An artist named Bill Golliher, who’s worked for Archie, was interviewed by Outlook, and unshockingly, he justifies their forced shifts to wokeness over the past 15 years:
How have Archie characters evolved to reflect contemporary diversity and gender dynamics without losing the essence of Riverdale?
We adapt to cultural and social progress thoughtfully. A big way we introduce new themes is through new characters like Kevin Keller in the 1990s, who resonated deeply with readers and is still part of the universe today. If a character representing newer identities or contemporary issues connects with the audience, they stay. The approach ensures representation without destabilising the original personalities that define Riverdale.
Without clear sales figures to back that up, his claim falls flat on its face. And why does he inaccurately say the 1990s, when it was only about 15 years ago they introduced the Keller character? Oddly enough, for the next question, he answers:
What is the future of print comics in a world increasingly shifting to digital?
Print hasn’t become obsolete yet, and we hope it never does. There’s something irreplaceable about holding a comic book. That said, younger audiences increasingly prefer digital formats, and we embrace that too. Digital also opens new possibilities—animation, interactivity and emerging technologies like AI could expand the storytelling canvas. So, the future isn’t print or digital. It’s both, coexisting to serve different kinds of readers.
Gee, doesn’t that kind of put his claims of resonation in question for how the Keller character is viewed? If, as this suggests, not many are buying their printed books, why should we buy that digital sales are doing any better? Golliher’s talk of digital viewing conflicts with what he says about printed books, and his defense of AI could signal he’s doesn’t have much faith in traditional human effort. Also, though not clearly mentioned in the article, their shift to horror is another appalling issue.
I guess he’s the kind of artist who just isn’t very dedicated to the job he works in, so much as he is to wokeness. One must also wonder how much longer a company like Archie will be in business, since if their comics aren’t selling as well as they want everyone to believe, then how have they gotten as far as they have till now?
Originally published here
English (US) · 