Archie Turns 65: It's About the Fans
This story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on July 11, 2006 Sign up now!
by Karen Raugust, PW Comics Week -- Publishers Weekly, 7/11/2006
The year-long 65th-anniversary celebration for Archie Comic Publications—the first Archie comic was published in December 1941—will not be about gala celebrations or big media events. "We want to show our appreciation to our fans," said Michael Silberkleit, chairman and co-publisher.
One of the first initiatives to kick off the birthday is the reintroduction of the classic character Katy Keene. Katy was first introduced in the 1950s and was inspired by the high-fashion pin-up models and movie stars of the time. Her outfits were designed by readers, who bought the comic books, in part, to see if their creations made it into print.
The character was phased out in the 1970s but is being revived, with appearances in Free Comic Book Day issues in 2005 and 2006, Betty & Veronica Spectacular #72 and Archie & Friends #102, with the possibility of her own book in the future. Today's readers are being asked to submit their fashion designs at archiecomics.com, and Silberkleit reports several hundred responses already, without significant promotion.
A second new initiative is a fundraising tie-in with parent-teacher organizations in 90,000 schools across the country, which acknowledges Archie & Friends' role in teaching kids to read. Silberkleit notes that Archie Comics is the top-selling comic book on newsstands, including at supermarket and mass market checkouts, where parents who were introduced to Archie when they grew up are purchasing them for their children and grandchildren. "Archie Comics is many kids' first real reading experience," Silberkleit says. "The sales reflect that."
The Archie Comics PTO Fundraising Program was launched in May and will roll out through the next school year. Kids order comics through their schools, and Archie Comic Publications fulfills each order and bills the PTO 50% of the money it receives from the students; the organization is free to spend the remainder on needed initiatives, such as computers. The school that raises the most money through the fundraising program will be featured in an Archie comic. Silberkleit called the reaction to the initiative at recent educational conferences "overwhelming."
Meanwhile, Archie Comics has been expanding its licensing program through agent Brand Central, and some licensees will introduce anniversary-themed product. Cider Mill Press, which publishes Wisdom Magnet Books, joins a list of other licensed publishers that includes Miramax and Penguin. Additional publishing initiatives from Archie Comics itself, including reprints of classic Archie stories, will also help mark the anniversary.
