Archie Comics extends reach with digital comics

Jon Goldwater is propelling the family business into the 21st century.

That business is the 70-year-old Archie Comics. Goldwater’s father, John Goldwater, helped found the company, and his brother, Richard, rose to president and co-publisher before his death in 2007. Jon Goldwater became CEO of Archie Comics this past spring after acquiring an ownership interest in the company.

A press release in June stated that Jon Goldwater was intent “on bringing the kids from Riverdale to a larger multimedia audience,” and announcements since then have borne that out. At the recent San Diego Comic-Con, Archie Comics announced Archie Digital Comics (www.archiedigital.com), with plans to post decades of Archie titles online for subscribers.

“Archiedigital.com is probably one of the most important initiatives this company has ever undertaken,” Goldwater says. “One thing that the company hadn’t done for many years is what used to be called new technology, but now is just part of everyday society — things like Facebook and Twitter, the digital world that we now live in.”

The digital comics will help globalize Archie, reaching audiences in other countries that might have trouble otherwise getting the comics, Goldwater says. And with everything from long-ago classic stories to newer titles on the site, “there’s going to be something for everyone.”

Archie Comics and iVerse Media also recently announced an iPhone app so that Archie titles can be viewed on the iPhone. There’s also a new Web site in the works; it’s expected to launch this fall. The old one, at www.archiecomics.com, is “extraordinarily serviceable” but isn’t interactive enough, Goldwater says.

Goldwater, who has 20 years’ experience in the entertainment industry, is also looking at other venues for Archie and friends.

“We have an incredible amount of interest in doing an Archie movie,” he says. And, he says, count on announcements at some point concerning new music by The Archies (known for the long-ago smash hit “Sugar, Sugar”), as well as Josie and the Pussycats.

On the publishing side, the big news is an upcoming story, set five years in the future and featuring the wedding of Archie and Veronica — an event that seems to set to rest the long-running love triangle between Archie, Veronica and Betty.

News of the nuptials created a lot of buzz — showing, Goldwater says, that people still care about the Archie characters after all these years.

“It took off like wildfire,” he says. “It was on the ‘Today Show.’ Leno talked about it. Letterman talked about it.”

Some posts on the Internet say the story features only a possible future — and that the last three issues of the six-part story will feature a different path, this one with Archie marrying Betty. Goldwater declined to comment, except to say, “All I can tell you is whatever people think might happen, just expect the unexpected.”