RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books Archie’s going to die...

...taking a bullet for gay best friend

• The famous freckle-faced comic book icon is meeting his demise in Wednesday’s installment of “Life with Archie” when he intervenes in an assassination attempt on Kevin Keller, Archie Comics’ first openly gay character. Andrews’ death, which was first announced in April, will mark the conclusion of the series that focuses on grown-up renditions of Andrews and his Riverdale pals.
  “The way in which Archie dies is everything that you would expect of Archie,” said Jon Goldwater, Archie Comics publisher and co-CEO. “He dies heroically. He dies selflessly. He dies in the manner that epitomizes not only the best of Riverdale but the best of all of us. It’s what Archie has come to represent over the past almost 75 years.”

I understand that this "alternative universe" Archie and all that, but for me the more interesting thing about all these grim and gritty Archie stories (including Archie zombies) is how the publishers seem to think that ripping off what DC and Marvel started doing nearly thirty years ago (and which some would argue helped lead to the declining sales at both those companies) is somehow cutting edge and innovative.

Maybe he'll Dark Phoenix!

The fact that they reveal his death way ahead of time screams marketing hype and gimmick. It would have been a legitimate shock/twist if it just happened without the publisher making a big fuss about it.

The Death of Superman, despite being considered a mere publicity stunt, was at least unexpected. Clark just died in the pages, the fanfare came afterwards. And they spent a bit of time keeping him dead and dealing with the aftermath (Funeral for a Friend was surprisingly a better read than The Death...)

The other character deaths that came after Superman's (including this one with Archie) are crappy because the stories are no longer even trying to blindside readers. We all know they're being killed for shock value and that the deaths will mean nothing.