Sabrina, The Teenage Witch #58 (Archie Comics, August 2004)

I don't know why, because I'm not a manga reader, but the Tania Del Rio run of Sabrina, The Teenage Witch has always kinda intrigued me. I've always meant to track down the run and give it a read out of curiousity's sake, and finally have. I think the thing that fascinates me the most about it is that it's pretty much the prototype for some of the stuff that Archie Comics is experimenting with these days (i.e., a change-up to the Dan DeCarlo driven "house style", continuity influenced story arcs, etc.,)...

From Wikipedia:

In 2004, beginning with issue #58 (in the second Sabrina the Teenage Witch comic book series), the comics were taken over by Tania del Rio with her manga-inspired art and design style. The comics were then released featuring new characters and a slightly more serious, continuity-heavy plot. The manga Sabrina story wrapped up at issue #100 in 2009, albeit with a few unresolved subplots. Only one manga-sized trade paperback was released during the series' run, reprinting issues #58-61.

Download Link

Chilling Adventures in Sorcery (As Told By Sabrina) #1 & #2

Here's a short-lived odd 1972 attempt made by Archie Comics to do a horror anthology title, this time around hosted by Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. It's actually rather chilling and slightly disorienting to see straight horror tales being done in the classic Stan Goldberg/ Dan DeCarlo Archie "house" style...

(Thanks to Zen Tiger for these scans)

Issue #1

Issue #2

To Riverdale and Back Again (Archie, 1990)

Mention to this mediocre made for television flick to any hardcore comic book fanboy of long standing, and you'll get a combination of snickers and groans. In my opinion, this attempt to update and add mature themes to the Riverdale gang was a train wreck waiting to happen, and boy.....am I grateful to have been able to have watched this during it's original network airing.


The really weird thing is, going back and reading the far better comic book adaptation of this flick (written by Robert Loren Fleming and illustrated by the late, great Gene Colan) nearly twenty years after the fact....it reads like some sorta odd Riverdale version of Kingdom Come or Earth X....

Download Link (Hosted by Megaupload)

To Riverdale and Back Again CBR file

Archie Andrews Radio Show

America's favorite teenagers, Archie Andrews and the Riverdale gang, actually had a fairly lengthy run on radio in it's heyday. The first incarnation of the show debuted on May 31, 1943, and continued as a five times a week, 15 minute show on the Blue Network until October 1st, when it became a weekly 25 minute series. This did not last long, because on December 24, 1943, this incarnation of the show ended.

But, then from January 17 to June 2, 1944, it aired yet again as a 15 minute daily show on the Mutual network, then taking another brief hiatus and debuting on NBC a year later on June 2, 1945, switching back to a weekly 30 minute show airred on Saturday mornings, until September 5th, 1953, sponsored by Swift and Company.

Cast :

Charles Mullen, Jack Grimes, Burt Boyar as Archie Andrews
Bob Hastings as Archie during the NBC run.
Harlan Stone and Cameron Andrews as Jughead Jones
Rosemary Rice as Betty Cooper
Gloria Mann and Vivian Smolen as Veronica Lodge
Alice Yourman and Arthur Kohl as Mary and Fred Andrews
Paul Gordon as Reggie Mantle
Arthur Maitland as Mr. Weatherbee

Announcer : Bob Sherry
Music : George Wright
Produceer : Kenneth W. MacGregor
Sound Effects : Agnew Horine


Here's a few episodes (hosted by Internet Archive) from the NBC run of the show (just right click the link to download):

Drugstore Mixup 07/27/1946

Suffering from the Heat- 08/07/1948

The New TV Set- 05/21/1949

The Shadow (Archie Comics, 1964)

I'm a long-time fan of the pulp hero The Shadow, and actually have a fairly decent collection of vintage pulp magazines, radio shows in various formats (vinyl records, cassettes, CDs, mp3s, etc.,...),.....and comics.

