Pals 'n' Gals Double Digest

George: I initially wanted to be a gag cartoonist, but the opportunity to connect with comics came when I heard Archie was looking for a writer. I think I knew almost immediately writing was what I really wanted to do

Archie: You have a million different kinds of stories for the kids in Riverdale. Where do the ideas for a good story come from?

George: From many sources... from everyday situations, from my daughter's experiences in high school, but mainly from newspaper articles, and to some extent from magazines.

Archie: What are the elements needed to turn an interesting story from the newspaper into a funny Archie story?

George: Something that's unusual, very timely and that could apply to one or several of the Archie characters. Recent newspaper articles about advertising thru sign twirling, and a rash of parrot thefts are but two items I was able to turn into Archie stories.

Archie: When you start off with the basic idea, how much research goes into a story?

George: It all depends. Some story ideas require research, and some come about letting the imagination run wild. It's the latter category I really enjoy doing.

Archie: How long is it between the time you get and idea for a story until the fans get to see it come to life?

George: Usually six to nine months.

Archie: Once you have done the research how do you convey all of this to the editor to get the go ahead on your story?

George: On the shorter stories I can usually proceed on my own, after first checking with the editor as to which character he would like to focus on. With longer stories, 11 pages and up, I'll first submit a brief synopsis before commencing

Archie: How do you get the artist to understand the elements you have researched and how you envisioned the script?

George: I always do up my stories in storyboard form. This clarifies the story for me, and hopefully for the artist as well. Also I like to include as much pictorial reference as possible with the story. It saves time for the artist and enables him to depict the person, place or situation accurately.

Archie: I would imagine there are some artists who understand what you're looking for better than others.

George: Yes.

Archie: You have been with Archie Comics for a little while, have the stories changed or is it just the accessories, with the kids using iPods instead of record players?

George: Both. Over time the stories change very slowly, but the accessories can change very rapidly... especially in the last decade with the plethora of electronic gadgets that have appeared. One big change came about in 1972 when Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in tennis. I knew instantly I had to ditch the old cartoonist cliché of portraying females as klutzy athletes.

Archie: You make a lot of personal appearances. Does the interaction with the fans impact your story telling?

George: I find the interaction with the fans most stimulating. Working at home in isolation one has no idea how the fans are reacting to what we do.