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Archie comics is wildly known for it's happy, comical, teenage drama filled stories. However, they're are many stories withing the Archie Comics/ Riverdale universe with the genre of Horror that seem to go unnoticed . Wikipedia does seem to have a short blurb about the more recent entries of graphic novels that go along with Archie Horror, however this is not a new concept to Archie comics, and I would like to document most, if not all for the original Archie Horror comics on it's wiki page. I plan on doing research for how this genre came about in a series that is traditionally known for more comical and satirical stories.
-- I am also debating on whether or not I should instead do my assignment on editing the page for the Novel "Penpal" because it is all plotline and not enough factual info on why it was written in the first place.
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-- I have decided that there really is already enough info on the Archie Horror page on wikipedia, so i will be going with the idea of editing and adding info to the novel "Penpal's" wiki page.
List of Relevant Sources
- https://horrornovelreviews.com/2012/11/21/403/ ( interview with author Dathan Auerbach that explains how he came up with the idea for this novel. He explains how the novel itself wasn't really meant to be a novel. it was mainly a collection of short stories that he posted to the internet , in which they all interlocked together. It wasn't until the 4th story "Maps" ( which would become the 4th chapter of penpal ) that he decided he could bring the overlapping stories into a close, making it the novel that is "Penpal".
-- He also explains in this interview how he was able to release this book independently as his own publisher. Because so many people had followed the individual stories that Penpal contains for so long on reddit and creepypasta.com, Dathan was able to open a Kickstarter to raise money to get the book published. He reached his goal within two hours.
--- Auerbach explains that the reason he believes his novel was so well received from horror fans was because that idea of a stalker hunting you down is such a raw and human fear. Because there is nothing supernatural or fantastical about the situation, it becomes very real and readers are able to sympathize with the main character that much more.
*** This can all definitely go into the "Reception" section of the article, because it heavily discusses how well the book was received, as well as how important it was for Auerbach's fans to help him out with publishing the novel.
As for where the idea for his original story "Footsteps" ( which would later become the very first chapter of "penpal" ) came from, Dathan explains a childhood memory: "My mom denies that this ever happened, but as a kid I distinctly remember waking up on my porch outside, cold and in my underwear. My mom insists that it couldn't have possibly happened, so I guess I'll never know. But I've carried that memory around for years." . He also explained how the fear of someone scooping him up in broad daylight and taking him away from his parents was always a very prominent fear that he had growing up, and it was constantly manifest itself into his nightmares when he went to sleep at night. He explains how all of this, mixed with the idea "people can't perfectly remember everything from their childhood, that was really the impetus for 'Footsteps." From here, his stories were woven together , creating a main character that was thrust into these very situations that the author feared himself.
- another one of the main things that I will have focus on is editing the plotline that is provided on the wiki page. It's much to long and while it's important to understand what it going on in the novel, I think there can be a much more concise version that is not so gargantuan.
Reception
The novel was greatly received by critics as well as fans. Because so many people had followed the individually released stories that Penpal contains for so long on creepypasta.com, Dathan was able to open a Kickstarter to raise money to get the book Independently published. Auerbach explains in an interview held by Horrornovelreviews.com that the reason he believes his novel was so well received from horror fans was because that idea of a stalker hunting you down is such a raw and human fear. Because there is nothing supernatural or fantastical about the situation, it becomes very real and readers are able to sympathize with the main character that much more.
Inspiration
The idea for his original story "Footsteps" ( which would later become the very first chapter of "penpal" ) came from, Dathan explains a childhood memory: "My mom denies that this ever happened, but as a kid I distinctly remember waking up on my porch outside, cold and in my underwear. My mom insists that it couldn't have possibly happened, so I guess I'll never know. But I've carried that memory around for years." . He also explained how the fear of someone scooping him up in broad daylight and taking him away from his parents was always a very prominent fear that he had growing up, and it was constantly manifest itself into his nightmares when he went to sleep at night. He explains how all of this, mixed with the idea "people can't perfectly remember everything from their childhood, that was really the impetus for 'Footsteps." From here, his stories were woven together , creating a main character that was thrust into these very situations that the author feared himself
*** A very important detail that I can't forget to leave out is how Dathan never really started out wanting to publish these stories as a full length novel. He just simply wrote "Footsteps" because I thought it would be fun, and to see how people would react to it ( if anyone would react to it at all) . When he realized how many viewers were reading his story and commenting on it, that is when he decided to go forward with more and more content, continuing onward with what was only supposed to be one short story. It was the eagerness of his fans that drove his desire to write and create, and he states how if it were not for them he would not have continued adding on to the stories that created Penpal.