Encyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic Novels

34 ARCHIE

on Justice League Unlimited. Be-

ginning in 2005, Aquaman was

portrayed by actor Alan Ritchson

in several episodes of Smallville.

Th is led to the CW television

network’s producing a live action

pilot episode for a proposed Aqua-

man series starring Justin Hartley.

While the pilot was not aired, it

later became a popular download

on iTunes. Th e character gained

even wider exposure via HBO’s

series Entourage , which included a

story arc involving a fi ctional Aqua-

man movie. Aquaman remains one

of the most stalwart and recog-

nizable heroes of the DC Comics

universe in the new millennium.

Charles Coletta

ARCHIE. Archie is the title of a long-running, teen-oriented comic book series that is

the fl agship publication of publisher Archie Comics. Th e adventures and misadventures

of young Archie Andrews and his friends date back to 1941, when they fi rst appeared

in Pep Comics #22, published by MLJ Comics. By 1942, Archie had his own title, Archie

Comics , which was such a success that the publisher changed its own name to Archie

Comics in 1946. Th e title of the comic was shortened simply to Archie with issue #114.

Archie has run ever since, while its characters have spread out into other comics and

other media.

See also: Youth Culture in Comics

M. Keith Booker

ARKHAM ASYLUM. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth is a story in

the Batman universe centering around Arkham Asylum, the Gotham City mental

institution where the villains Batman catches up with are put for safekeeping. Written

by Grant Morrison and drawn by Dave McKean , it was published as a graphic novel

by DC Comics in 1989 and republished in a special 15-year anniversary edition in

2005. In the story, Batman is called to the site because the inmates have rebelled and
      taken over the asylum, holding the staff hostages. Naturally, the instigator of this event
      is Batman’s arch nemesis Th e Joker, who wants Batman to come inside and experience
      the madness of the people and the creatures he has put away. Th e narrative cross-
      cuts with the story of the building itself, telling the tragedy of the founder Amadeus
      Arkham and his mentally ill mother, and how his wife and daughter later on were

Aquaman promoting good nutrition, from the 1973 ABC
television series Super Friends. ABC/ Photofest