This batch is a group of small, 96-page digests.
Sonic Super Digest #8
I’d always been curious about Archie’s Sonic titles (and their other licensed characters, like Mega-Man). They looked well-produced, especially compared to the regular Archie comics. Unfortunately, this probably wasn’t the title to get. This digest series focused on the various side characters in the Sonic universe. There were also a couple of continued stories that pointed readers to an online app to finish. That was a dirty trick.
I really don’t know much about the mythology of the character, though I have watched some Sonic cartoons. These were produced with Sega’s direct oversight, so I assume they approved of them and kept them in line.
These were definitely for kids. They’re adventurous, but thoughtful. The stories are usually trying to impart life lessons.
There wasn’t that much of solo Sonic in this comic, except for the last story. I didn’t quite understand it, but I loved his Mach 5 bed. Getting this small digest used was a cheap way of finding out about title. It’s not for me, but kids and Sonic fans might like them.
Tales from Riverdale Digest #11
This is a smaller 96-page digest from the early 2000’s. It starts with a Fernando Ruiz story where a group of freshmen idolize Archie and want to be like him. So they end up unintentionally screwing up a bunch and end up in the detention with him. Mission accomplished.
Next, Veronica wears a shiny vinyl skirt. (If only she was real.) It’s a two-part story where Ronnie tries to promote herself as a teen superhero and accidentally foils a crime. A caption at the end asks the readers if they want to see more of Powerteen.
There’s a couple of pinups, including this cool one of Cheryl Blossom.
There’s a story with the young animated Sabrina. Then there’s a section of reprints from Archie’s Madhouse. They’re kind of goofy, but harmless.
This kid with elastic powers looks like he’s dating a blonde Josie from the 60’s.
There is a section with Josie and the Pussycats. Melody is wearing a dress made of money. A very glam-looking Alexandra is, of course, jealous of the attention she’s getting. Alexandra ends up wearing a similar dress made up of 100’s and she ends up upstaging Mel. (Okay, this story is non-canonical. Nobody could ever upstage Melody.) The digest finishes with a Cheryl story. There’s quite a bit a variety in this little volume.
World of Archie Digest Free Comic Book Day #1
This is the 2013 FCBD edition. I never got one of these for a Free Comic Book Day. These are a pretty good giveaway, especially compared to most of the other offerings.
In the opening story by Fernando Ruiz, Archie wins a date with his pop music crush, Ashlee Simpleton. However, dating a celebrity is too fake for Archie and he ends up dumping her. (It’s not like Archie is having any trouble getting a date with a beautiful girl whenever he wants.) Okay, what’s Fernando got against Ashley Simpson, whom this is obviously inspired by. She comes off like a jerk in this. She’s a nice girl (relatively to the rest of the entertainment industry).
There’s a pretty good variety of characters featured, including Betty and Veronica, Chuck, Josie and the Pussycats, and Sabrina. Here she is looking really dangerous. Sabrina’s concerned that Harvey is lying about going out with another girl. Some magic gets him to confess. In fact, he’s scared enough to confess about dating several other girls. This honesty does not please Sabrina, at all. (And hey, Harvey, you’re already going out with a doll, albeit with an irritating aunt and some strange supernatural experiences, but wise up.)
The book finishes with several Jughead tales with a couple by Rex Lindsey and a couple by Samm Schwartz. Here’s Jug not enjoying himself with Miss Riverdale, who’s likely been re-colored from the original. This would have been a great item to pick up for FCBD.
Archie Digest Free Comic Book Day #1
Here’s the 2014 FCBD giveaway. The digest begins with several Archie stories. I like the last one, where he has to take the bus to school and he’s like a celebrity amongst the underclassmen there.
It’s not a Josie and the Pussycats section; it’s a She’s Josie section, the predecessor to the Pussycats from the 60’s. Alexandra and Alex are drawn in their original incarnations here. There’s a Scooby-Doo-ish mystery story, as the kids disrupt a gang of art thieves. They’d revisit this concept in the Pussycats cartoon later.
Fernando Ruiz does a long story with Archie and Reggie competing as ventriloquists with dummies. In the competition, Hot Dog ferrets out a thief with a midget in his lap. The book again finishes with some Jughead. This isn’t quite as great as the previous one, but still a great giveaway.
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