Older Archie readers recall the Archie News pages, where you could win a couple of bucks for having your letter to Archie reprinted as a “news” story. It was an aspect of the Archie fan club, a bonding experience for farflung fans. It was also a vestige from the days when comics, to be considered magazines and thus get discounted postage when sent through the mails, had to have regular text elements unencumbered by graphics.

There seemed to be very few editorial policies in place at the Archie News. Stories could be personal, but many seemed to be recycled school history assignments, teaching drily about, say, the Aztecs or cheese. Even as a child, I was puzzled by Archie News’ odd standards. I was getting fan mail published in DC and Marvel comics left and right, but couldn’t crack Archie News no matter how hard I tried.

I just came across an example of what the Archie News page became shortly before it died. It’s from Archie & Friends #130, June 2009. There’s only one winning story instead of the old two or three, and it takes up a whole page with a big original illustration at the bottom. The story is “The Guitar,” and for submitting it the author James K. from New Jersey wins five Archie digests.

“Send in a report! Be in a comic book! Get 5 free digest issues!” the page screams, offering both an e-mail and a “snail mail” address. Along the top of the page are suggested topics for stories” Geography, Animals, History and Science.

I’m impressed by this game attempt to dress up and improve a feature that had always been the unfathomable gulch at the center of Archie comics, the pit you had to jump across to get back to the action. Someone’s bothered to get a drawing of Archie (in Springsteen headband) and Reggie (in Nils Lofgren vest and shades) rockin’ back-to-back, and there’s a care with the layout and coloring.

When we talk of the death of newspapers, Archie News never comes up. But it tried hard to interest its few readers until the very end, and for that earnest effort it surely deserves a Pulitzer or two.