YMMV / Archie Comics (2015)

For the entire line

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Done intentionally with Betty's Uncle, Mr. Collier. Students, both past and present, are split down the middle over whether he's a Stern Teacher or a Sadist Teacher. The big problem here is he is running for Mayor and his blowing his top over another Archie accident gets used in a smear campaign, invoking this reaction out of voters.
  • There's some debate if Jughead is also aromantic due to his daydream moments prior to his date with Sabrina. On one hand, it was of a giant anthro burger, on the other, he seemed genuinely happy when imagining being romantic with someone. This isn't helped by the fact that Jughead himself is very confused by those feelings, as he seems to believe that he shouldn't even be capable of such feelings due to being asexual. ^note  Despite common misconception it is possible for asexual-oriented people to have romantic feeling towards others. Sex doesn't equal love after all. There are some fans that hope this'll lead to a story arc for him.
  • The comics are kind of ambiguous whether or not Jughead's adventures as a time police officer were real or just dreamed up. A lot of fans seem to believe they're real, but this is debated a little bit amongst the fandom.
• Fanon Discontinuity: Some readers have declared Betty & Veronica this, due to the fact that it feels like it's set in the old continuity but also due to fact that Veronica feels drastically out of character when compared to how she acts in the main series. It also doesn't help that in the main story Betty and Veronica had not had much interaction before Betty and Veronica released which then had the two as being close but often antagonistic.
• Genius Bonus: To understand the meaning behind Kweekwegs Koffee's name in Betty & Veronica, one must first know that: A) Starbucks was named after a character from Moby-Dick, and B) Queequeg was another character from that novel.
• Ho Yay: Jughead and Archie have a decent amount if you look at all the titles as a whole.
  • A good example is issue 8 of the main series, where the central conflict is Veronica's dad using his status to try and send the Andrews to another country. Archie gets depressed over the fact that he's going to be separated from Veronica... and Jughead realizes that he'll likely be separated from Archie, and proceeds to mope in the exact same way. Then there's both of their reactions to the conflict being resolved at the end.
    Archie: [COOKING] On the other, my dad rocks and my friend has regained the will to live.
    Jughead: [SITTING ON THE GROUND - LOOKING UP AT ARCHIE ADORINGLY WITH A HEART FLOATING ABOVE HIS HEAD!]
    Archie: [PATTING JUGHEAD ON THE HEAD] Sorry, I meant my best friend.
    Jughead: [WITH AN EXPRESSION OF PURE BLISS] Woof!
  • Another good example for Jughead and Archie is the first issue of Betty & Veronica. It really plays up their bromance with the dialogue.
    Jughead: What about us? ^note They were talking about people fighting each other and over who would win. They eventually did a "Midge VS Moose" one but got sidetracked into talking about the two's relationship.
    Archie: We're not dating Juggie: I keep telling you that.
    • From the same issue...
      Archie: [AFTER FINDING OUT POP'S IS GETTING SHUT DOWN] I'm glad you're with me, Jughead Jones, here at the end of all things...
    • Archie has several pet names for Jughead within just the first two issues of B&V.
  • There's also a bit between Kevin and Jughead. Early on in the Jughead-solo we get to witness Jughead bribing Kevin into buying him food... by complimenting Kevin on his good looks. Kevin then insists that Jughead keep complimenting him.
  • Jughead in general tends to have these kinds of interactions. His "friendship montage" with Reggie in his solo-series looks a lot like a date to be honest.
• LGBT Fanbase: Thanks in no small part to the openly-gay Kevin, and (especially) the openly asexual Jughead. There is of course the Betty/Veronica shippers from the other parts of the Archie fandom who migrated over with the rest of the flock.
• Like You Would Really Do It: Many people aren't convinced that they'd actually kill Betty. While they didn't kill her, her legs were paralyzed. And even that wasn't the case for long; by the end of Waid's run Betty could walk with assistance.
• Moral Event Horizon: Principal Stranger planting a knife on Jughead to try and get him expelled.
• So Okay, It's Average: Hughes' Betty and Veronica, which doesn't really do much new with the characters and seems to exist in the previous continuity.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Archie veers into this for some readers due to his tendency of Open Mouth, Insert Foot. This trait, as well as his hypocritical view on women,^note  He's fine with girls he's not dating showing off their bodies but the second Betty tried to do it he got upset with her and accused her of changing even though all she did was have a makeover. are big reasons as to why the Lipstick Incident happened in the first place. The fact that he doesn't learn his lesson and later insults Betty for "changing" while defending Veronica certainly doesn't help. Then there's how he acts in the Jughead-solo, overall being dismissive of the person who's supposed to be his best friend and even insulting Jughead for being asexual at one point. Granted he wasn't in the best emotional state at the time, and he immediately regretted what he'd said, but still, that's a low blow. Quite honestly some readers find it difficult to feel any pity towards him no matter what awful situation he's in due to the above.
• The Woobie: Jughead as a kid, whose dad lost all their money on a bad investment and lead to Jug getting teased constantly. Ditto for his solo where he's suspended due to being framed for carrying a weapon and loses Pops to the new principal.
  • Even after Defeating Stranger and saving Pops, he has his best friend lie to him, then throw his asexuality in his face. While the two make up it's still a rough moment.
  • Veronica after Mr. Lodge moves them out of Riverdale and throw her in boarding school. She can't communicate with her old friends due to her dad blocking anything going in or out of Riverdale from reaching her or vice versa, she's befriended by Cheryl Blossom who only uses her to seriously hurt someone else. Even when she gets back at Cheryl, she's now unsure she WANTS to be an Alpha Bitch anymore and feels uneasy in the role at best.
  • Betty, who loses her longtime boyfriend due to him not liking her trying makeup and dressing up feminine, having severe confidence issues stemming from being a tomboy, and losing her new boyfriend over Archie and being absolutely devastated over it. While his breaking up with her is understandable, her pain is still tough to watch.
  • Reggie, of all people, in his solo series with shades of it in the main series. While he's a textbook Jerkass Woobie, his father only pays attention to him when he has something the man wants, his mother ignores him entirely, the girl he loves and one of the few people that cares about him (and consequently, one of the few people he treats nicely on a consistent basis) is already taken. His only friend is his loyal dog Vader, with most people either entirely unable to stand him or only hanging out with him as long as something better's not going on.

For the solo series

• The Scrappy: Sheila Wu and Maria Rodriquez became this for a lot of people after issue 4 of the main series. They seem like fine friends for Betty but it's revealed in 4 that they only hang out with Betty because Archie caught them insulting her behind her back. They didn't want Archie, a popular boy, to be mad at them so they force Betty to hang out with them that first time. When they're at her house they not only insult her hobbies but also her nickname and personal tastes. They even try to change her name to "Lizzie." They then force her into a make-over she clearly didn't want (at first.) While they weren't the exact cause for Betty and Archie breaking up they certainly accelerated their eventual breaking point ten fold more or less simply because they're both extremely shallow. While they continue to be Betty's friends they get so little page time that it's unlikely that they'll ever be redeemed in the eyes of most readers. However, it should be noted that Sheila tends to get this less than Maria due to the fact that we actually see her pursue her goals; Whereas Maria is just kind of there whenever Sheila is.