Rodeo Jive: Archie Comics Gang Visits Beverly Hills

Everyone remembers Archie Comics. You read them as a kid, right? Archie, always 16 years old with bright red-orange hair, and his buddies, the eccentric crown-wearing Jughead and arrogant rival Reggie. Then there was the endless debate over "who was hotter?" Veronica, the spoiled, dark-haired rich girl or sunny, girl-next-door Betty, the blonde. Who would Archie go for? It seemed like he would never decide.

Well, in more than 60 years, Archie still hasn't decided. The Gang from Riverdale is still going strong in several monthly comic titles sold on newsstands everywhere. Last year, Archie comics got a lot of attention in the media for adding its first openly gay character, Kevin Keller, who has just been awarded his own monthly comic book.

I write stories for Archie comics. I am not an artist, but each of my scripts contains details of what each drawing in the story contains. Recently I wrote several cover stories for Archie comics that showcased the city of Beverly Hills. In the first, Archie and his pals are seen crossing Rodeo Drive in a white-striped crosswalk like the Beatles did on their famous Abbey Road album cover. 

In The Archies in Beverly Hills, Archie and his pal fly into LAX and then are whisked off in a limo to the home of pop superstar and BHHS alum "Jessica Timmers." They shop on Rodeo Drive, see Paris Hilton near the and even play a concert at . You may recall The Archies were a rock group that had an actual No. 1 pop smash in 1969, "Sugar Sugar," a song that is still played on radio today. ("Sugar Sugar," sung by Ron Dante, who became Barry Manilow's producer of many hit songs, was one of the first records to define the genre known as Bubble Gum Rock.)

In another Beverly Hills-themed Archies story I wrote, Betty Cooper visits BHHS on an exchange program and competes on the varsity girls track team. The team's coach is based on the school's real life physical education teacher Heather Harrison, who is on the cover and inside the story as the tough coach. Betty runs with the star runner "Olympia" and tours Beverly Hills, including stops at and Eres Swimsuit boutique. At Beverly Hills High, Betty sees posters for "Spa Day" and Evian water dispensers in the hallways. (Hey, it's a spoof!)

In my third Beverly Hills-based story for Archie comics, the Riverdale gang is awarded a stay at the legendary Beverly Hills Hotel. I received very special permission from the hotel to write this story and feature the hotel's images. The Archies benefactor for this vacation in paradise is Veronica's dad, the wealthy businessman known as "Mr. Lodge." The Archies play a concert in the Crystal Ballroom, bump into Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in the lobby, dine at the Fountain Coffee Room and Polo Lounge, and swim at the pool. Jughead comments that the towels in the rooms are the "softest he's ever felt!"

Rex Lindsey and Stan Goldberg, the comic artists who worked on these stories, did an outstanding job capturing the images of Beverly Hills (using actual photos as models). The stories are packed with pop culture references. Beverly Hills never looked more mythical than when I saw our city depicted in comic form in the classic pages of Archie comics, one of America's most successful and long-term pop culture franchises.

Current Co-CEO of Archie Comics John Goldwater Jr. has been planning all kinds of new projects with the Archie franchise, most significantly the first ever big screen movie featuring Archie and his pals. There are more monthly titles of Archie comics going than any other comic for children right now.

"Archie Comics are viewed as classic Americana with their small town 'retro' feel and wholesome family values that parents rely on," said longtime Archie Comics Editor-in-Chief Victor Gorelick.

With all the violent "superhero" genre comics (which are no longer sold on newsstands in the U.S., only in comic shops) Archie is more popular than it has been in many years. 

Visit the Archie Comics website and check out the latest titles and other great information and blogs from the characters while looking for my stories The Archies in Beverly Hills, The Archies Return to Beverly Hills and Betty at Beverly Hills High School at your local comic book shop.

Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and "Like" us on Facebook.