...Holds a lot of significance for me as it has provided me with a lot of good times in my life. First, the most beautiful and tension-free time of my life was Childhood. I don?t know if that phase has still ended with me as my sanity is still a topic of debate ;-)?..
There were specifically 3 C?s which were my companions growing up and still are my stress relievers, even after my ?generally accepted? childhood & they are in no particular order: Chocolates,Cartoons, and Comic books.
Yes indeed, these have always been amazing forms of relief in trying times and I?m sure more than one of you would love at least one of the three. I have a special enjoyment for comics since it always gives me that feeling of escapism and enjoyment when I see the impossible happening before me in the panels of the book.
I have enjoyed all sorts of comics, but there is one particular comic, which is completely light hearted and frothy, with not much plot, in fact it just is an episodic book with happenings in the lives of a group of average teenagers. Yet, despite this premise the residents of Riverdale have gone on to rule the hearts of millions for over half a century. I attempt to inform those who aren?t familiar with this all time favorite.
Plot:
As I said before, there isn?t really a plot as such, it?s more or less character based, which focuses on each character their quirks and the phases in teen?s lives. It is entirely fictional and in fact, it?s quite unbelievable to assume that such wholesome teens can exist, but to me that is its charm and escapism.
Without further ado, lets go on to the Characters (man that?s a lot of C?s in this review) who reside in Riverdale:
Archie Andrews: Archie is portrayed to be your average teen, a very decent guy who genuinely cares for his friends, loves his car and is an all around nice guy, the kind anyone wouldn?t mind having for a buddy. However he possesses the uncanny knack of bungling things (unintentionally of course) and getting himself into all sorts of trouble.
He personifies ?clumsy? and no one is safe when he is on this kick(His principal, Mr. Weatherbee, and Veronicas father would testify to this, provided of course that they aren?t currently recovering from his latest). Also his roving eye and continuous craze for girls always gets him into a spot of bother, since he never can decide between Betty or Veronica, for whom he is constantly vying for against his on and off friend but always rival, Reggie Mantle.
On the whole however, he is a guy who has a heart of gold. Just don?t ask him to carry any fragile equipment and you?re fine.
Betty Cooper: Ah yes, the sweet Ms. Cooper. A tomboy with the heart of a lady, she is one of Riverdale?s most popular girls, and while most guys would give their arms to have a date with her, she is hopelessly smitten with Archie. Although he continuously hurts her over Veronica, her best friend, she always hopes that he will come to her someday.
She on occasion does try resorting to schemes and deviousness but that never does work for her, she always gets Archie in the end by being herself. A kind, beautiful girl who is loyal to her friends, can it get any better than Betty? Seemingly it can because announcing Riverdale?s finest?.
Veronica Lodge: Rich, Sexy, with an attitude to drive you up to the wall simultaneously, she is one spoilt kid (and never does she let you forget). She is a compulsive flirt yet hangs on to Archie, maybe because she cant give him up to Betty or because she likes him. While on Betty, Veronica manipulates fools tricks and cheats her, yet the two care for each other as sisters?confused? I sure was. Despite all of her faults, Veronica is a nice person and when not obsessed with herself, does do good for others, which might bring her on a parallel with the one and only?..
Reggie Mantle: Get out of the way, people the devil is back on the roads. A sadistic prankster, Reggie has all the qualities you would look for in a stud, yet is so obnoxious that you wouldn?t mind bouncing him off the walls just to keep warm. He measures his day in how miserable he can make other people with his pranks and he loves making Archie?s life hell with his work, since both of them run around behind Veronica who when it suits her, doesn?t even give them the time of day.
A good looker (and boy does he know it), he is quite charming and knows how to get his way, although he particularly is attracted (suicidal mostly) to Midge, who is the girlfriend of the bruiser Moose. Despite his obvious faults, he is a nice guy who does do good once in a while, although he would rather gag himelf than admit that (a task easier said than done). He revels in his ambition to fool all the minions at Riverdale, and there is one person who actually makes his life hell by fooling him all the time and he is?
Forsythe ?Jughead? P. Jones: The one true outlandish character in Riverdale. At first sight you would either think he is about to burst from constant eating or about to doze off in the middle of walking. Loafing and eating, the two activities Jug lives for, for him the Chocklit Shoppe is a second home, and for Pops he is a walking bank (although how much he currently owes Pop is another matter for the man).
Curiously unattracted to women, he does show some interest every now and then and of course cares for Betty like a sister. Despite that, he is probably the most intelligent of the group, and is Archie?s best friend and troubleshooter. His spats with Reggie and Veronica are the stuff of legend, and make for the most interesting stories.
His is one presence which ensures that things will get crazy and goofy soon. He is unique and enjoys himself that way, although he would probably do anything for his friends? ok fine except giving up his last hamburger.
There are a various assortment of characters and too many to mention here, but notably there are Dilton, Moose, Ethel, Mr.Weatherbee, Mr. Lodge, Ms. Grundy, Chuck, the Pussycats, JINX MALLOY (remember him ;-) ) and even Ms.Beazly, and though they are engaging, the above 5 are the crux of the books and are the ones who guide the reader.
While I enjoy all the characters, I love the camaraderie between Jughead and Reggie. While they might despise each other, their interactions are almost always amazingly funny and a pleasure to read, since they are always trying to one-up the other and their whacked out strategies always make my sides split, although the rest have their own merits and can be extremely funny as well.
As I said before, these stories are quite unbelievable but for me they are entertainment and transport me to a fun world which I guess are fun to read about and enjoy. They may not always be extremely funny, but they make for engaging reading nonetheless and a lot of times through a lot of stories they impart a lot of historic facts as well.
Having said that, I highly recommend them and now you know what to get me on my birthday (Of course I would love a big hamper of chocolates with it as well ;-) )
Well I hope you enjoy these and while you introduce yourself to them, I?m off to see what?s happening today in the life of my favorite teens, with my Dairy milk and Tom n Jerry playing of course, cant forget my other two C?s now can I? :-D.
Before you go however, do leave your comments and let me know what you have to say about them and this review
Till next time
Have fun
Faraz
