Archie's Classic Christmas Stories: Volume 1

Let's face it, if you've read one Archie comic story you've read every single one of them. The stories follow a paint-by-numbers formula and the punch line/gag is as predictable as Sara Palin saying something stupid. In recent years I've been disappointed in the "look" of the current crop of Archie comic books. Big Ethel is no longer hideous, Moose no longer appears as stupid, and Jughead is kind of fat. There are new, uninteresting characters (e.g., Does anyone really care about Cherry Blossom?), and the digests are increasingly padded with stories about less popular characters (e.g., Sabrina). Archie's Classic Christmas Stories is refreshing because it only focuses on "classic" Archie stories/characters. I didn't have to turn the page fearing that I would be trapped in a Lil Jinx story or some other unfunny filler. My only gripe about these deluxe Archie graphic novels is that they are fairly thin and the comic panels are so enlarged that there are only a few stories to read (i.e., imagine the font in a book being increased from 12 to 14 point and you get the idea). Still, it was fun to read these old stories from the Archie Christmas Stocking specials of yesteryear. I only wish the people in charge of Archie Comics today would take a cue from these old stories and revamp the current books.

I have a strange fascination with Xmas Comics. They open the door to fantastic tales, quite out of the ordianry continuity. Archie & the gang meet Jingles the Xmas Elf. Santa makes brief & fleeting appearances. The best & worst of each character is comes out. But Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, & even Reggie eventually recall the true spirit of Xmas, & find warmth, love & charity towards others in their hearts. Consider these bargain-priced Archie items-- Archie Digest Magazines Lot of 10 LOT OF BETTY & VERONICA DIGEST MAGAZINE + ARCHIES DOUBLE DIGEST +RIVERDALE DIGEST MAGAZINE LOT OF JUGHEAD DOUBLE DIGEST MAGAZINE + LAUGH DIGEST MAGAZINE

I love this collection of Christmas stories!! Beautifully put together... I only wish they were longer.

I don't collect many comic books anymore. Where I once had a collection of some 12,000 comics, I now have less than 200. I've sold off most of it but one thing I do still collect is comics that have a Christmas theme, particularly those that are pre-1970. That's why this collection of classic Archie Christmas stories came as such a treat to me. In this volume you get 14 wonderful tales from the pages of "Archies Christmas Stocking" between the years of 1956 and 1963. These are hilarious and even heart-warming tales filled with the kind of holiday cheer you just don't see in comic books anymore. This classic volume includes: "Christmas Socking" Veronica and Betty conspire to get Archie and Reg to kiss Moose's girl Midge under the mistletoe since Moose won't do it. But the boys and Midge start enjoying it a little too much! "Idiots Delight" Betty wants to spend time with Archie but he's busy with Veronica. Then she hits on the perfect scheme...play the dumb blonde so well that Archie has no choice but to help Betty with everything including wrapping presents and trimming the tree. "Ring that Belle" Veronica mistakenly believes that Archie is giving her and engagement ring for Christmas. When Archies friends find out, he finds himself repeatedly returning her gift for something else. Will it be the right gift? "Seasonal Smooch" Reg tells Moose he has to let him kiss Midge under the mistletoe or Santa won't bring Moose any presents. But that dirty Reg uses everything but mistletoe to get his lips on Midge including hedge leaves, parsley, and carrot leaves. "Those Christmas Blues" Archie tells his parents he's too busy to help them decorate the tree. His saddened parents reminisce about Archie as a little boy and how he loved to help. But Archie has a big surprise for his parents. "A Job for Jingles" Archie is visited by a precocious little elf named Jingles. Archie introduces the elf to the rest of the gang and Jangles has the time of his life. "The Return of Jingles" Jingles returns to Riverdale to see the gang again but this time he's not alone. He bragged so much about what a great time he had that two other elves, Jangles and Jeeves, follow him to Riverdale resulting in a big fight between the trio until the big man in the red suit steps in. As mentioned, there are 14 stories in all and they are just a joy to read. All the gang is here including Reg, Jughead, Mr. Weatherbee, and Mr. Lodge. Filled with the typical Archie brand of humor and that classic Archie Comic's art-style, this will be a book that you'll want to read every holiday season. The book is a 96 page, square bound trade paperback. Highly recommend!

This is a nice paperback book of Archie Christmas stories to own. It is Volume One, and hopefully there will be more released. Most of the stories come from comics as early as 1956 and as late as 1963. So if you are a big fan of Archie Comics, this is a must have, because it has some rare older stories that don't get published in the new comics anymore. One of the stories is the first time that Jingles the elf makes an appearance, who has been a staple of their Christmas stories. Each story is true to character, whether it be about Veronica's wealth, or the Betty/Veronica/Archie triangle, it's generally your typical Archie stories you love with a Christmas flair. Bound to be a collectors item!