AICN COMICS: TalkBack League Of @$$Holes Reviews!!

Written by Various

Pencils by Stan Goldberg

Published by Archie Comics

Reviewed by Village Idiot

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther....And one fine morning—“

F. Scott Fitzgerald, THE GREAT GATSBY “Reality’s idea of a logical conclusion is somewhat different than mine.”

Archie Andrews, ARCHIE #525, “The Thinker”

One could say that Archie’s epiphany at the end of the story “The Thinker” (quoted above) is actually a significant advancement over anything achieved by Jay Gatsby in THE GREAT GATSBY: Archie learns through experience that his dreams, regardless of how earnestly felt they may be, might ultimately be frustrated. And yet despite Archie’s revelation, something tells me that by the beginning of ARCHIE #526, he’ll keep dreaming and keep trying. In this sense, Archie is Gatsby. They are both models of adolescent yearning and striving for America’s highest cultural rewards, i.e., financial success, popularity, greatness. And for both, these strivings are neurotically focused onto a proxy for the rewards; Gatsby has his Daisy, Archie his Veronica. These are not merely beautiful rich girls, but avenues to a particular kind of a life. The structural similarities between the two stories continue: both Gatsby and Archie’s rise to success seem thwarted by an interloper who happens to be member of the social group they are both trying to get into. But no matter how many times Reggie or Tom Buchanan attempt to strike down the hero’s aspirations, Archie and Gatsby continue unabated.

This is not to say that the stories are completely identical. One of the more interesting differences is that Gatsby is an adult ruled by adolescent fantasies while Archie is an actual adolescent. Yet these strivings are so manifest in the comics, one could reasonably say that if continuity and timeline flaws were massaged, Archie could almost be a prequel for THE GREAT GATSBY. It’s THE GREAT GATSBY, THE EARLY YEARS. This relationship is clear enough after examining any typical ARCHIE comic; in this case, ARCHIE #525.

ARCHIE #525 is actually a collection of several stories about the adventures and misadventures of Archie Andrews as he pursues his adolescent dreams of fortune, glory and love. The cover of the ARCHIE #525 itself is one of these stories: While mowing his father’s lawn, Archie blithely mows down his neighbor’s flowered hedge. This mishap is caused by Archie’s preoccupation with a pretty girl walking down the street; a cover gag that clearly indicates that Archie’s teenage urges are determining his behavior. Although one could assume these urges are mainly sexual, the dreamy, almost anxious _expression on Archie’s face, and the hearts floating around his head, indicate a motivation a little less lascivious and perhaps more innocent than sheer lust. Archie is directed, mistakenly directed in this case, by the love of a pretty girl and all she promises. Although this single-mindedness is much less focused than that of Gatsby (i.e., for Archie it seems that a substitute for Veronica will do in a pinch, while for Gatsby it was Daisy and Daisy only) , it still indicates the level of preoccupation these fantasy love issues hold for Archie.

The stories in ARCHIE #525, such as the aforementioned “The Thinker,” demonstrate the blatant attitudinal parallels between Archie and Gatsby. In “The Thinker,” Archie is admonished by Veronica’s father, the wealthy Mr. Lodge, for not “thinking things through.” Archie heeds Lodge’s advice while poised to wash Lodge’s limousine, thinking through the chain of events that would logically result from his washing it. He reasons that Lodge would be so impressed by his washing job, that he would offer to make Archie his son-in-law. Archie would then marry Veronica and be hired into Lodge’s company. Lodge would soon make Archie president, and Archie would lead the company into higher financial heights, ultimately making the world a better place. Archie’s fantasy ends with a parade being thrown in his honor. But as he begins to actually wash the car, he fails to notice that the window is open. Archie makes the comment quoted at the beginning of this essay, “Reality’s idea of a logical conclusion is somewhat different than mine,” while Lodge chases him angrily.

