The other day I stumbled upon the super cool freckled teenager, Archie. Yes, the whole goofy gang – the lovable glutton Jughead, self-obsessed Reggie, magical Sabrina, musical Josie and the Pussycats, dumb Moose, talented Chuck, and of course, blonde Betty and brunette Veronica vying for Archie’s attention. They seemed slightly jaded at first, but one close look and I could feel the excitement and the fun, their eyes gleaming with silly mischiefs and their bright faces bristling with friendly rivalry. While Archie was showing off, Reggie was being a narcissist, snoring Jughead’s stomach was making funny sounds. Veronica was obsessing with her looks and a new boy in town, Betty on the other hand couldn’t keep her eyes off Archie and Josie was working on her next song for the party. Archie’s eyes moved from Betty to Veronica, to every pretty girl in town. Sleepy little town Riverdale with the school Riverdale High, abuzz with pranks of Archie Andrews and his pals! They were silly, goofy, stupid and self-obsessed. They were also caring and harmless. They were teenagers, high school kids, that’s how they are meant to be!

I fell in love with the gang all over again, when I chanced upon them at Pinto’s Café  over Sunday Brunch. There they were, sitting on a small book shelf next to my table. As I jumped up from my chair to grab a copy of Archie’s Comics, the Café owner, Sonal gave me a knowing smile, “Kids don’t care about these comics anymore, adults go for them”. Archie’s Comics came into being in 1940s. One of the most popular and loved comics for over decades, Archie became the epitome of cool high school kids. I read every issue of Archie’s, collected them and am still a huge fan of Archie Andrews and his pals!

Curtain rises on 2017, Archie and his friends walk into a world that has lost its innocent charm. Riverdale is now a dark creepy town ridden with murder, drugs, mafia wars, illicit affairs, it reeks evil. The once cool and carefree teenagers are now burdened with the grave task of setting things right in this crazy town. The adults seem to be not so responsible parents who couldn’t care less, costing Archie and his teenage friends their goofiness and happy-go-lucky attitude. It breaks my heart to see Archie, Ronnie, Betty, Jug and the gang behave all mature, step in where their parents failed. They drink openly, their relationships are complicated and very physical, rivalry is not innocent anymore. Teenage pranks have given way to the dangerous game of Griffins & Gargoyles. The gang is divided between the do-gooders and the not so good. They lie, cheat, betray and plot. Light-hearted fun that we associate with high school years is completely lost!

I am talking about the TV series Riverdale, a modern take on Archie’s comics. It’s been over 75 years since Archie and his friends saw the light of the day and times have changed. Teenagers love the new Riverdale, I am told. Have times changed so much that our teenagers are forgetting the simple pleasures of carefree high school years, I sometimes wonder! While looking up Archie I did come across reprints of yesteryear’s Archie’s Comics, maybe there still are a few takers for goofy fun!