'Our strip for our town': Comic with local roots finds permanent place in Daily Sun

LACONIA — When, like newspapers across the country, The Laconia Daily Sun found itself with a vacancy in its syndicated daily comic strips earlier this year, the editorial staff turned to readers to decide what should fill the gap. In more than 200 responses through online surveys, emails and in person conversations at the office, readers chose “Archie” because of its classic, nostalgic appeal and deep local ties.

“Archie” followed the misadventures of its titular character and his friends, Jughead, Betty and Veronica, in their picturesque-if-sleepy hometown of Riverdale. Plot pillars of the comic include the eternal love triangle of Archie, Betty and Veronica, and Jughead and Archie’s school misbehavior, though it features an array of forever-teenaged characters. The comic made regular appearances in hundreds of newspapers nationwide at its peak and its characters and setting appeared in the live-action television show “Riverdale,” which first aired in 2017.

“The family is delighted,” said Lynn Montana, one of creator Bob Montana’s children who still lives in the area. “‘Archie’ belongs to our neighborhood and has a place in our heritage ... We’re so happy to see it back in a local newspaper.”

Bob’s first “Archie” comic was published in 1941 when he was 21 years old and working for MLJ Comics — later renamed Archie Comics. As the comic grew in popularity, Montana rented a cabin on Lake Waukewan in Meredith to dive into making “Archie” into its own comic book. Montana was born in California but summered as a youth in Meredith every year with his family. They moved to Haverhill, Massachusetts, when Montana was in high school, and again to Manchester, where he got his diploma.

By 1948 Montana and his young family had moved to Meredith full time and “Archie” had been launched as a syndicated strip. Producing more “Archie” content in the form of daily and Sunday strips and comic books throughout, Montana lived in Meredith until his sudden death from a heart attack while cross-country skiing in 1975, when he was 54.

In 2018, as part of its 250th anniversary celebration, Meredith commissioned a statue of Archie Andrews to appear on a bench in its community park, right across the street from where Montana once had a studio.

While the town of Riverdale is modeled after Havehill, according to Lynn, and the high school he attended there, Montana included in the comic caricatures of his local friends and neighbors, as well as variations on regional landmarks, including Lake Winnipesaukee, Dartmouth College, Hart’s Turkey Farm and Gunstock Mountain.

“He knew if he drew someone into the comics,” Lynn said, “the local audience would recognize those characters and get a kick out of it. 

“He took an opportunity to personalize it, and he made it our strip for our town,” she continued. 

One of the syndicates The Daily Sun, and many other newspapers nationwide, uses for its comic strips, Andrews McMeel, cut ties with the creator of “Dilbert,” making the comic no longer available, earlier this year. A February statement by the syndicate’s president and chief executive officer condemned remarks “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams made on his podcast. The syndicate “values free speech” and diversity of perspective, the statement said, “but we will never support any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate. Recent comments by Scott Adams regarding race and race relations do not align with our core values as a company.”

In The Sun's reader survey, “Pickles” was another reader favorite and top contender to replace “Dilbert” to the comic strip lineup. Without an open spot in the comics pages, the team is looking for additional reader feedback on which strip to replace. The two comic strips with the least number of votes as favorites, according to the survey, were "Hagar the Horrible" and "Beetle Bailey." To vote on which comic strip "Pickles" would replace, send a message to news@laconiadailysun.com with the subject line "Comics."

“[Montana's] whole concept was humorous hijinks of a high schooler and his circle of friends,” said Jim McFarlin, a member of the Greater Meredith Program committee that commissioned the statue, who reached out to The Daily Sun to advocate for “Archie” being added. “It harkens back to a simpler time ... that appeals to a lot of people right now.” 

Lynn thanks everyone who voted for “Archie” in The Sun’s poll.