I have been enjoying "Archie"
comics for over two decades now. I was introduced to them during my high school
days by my cousin "Anand" who is now working in USA. Those days (and even
now in Indian Rupees) they used to be very expensive and not available in Chennai.
So the option was to rent them from book
lending libraries and my favourite was Raviraj
Lending Library in Usman Road (Opposite to first GRT Thanga Maligai). Those days
the membership was like Rs.25 or Rs.50 and even if you take half-a-dozen books for
reading you paid only few rupees (which itself was got after a big fight with my mother).
Nowadays whenever I take my nephews to "Eloor" lending library in North
Boag Road I still take few of them and I still enjoy reading Archie comics once in
a while.
And whenever I travel to USA and shopping in Safeway I end up buying the latest issue.
At $3 per issue they are expensive but then cheaper than a Starbucks coffee, right?.
Last week when I was there I bought Feb
'08 issue of Pals 'n' Gals double digest. What pleasantly surprised me was seeing
the main theme to be "Raj" an Indian Student whose parents where Dr. Ravi
Patel and his wife Mrs.Mona Patel. The character "Raj" is shown as a tech
whiz taking a school film for fun.
Read the complete post at http://www.venkatarangan.com/blog/2008/04/26/Indian+Character+QuotRajquot+In+Archie+Comics.aspx