A 
FEATURE
STORY
FEATURE
STORY
A
CRAIG BOLDMAN:
FROM HIS PEN TO ARCHIE'S MOUTH
Craig Boldman finds inspiration for his writing by strolling through the mall and browsing offbeat catalogues.
His job? Writing the Archie comic strip for newspapers, and contributing an occasional piece to the Archie comic books.
"I carry a notebook around constantly and jot ideas as I think of them," Boldman said. "I don't stick around the house to write, though. Instead, I wander around town."
So, where is this inspirational place Boldman calls home? Hamilton, Ohio, located between Cincinnati and Dayton.
Boldman, 39, obviously isn't the first writer of this 50 year old comic strip. "The original writer and artist was Bob Montana," Boldman said. "His style was great, and his gags made me laugh out loud."
After Montana died in 1975, other writers filled in over the years. None, however, lasted very long.
Then, fate stepped in. Ten years ago, Boldman wrote a fan letter to a Jughead comic book artist. "His stuff was 20 percent funnier than anybody else's work," Boldman said.
The artist wrote back, offering advice and a page of his original art. "He encouraged me to break into the comics," Boldman said. "So, I submitted a few comics over the years, but never got a nibble." NEXT: THE LOVE TRIANGLE
Eventually, Boldman's work caught the attention of the Archie editor, Victor Gorelick. By 1993, Boldman was the official Archie comic.
Ironically, although Boldman's formal training was as an artist, he doesn't do the actual writing for the strip. "Writing the strip is a pleasure, though, and it's fun to see the finished art by Henry Scarpelli," he said. Boldman thinks he got the writing job because of his affinity for the characters. He sees red haired, freckled Archie Andrews as an "everyman character, with action revolving around him."
"Archie is an average teenager, surrounded by more extreme personalities," Boldman said. "He's a little awkward and accident prone, though, and he isn't the luckiest guy in the world. Trouble follows him, and he's often a victim of circumstance."
Boldman offers insight into the age-old raven haired Veronica/blond Betty debate. "No guy I've talked to prefers Veronica over Betty, although the Archie character does," he said.
Veronica has a certain allure, but she's spoiled," Boldman explains. "Betty is much nicer, well centered and level headed."
"Betty doesn't get enough respect," Boldman adds. "One would hope, if Archie had sense, that he'd eventually fall in love with her." NEXT: THE REST OF THE CAST
Who is Boldman's favorite character? "Definitely Jughead," he said. "He's the ultimate non-conformist."
Boldman said he can always introduce a new wrinkle to Jughead, as long as he keeps the voracious appetite and skinny physique intact.
"He's the only male character not under the spell of females," he said. "He sees how other males suffer because of their infatuations."
And Reggie? "He's not an evil guy, but he likes to do evil pranks, as recreation or a hobby," Boldman said. "Though he constantly plays rotten tricks, his friends are resigned to him. Weird friends are better than no friends, I guess."
"I use Reggie to stir up trouble," said Boldman. "I use Jughead for unorthodox, way-out-there type gags."
Boldman targets a general audience for his writing, instead of aiming specifically at the teen market. "We want both adults and teenagers to read the comic, although we realize the kids in the comic are several steps removed from actual teens."
"Riverdale High is an idealized school, one you wish you'd gone to," he said. "The point of Archie is pure entertainment, not breaking new ground or tackling serious teen subjects."
His strip is a "gag a day comic," rather than a long running plot. The longest running story Boldman created lasted about two weeks.
"In it, Archie ran for class president, which corresponded to a national election," Boldman said.
Archie comics are often set in the Choklit Shoppe, their official hangout, run by Pop Tate. Other common settings are the school or the homes of Archie or Veronica. "Veronica's wealthy father has changed several times over the years, according to Boldman. "Whenever a new writer worked on the strip, he's create a different first name for him. Finally, they settled on Hiram." NEXT: ARCHIE, SUPERMAN, FIXITT
Although reading comics is fun, writing them is hard work. Archie comics run seven days a week, with Boldman writing one Monday through Saturday comic per day. "The Sunday comics are larger, though, and often require tinkering."
