Zoya Akhtar’s long-awaited The Archies, an Indian film adaptation of the evergreen Archie comics, releases on Netflix today (December 7). Arguably the most successful non-superhero comic book character ever, Archie debuted in December 1941, in Pep Comics No. 22. Today, more than 80 years later, we look back at the rise of Archie comics as a wholesome alternative to comic books of the time. An exception to the rule Advertisement Humour comics featuring teenage protagonists were a staple of the comic book industry from the 1940s through the early 1960s. Amidst today’s superhero-comic dominated landscape, however, they are non-existent —...