Now...if I'm reading Lamont Cranston's exploits via the funnybook page, I've found it hard to beat DC Comics' 1970s run on the character written by Denny O'Neil and illustrated by Mike Kaluta (and later Frank Robbins). As a matter of fact, I'm constantly citing it as quite possibly one of my favorite comic book series runs of all time, and certainly one of the best attempts at bringing the character to the comic book page. Though, I will admit that my admiration for all things Howard Chaykin allows me to absolutely love his 1980s re-imagining of the character in a contemporary setting...alot of purists don't, but to each their own, eh?

And, then....there's this thing from Archie Comics published in the 1960s. For years, I'd heard fellow fans speak of it, and constantly seeing reference to it in various magazines devoted to the hobby as one of the worst examples of cashing in on the superhero craze of the 1960s...well, it made me curious. First of all, they make Cranston the picture of the Germanic dream....blond haired and blue eyed. And they ditch the (still incredibly cool) black cloak and fedora for a standard issue green and blue superhero union suit...this is definitely not how I'd always pictured the character.

Well....as luck would have it, I actually ran across a complete run of this series at a local comics shop a few years back...and actually got the books for a steal (they were having a Silver Age back issue sale). I figured for 20 bucks, it'd be worth a good laugh....

And now...I share my pain with you, Faithful Downloader.

The books actually aren't that bad, though....it shares more in spirit with the more light hearted portrayal of Cranston from the radio show, with a few typical 1960s tweaks to the character....such as revamping Shiwan Khan as a cliched Red China/Southeast Asia type commie menace....which when you think of it was that decade's version of the 1920s "yellow peril" villains that the character was originally inspired by.

I'm offering the downloads in various formats this time around, and will have all the links up as soon as I get them uploaded....

Download Links:

CBR bundle (Hosted By Megaupload)

Scan Bundle- COMING SOON

Punisher Meets Archie (Marvel Comics/ Archie Comics, 1994)

I get alot of flack for being a loving endorser of this particular comic book. Not only do I think it's good...I love it unconditionally.

It pulls off the impossible, IMO....takes two polar opposite characters (The Punisher and Archie Andrews, naturally), presents a tangible scenario for each to interact, and does it all without having either seem out of character, which are the hallmarks of any good crossover in comics.
Cut to Wikipedia:
''Archie Meets the Punisher (Aug. 1994) was a one-shot comic book intercompany crossover published by Marvel Comics and Archie Comics. This was the title of the Archie version with the same interior contents as The Punisher Meets Archie, published by Marvel. It featured the unlikely meeting of Marvel's murderous vigilante, the Punisher, and Archie Comic' all-American teenager, Archie Andrews. The book was written by Batton Lash, with artwork by John Buscema (handling the Punisher side) and Stan Goldberg (handling the Archie side).

The Punisher has made a deal with the government to hunt down a notorious drug dealer named "Red" who is hiding in Riverdale. His deal with the government requires him to forgo his normally lethal methods and apprehend the villain instead of killing him. This is fortunate, because Red looks exactly like Archie. Archie is mistaken for Red by the Punisher, who is undercover as a teacher at Riverdale High, while Red is mistaken for Archie by his friends. All parties remain completely in character throughout the issue, although Riverdale's inherent innocence compels the Punisher to allow his true quarry to live, for once. The comic ends with the joking suggestion that the next crossover will be between Wolverine and Jughead.

The comic is full of references to various teen comics and superhero comics published by both companies. Archie's Josie and the Pussycats and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch make brief appearances, as do Marvel and Archie romance characters Millie the Model, Katy Keene, Hedy Wolfe, and Patsy Walker. Some characters, like That Wilkin Boy, are mentioned, but not seen. One girl's comment, "So I asked the Doctor if the Hosts of Hoggoth were really hoary," implies that she has met Marvel's Doctor Strange.

A reference to Marvel's next intercompany crossover is made at the end of this issue, when Microchip claims that their next stop is Gotham City. Shortly after this comic book was published, Marvel Comics and DC Comics collaborated to release Batman/Punisher: Lake of Fire and Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights .

Download Link (Hosted By Megaupload)