The Archie editor then sends Boldman a proof of the strip. "That's the only time I see my work," he said. My newspaper doesn't carry the comic strip!"
Boldman isn't sure how many newspapers carry his work. "Today isn't an optimum climate for older comic strips, except Charlie Brown, Blondie and a few others. When newspapers choose a comic strip to carry, they think of newer creations, instead of older ones It is a real struggle."
Boldman has worked as a cartoonist/humorous illustrator for fifteen years. He never makes a distinction between writing and drawing, however, seeing them as two parts of one process.
"I see myself as someone who tells stories by pictures, words, or a combination of the two," he said.
Boldman also wrote stories for the Superman comic books for over a year, calling that a real thrill. "I tried to recreate the innocent feelings the series had in the 50s and 60s," he said.
After that job ended, he created his own comic trip called Mr. Fixitt. This science fiction/adventure strip was set on an earth where time and space had run amok. "The planet was a crazy-quilt of time zones, and the geography was all mixed up too," Boldman said.
THE MR. FIXITT CAST AS INTERPRETED BY DAVID SHELDONMr. Fixitt was a lowly mechanic, with the intuitive ability to fix anything." Another character named Admiral Bird knew the secret of the strange time phenomenon, so he started grooming Mr. Fixitt to fix the planet.
"It was a lighthearted feature, published sporadically," Boldman said. We'll do it again." NEXT: OTHER WRITING
Boldman has written short fiction for magazines. He has also created thousands of greeting cards, freelancing for Hallmark, American and Recycled. He signed a contract with the Gibson Greeting Card Company, writing humorous material for them.
Boldman uses the same method for creating cards as he does for the comic strip. "I wander around town, observing, waiting for funny ideas to strike," Boldman said. "I'm amazed that I can continue to write cards, though. How many ways can you say "Happy Birthday?"
Anyone interested in freelancing for card companies should put fifteen to twenty ideas on index cards, according to Boldman. "send them to companies, addressed to the freelance editor," he said. "The important factor is consistency, because anyone can send one funny idea."
Editors want people who can send good ideas every week. "Become such a fixture that editors look for your work, " he added. "They should wonder if you're down with the flu or something if your envelope doesn't show up."
What advice does Boldman have for aspiring cartoonists? "Train yourself to look for humor in any situation," he said. "Try to be original, or at least put your own distinctive spin on a gag."
"To break in, be relentless. Develop a thick skin against rejection," he added. "I don't need to tell writers about that, though!"
Boldman also reads other comics. "Certain artists and writers have struck me as consistently good and consistently funny," he said. "There are genuine laughs in those comics, although you have to sift through mediocre stuff first."
Boldman haunts news stands and book stores for publications that use his type of work, and then he goes after them.
"Writers Digest publishes a humor market guide," Boldman said. "However, I don't use guides with any regularity, so I'm not the guy to recommend one."
He breaks through writer's block by imagining how his characters spend their day. "I start from the moment they roll out of bed and I think of new angles along the way," he said. "The Archie strip is rooted in everyday humor, so I can twist any little incident into a gag."
Drought days are the worst part of writing the strip, according to Boldman. "Those days I can't think of a gag, and feel like I never will again. It produces anxiety, which makes it harder to snap out of it. It always passes eventually, though."
Boldman operates by instinct most of the time. After fifteen years, he still isn't sure how he gets his job done. "It seems miraculous to me," he said. "I've never dared to analyze the process too closely, for fear I'll mess it up."
Watch for Boldman's work in newspapers and book stores. And, if you're ever in Hamilton, Ohio, watch out for Boldman wandering through the mall.
ART CREDITS: HENRY SCARPELLI; DAVID SHELDON
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