{"id":27569,"date":"2023-02-18T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2023-02-18T09:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=27569"},"modified":"2023-02-15T17:53:06","modified_gmt":"2023-02-15T17:53:06","slug":"the-cartoon-life-of-chuck-clayton-archie-friends-all-stars-volume-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2023\/02\/18\/the-cartoon-life-of-chuck-clayton-archie-friends-all-stars-volume-3\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cartoon Life of Chuck Clayton (Archie & Friends All-Stars volume 3)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Alex Simmons<\/strong>, Fernando Ruiz<\/strong>, Al Nickerson<\/strong> & various (Archie Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-879794-48-1 (TPB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

For more than 80 years Archie Comics and its eponymous superstar Archie Andrews<\/strong> has epitomised good, safe, wholesome fun, whilst encouraging and embracing ingeniously hidden and deviously subversive elements of mischief. Family-friendly superheroes, spooky chills, sci-fi thrills and genre yarns have been as much a part of the publisher\u2019s varied portfolio as those romantic comedy capers of America\u2019s cleanest-cut teens since the company Golden Age debut as MLJ publications.<\/p>\n

As you surely know by now, founded in 1939 as MLJ, Archie<\/strong> has been officially around since 1941, and spent spending most of the intervening decades chasing tantalisingly attainable Betty Cooper<\/em> and wildly out-of-his-league debutante Veronica Lodge<\/em>. The game was played with best friend Jughead Jones<\/em> alternately mocking and abetting his romantic endeavours whilst rival Reggie Mantle<\/em> sought to scuttle every move\u2026<\/p>\n

As crafted by a legion of writers and artists who logged innumerable stories of teen antics in and around idyllic, utopian small-town\u00a0Riverdale<\/em>, these timeless tales of decent, fun-loving kids captivated successive generations of readers and entertained millions worldwide.<\/p>\n

To keep all that accumulated attention riveted, the company has always looked to modern trends and changing social mores. Every type of fashion-fad and youth-culture sensation has invariably been shoehorned in and explored on the pages of the regular titles.<\/p>\n

The perennial eternal triangle that fuels all those stories has generated thousands of charming, raucous, gentle, thrilling, chiding and even heart-rending humorous dramas expressing everything from surreal wit to frantic, frenetic slapstick, with the kids – like boy genius Dilton Doily<\/em>. genial giant jock Big Moose<\/em>, and a constantly expanding cast of friends and associates – Principal Mr. Weatherbee<\/em>, teachers Mrs. Grundy<\/em>, Professor Flutesnoot<\/em> and Coach<\/em> Kleats<\/em> or occasional guest stars like Josie and the Pussycats<\/strong> or Sabrina the Teenage Witch<\/strong> amongst so many others – all growing into a national institution and an inescapable part of America\u2019s youth landscape.<\/p>\n

The feature thrived by constantly refreshing its core archetypes; boldly, seamlessly adapting to a changing world outside its bright and cheerful pages, shamelessly co-opting youth, pop culture, fashion trends and even topical events into its infallible mix of comedy and young romance. Each and every social revolution has been painlessly assimilated into the mix and over the decades the company has confronted most social issues affecting youngsters in a manner both even-handed and tasteful.<\/p>\n

Constant addition of new characters like out-&-proud gay student Kevin Keller<\/strong>, fashion-diva Ginger Lopez<\/em>, Hispanic couple Frankie Valdez<\/em> & Maria<\/em> Rodriguez<\/em>, junior film-maker Raj Patel<\/em>, or spoiled home-wrecker-in-waiting Cheryl Blossom<\/em> all contributed to the wide, refreshingly broad-minded scenario. In most of those cases, embracing diversity brought opprobrium – if not hysterical condemnation – from some sectors, but rarely from actual readers of the comics.<\/p>\n

They were the hidebound ancestors of today\u2019s speciously-outraged, doom-babbling anti-\u201cwoke\u201d wankers, proudly politically incorrect and so-frequently utterly free of any taint of literacy or education who just pettily salivate and bark on command at the fatuous fringes of social media these days whenever anyone apparently rings a bell for just letting people live their lives\u2026<\/p>\n

That process probably began for Archie Comics with Pep Comic<\/strong>s #257 (cover-dated September 1971): the first appearance of black student Chuck Taylor Lyndon Clayton<\/em>: athletic all-star son of Floyd Clayton<\/em>, the deputy PE teacher at Riverdale High.<\/p>\n

As he grew into his role, Chuck escaped the obvious stereotypes and was revealed to be not only a talented and dedicated artist but comics fan. His greatest ambition is to be a successful cartoonist and comics creator – making him the comic book face of millions of aspiring readers and fans\u2026<\/p>\n

In 1976, after a succession of anonymous black girlfriends, Chuck began steadily dating Nancy<\/em> (alternatively \u201cHarris\u201d, \u201cBaker\u201d or \u201cJackson\u201d, but now officially \u201cWoods<\/em>\u201d) in what appears one of the company\u2019s most stable relationships. Also a Riverdale student, Nancy favours journalism, edits the school newspaper and is also black: Miscegenation apparently being one step far too far until the experimentally interracial 1990s \u2026a period when the junior Clayton truly came into his own\u2026<\/p>\n

As previously stated, Chuck is the go-to guy for stories about<\/em> comics (and African-American culture and heritage, but that\u2019s a tale for another time and tome). He works part-time in the local comics store, collects old issues of MLJ stars and facts about publishing and creators. Much to Nancy\u2019s dismay, he also spends too much time perfecting his skills for his future vocation\u2026<\/p>\n

