The Other World Spotlights --- Life with Archie

The Other World Spotlights --- Life with Archie

Who would have thought that one of the best parallel universe tales currently out there would be Life with Archie? The follow-up to the controversial Archie Marries Veronica and Archie Marries Betty comics that ran last year, Life with Archie allows readers to experience life in Riverdale in two very different parallel universes --- The Bettyverse, in which Archie is Mr. Cooper, and The Veronicaverse, where he is Mr. Lodge.

When the announcement was made that after over six decades of waffling between “sweet” Betty Cooper and “vixen” Veronica Lodge, Archie would get on one knee in issue #600 and propose, everyone assumed that long suffering Betty was about to get her man. But Archie chose Veronica, setting off a firestorm of criticism from both fans and the general public alike.

As a longtime Archie reader, it was always obvious to me that the red headed goof preferred Veronica over Betty, so it made sense to me that he’d chose her.  Popular or not, a writer has to take a story to its logical conclusion, and to me, it was logical that Archie would choose the girl he always wanted.

Also, as a fan of Betty, the chose made me excited.  Betty had wasted too many years of her literary life chasing after a guy who was just was not that in to her. Archie’s choice not only freed Betty from her “girl next door” prison, but it instantly made Betty more relevant than Veronica could ever be. For far too long, Betty had tethered herself to this fantasy that she could find her happily ever after in a man. Now, Betty was forced to face a truth that takes most young women by surprise --- the truth that no matter how sweet, loving and accommodating you are, it doesn’t mean that you are going to get the guy, and that’s alright. I was looking forward to Betty realizing that Archie’s choice was about him, not her, and seeing her building a new life. A few issues later however, readers were told that Archie’s wedding to Veronica was just one possible choice, and we see him go back in time and marry Betty!

Life with Archie shows us the consequences of both choices and it plays around with an idea that never occurred to me --- the idea that Archie marries Veronica, not for love, but for money and security. I find this idea intriguing. Archie has always been a bit blasé about life. He majors in history in college and his only ambition is to be a musician. Marrying Veronica is like hitting the “Perfect Life Sweepstakes.” He gets a gorgeous wife, a high paying job, and all the money he needs. He gets his life all wrapped up for him in a nice little bow.

Take a look at the two wedding covers ---

Archie seems thrilled to finally have “won” when he marries Veronica, while when he marries Betty he is truly happy!    

I never had a real preference when it came to who Archie should choose, however,  part of me always leaned towards Veronica. But this series has firmly put me on Team Betty because this is the first time that I actually believed that Betty was the one he truly loved, even when he didn’t know it himself.

By making Archie’s choice the choice between love versus money, Life with Archie gives us a morality tale about just how much of ourselves we are willing to sacrifice to be comfortable. It would be a lot easier to chastise Archie if Veronica was a shrew who was making Archie’s life miserable, but she is trying to be good wife, a good friend, and a good daughter, and you feel for her, even if you have to wonder if she didn’t know what she was getting into when she said “I Do.”

In The Veronicaverse, Archie has given up his music and settled into his life as a corporate shill, selling out his friends to please his father-in-law.  His marriage to Veronica is strained because they don’t know how to communicate with each other. While Archie is finding it hard to fit into Veronica’s world, Betty, after much hardship,  is coming into her own, finally finding romance with Reggie, a pairing I’ve been rooting for to take off forever.

But I have a feeling that this romance is doomed, because The Veronicaverse is a dark place and it seems as if Archie’s choice has cast a shadow over his own life and created darker futures for his friends as well.

In The Bettyverse, Archie and Betty are struggling to become successful in New York.  They soon return to Riverdale and settle in as teachers at Riverdale High School and I have to tell you, this is a universe that, in my opinion, is ten times more interesting then the corporate espionage going on in The Veronicaverse. We get a whole new generation of Riverdale High School teens who are dealing with contemporary social issues, and who link the new generation of Archie characters to the old. Also, Betty and Archie’s marriage is actually fun to read about. Let’s face it, Archie has always been a bit of a wanker, but in The Bettyverse, Archie FINALLY grows up. Forget about all the should ofs, could ofs, would ofs, the proof is in the pudding. Archie is happier with Betty --- she’s the one. 

One of the biggest complaints that I see about this series is that it’s a young adult drama being packaged as a tween saga. This is because it’s sold in a magazine style very similar to Tiger Beat. But Archie has always been targeted to teens and tweens. Riverdale has always been an idealistic world, a caricature of how grown-ups think teen life should be like.  Life with Archie let’s tweens and teens know that life will only get harder, but you can navigate it being true to yourself and not letting who you were, define who you are going to be.  It’s a more realistic look at life, for a hardened generation.

So, if you can get past the pictures of Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, and the cutesy bits about what Josie and the Pussy Cats think about Justin Bieber’s haircut, you’ll see a rich story that takes a sober look at what it means to be a grown up. Life with Archie dares to tackles the never ending battle between idealism and realism, and it will always leave you wondering, if you had the choice, what world you would choose?