The similarities between the dreams of Gatsby and Archie’s fantasy are almost uncanny: success, love, and glory, in that order, each step inevitably leading to the other. To call this thinking delusional may sound extreme since the external context is obviously intended to be humorous. But in the internal context of the story, Archie, like Gatsby, truly believes that he is destined for greatness through a particular woman, in this case, Veronica. He is driven towards this goal with a preoccupation that borders on obsession, and like with Gatsby, it leads to inevitable disaster.

These attitudinal similarities are further evident in another story in ARCHIE #525, “Imagination.” “Imagination” begins with Archie working at the hot dog stand, bemoaning the fact that he doesn’t have money to take Veronica out on a date. Reggie flippantly suggests that he find a job that “uses his imagination.” Archie is oblivious to Reggie’s sarcasm and sets out to make his fortune using his imagination to invent toys. The toys he invents are clearly useless and absurd (e.g., “a skateboard without wheels for people who don’t like to skateboard,” etc.), yet Archie still eagerly takes them to a toy manufacturer. Naturally the toy company rejects his proposals, but later has a change of heart, deciding to use his ludicrous toys as novelty gifts. Soon Archie is jet skiing Veronica thanks to the money he made from the toy company, much to Reggie’s chagrin.

What inferences are to be drawn from this tale? Archie, through his pluck and determination is rewarded with money, and thus rewarded with the girl. Although this might reflect the aspirations of Gatsby and his worldview, the striking echo between this story and Fitzgerald’s work is again how closely Archie’s near-delusional attitude mirrors Gatsby’s. Gatsby is naively driven in his pursuit of Daisy, blinded to thoughts of good taste, blinded to the insults around him, blinded in some degree to common sense. In the ARCHIE story, Archie is likewise blinded. He is of singular purpose in his pursuit of his goal, unable to see though Reggie’s facetiousness, unable to see the fact that his idea for a “square hula hoop” is absurdly useless. He possesses, like Gatsby , a “heightened sensitivity to the promises of life,” an “extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness” that allows him to pursue his goal, Veronica, despite obstacle or reason. Indeed, it is not so far fetched to assume that this attitude could someday inspire Archie to buy a house across the bay from Veronica and hold parties there until she came to one.

Of course there are several obvious differences between ARCHIE and THE GREAT GATSBY in structure, character and theme. I’ve already mentioned the difference in ages between Gatsby and Archie. Another question arises as to how Jughead and Betty fit into the comparison. Although like Nick Carraway, Jughead is Archie’s confidant, Jughead hardly offers the same observer’s perspective that Nick provides. Jughead is so much a definite “character” in his own right, identification with him by the audience is near impossible. Further, Jughead’s real purpose is to be funny, and not to offer commentary and interpret situations. Perhaps Jughead could be George Wilson, the sad, cuckolded husband. But here again, upon his wife’s death, Jughead would seem less likely to kill Archie than he would to make and eat an impossibly large sandwich. (On the other hand, Moose, Reggie’s sidekick, would seem a much more likely candidate for Wilson.) Likewise, Archie’s other girlfriend Betty lacks an analog in THE GREAT GATSBY. Gatsby had no other significant women in his life.

Thematically, one could say that Archie is simply about the trials and tribulations of the American teenager, intended purely as light entertainment. But perhaps this comic has a more latent purpose: it’s an outlet for imparting American cultural values; a training manual as for teenagers, read by pre-adolescents. ARCHIE does not simply reflect the teenager’s life, it informs it, reinforcing the values of social achievement, materialism, and capitalism. GATSBY, on the other hand, is a polemic against these very values; a work that tries to demonstrate their warping influence. GATSBY warns against Gatsby-ism, demonstrating how certain values can lead to a final, tragic disaster. Conversely, ARCHIE encourages Archie-ism, a sunnier version of Gatsby-ism, showing that despite any setback, our hero will go on striving in perpetuity. The question that remains is not whether this will result in more Archies in the world, but whether it will ultimately result in more Gatsbys.

The art was nice.

FANTASTIC FOUR #59