When comics, TV and movies were being regularly challenged on not offering enough positive role models for young readers of colour, Chuck was there as a guy to admire but also someone who said it was okay to follow your dream career\u2026<\/p>\n

This cheap and cheerful collection was first released in 2010, and gathers a serial originally seen in Archie and Friends<\/strong> #126-129 (spanning February to May 2009) concocted by writer Alex Simmons, penciller Fernando Ruiz, inker Al Nickerson, letterers Patrick Owsley, Phil Felix & Ellen Leonforte and colourist Glenn Whitmore, and sees Chuck take the logical step in his progress\u2026<\/p>\n

A graphic zealot eager to share the wealth (aren\u2019t we all?) Chuck is diverted from his own art classes when the elementary school art teacher asks him to tutor a group of problem kids in a comics-based afterschool project\u2026<\/p>\n

Nervous but rising to the challenge, \u2018Stick Figures & Grumpy Elves\u2019<\/em> details how Chuck\u2019s biggest problems are getting the kids to listen to him and surviving the scorn of \u201ctraditional\u201d art teacher Mr. Sal<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

A solution starts to gel when he realises that his kids don\u2019t need a teacher as much as an editor and after much mutual effort, the results make converts out of doubters\u2026<\/p>\n

Inspired and inspirational, Chuck is headhunted by another forward-looking adult when the Director of the Riverton Youth Centre asks him to teach a regular after-school Comic Book Workshop\u2026<\/p>\n

His personal project is trying to win a cash-contest for a new character – the \u201cTomTom Comics can you create cool comics characters competition\u201d – but that doesn\u2019t stop him giving all his attention to the teens of the Carlos Community Center in second chapter \u2018Meet the New School\u2019<\/em>. The real problem is a surly old geezer who frowns on his granddaughter\u2019s – frankly wonderful – efforts. It\u2019s affecting little Lori<\/em>\u2019s work, ruining everyone\u2019s fun and deeply discouraging an amazing talent\u2026<\/p>\n

After talking things over with Archie, Reggie and the others, Chuck finally confronts surly Winston Morley<\/em> and discovers his animosity is a learned behaviour: the old black man was a pioneer of comics\u2019 Golden Age and has few happy memories or respect for that time of his life\u2026<\/p>\n

A solution to the dilemma comes when Chuck learns that his own dad was a big fan of the creator of Ollie the Ostrich<\/strong> and Flint Steelhard, Private Eye<\/strong>. He even still has all the old issues stashed away in Nana Clayton<\/em>\u2019s garage\u2026<\/p>\n

Not only does the revelation melt one old curmudgeon\u2019s defences, but it also gives Chuck a boost in surmounting his own creative block over the TomTom competition as seen in \u2018A Time to Draw\u2019<\/em>. If only proud and prestige-hungry Mr Weatherbee hadn\u2019t lent his cartoon whiz-kid to Millis Middle School where Chuck will be teaching comics during actual school hours to actual school kids as part of an actual school schedule\u2026<\/p>\n

Making the job just perfect (that\u2019s sarcasm) is the fact that he\u2019s got to make the kids enjoy crafting a comic book about the History of Ancient Greece. Challenge Accepted\u2026<\/p>\n

Overcoming all obstacles like a caped crusader, Chuck excels in ending episode \u2018Delinquent Doodles\u2019<\/em>: nurturing his kids to conclusion, creating his own killer competition character and contributing to Raj Patel\u2019s Riverdale High\/social science film project, before facing one last challenge\u2026 solving the mystery of why his star pupils – Mikey Diangelo<\/em> – has suddenly become a spraying-painting vandal\u2026<\/p>\n

This charming saga was packed throughout with timeless, sage advice for aspiring wannabes and the in-world contents of Chuck\u2019s classes are formalised at the end here: presented as a series of mini lectures about all aspects of the process. It begins with \u2018Chuck Clayton\u2019s Creating Cool Comics\u2019 \u2018Part 1: Terms\u2019<\/em> and follows up with \u2018Part 2: Script\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Part 3: Thumbnails\u2019<\/em> before wrapping up with \u2018Part 4: Inking & Lettering\u2019<\/em>: sharing all the key tips and hints we pre-YouTube, internet-oblivious creators wallowed in\u2026<\/p>\n

Fun, enthralling and perfectly capturing the unmatched joys of imagination, realisation and making stuff up, The Cartoon Life of Chuck Clayton<\/strong> is a brilliantly entertaining treat for all.
\n\u00a9 2010 Archie Comics Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. \u2122 & \u00a9 2018 Archie Comic Publications, Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Alex Simmons, Fernando Ruiz, Al Nickerson & various (Archie Comics) ISBN: 978-1-879794-48-1 (TPB\/Digital edition) For more than 80 years Archie Comics and its eponymous superstar Archie Andrews has epitomised good, safe, wholesome fun, whilst encouraging and embracing ingeniously hidden and deviously subversive elements of mischief. Family-friendly superheroes, spooky chills, sci-fi thrills and genre yarns … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “The Cartoon Life of Chuck Clayton (Archie & Friends All-Stars volume 3)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[109,141,125,97],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-to-books","category-archie-comics","category-humour","category-kids-all-ages"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-7aF","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27569"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27572,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27569\/revisions\/27572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}