now I know it's extortion, and it's a felony, because it's wrong. You force your victims under threat to pay you for you to "protect" them from thugs-mainly you and your minions! In other words-"Pay me my daily/weekly fee, and I won't hurt you, and I'll make sure that others don't hurt you! Fail to pay me, or if you're late with a payment.....you're in BIG TROUBLE!" Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12176999482758914902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2875831102810287013.post-30988164684155902802014-08-09T21:26:06.248-04:002014-08-09T21:26:06.248-04:00Seeing Archie and Jughead (or characters that look...Seeing Archie and Jughead (or characters that looked like them) smoking, drinking, chewing tobacco, doing drugs and breaking the law was so different than the usual clean-cut Archie characters that I had to laugh when I first saw it! It was so different and rather refreshing! I don't do any of that stuff, nor do I condone it, but it's funny to see characters like Starchie doing it! I also always loved Bill Elder's great sight gags and hilarious signs all over the place!-"Now don't forget-there's NO SCHOOL Saturday!" in panel 15 and the "Burma Shave" reference on the butts of the crap shooters in front of the candy store panel 29 are two of my favorites! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12176999482758914902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2875831102810287013.post-23659489638177565662014-08-09T21:14:04.857-04:002014-08-09T21:14:04.857-04:00Hi again! I have a lot to say about the "Sta...Hi again! I have a lot to say about the "Starchie" comic, so I'll just post it in increments. First of all, I'm a HUGE Archie fan, and a HUGE MAD fan-especially Spy vs Spy, they're my favorite MAD feature! And I've always LOVED MAD's Starchie because it was like looking at "America's Typical Teenager" in a totally different light! Starchie and Bottleneck were, in my opinion, "typical" teenagers too.......typical teenage delinquents, that is! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12176999482758914902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2875831102810287013.post-83493013025435705972014-08-07T23:22:01.636-04:002014-08-07T23:22:01.636-04:00Hi! Just trying to post a comment here...Hi! Just trying to post a comment here...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12176999482758914902noreply@blogger.com