What if Josie and the Pussycats saved the world from being destroyed by teenagers turned into capitalist zombies? With SPECIAL GUEST Ethan aka MakeMineAmalgam (Archie Comics & the 2001 film)

We got the band back together and we are heading to Riverdale to discuss Josie and the Pussycats from Archie Comics. We cover a brief history of Archie Comics and Josie, the band’s first appearance in the 1960s, the 2016 reboot, their role on Riverdale and especially the 2001 film which is much more satirical and meta you might remember. Plus Rob discusses his experience working on the Archie Comics Musical! We are joined by resident Josie expert and superfan Ethan from MakeMineAmalgam who literally watched the film every day for a year. 

Ep. 95 What if Josie and the Pussycats saved the world from being destroyed by teenagers turned into capitalist zombies?
With Special Guest Ethan of MakeMineAmalgam

Earth of an unknown designation as seen in the Josie & The Pussycats (2001) Film

We take our first trip to Riverdale to cover everyone’s favorite all girl band, Josie and the Pussycats! We share a quick background on Archie Comics and Josie co-creator Dan DiCarlo and how it is still a family business. Rob shares his experience working on the Archie Broadway Musical and how he played a small role in bringing current Archie mastermind Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa into Riverdale. We start off with early Josie in the 1960s before jumping ahead to discuss special guest Ethan from MakeMineAmalgam’s favorite film, Josie and the Pussycats from 2001 starring Rachel Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson, Tara Reid, Alan Cumming, Gabriel Mann, Paulo Costanzo, Missi Pyle and Parker Posey and written and directed by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan (plus the great soundtrack by Adam Schlesinger, Adam Duritz, Jane Wiedlin, Anna Waronker, Babyface and more). In the very meta and satirical film, Josie and the Pusscats find themselves part of a global conspiracy to brainwash teens and turn them into consumerist zombies! We head back to comics with Josie’s short lived revival in 2016 by Marguerite Bennett, Cameron DeOrdio, and Audrey Mok. We wrap up with some mixed reactions to an episode of Riverdale (directed by Robin Givens) that sees the return of the Pussycats. We also chat while Alexandra Cabot is the true start of the Josie-verse and could we possibly one day see a return of the Rachel Leigh Cook led version of the band.

Follow Ethan at MakeMineAmalgam on Twitter and Instagram

Reading List:
  • Josie & The Pussycats #45 (Archie Comics 1969)
  • Josie & The Pussycats (Film 2001)
  • Josie & The Pussycats #1 (Archie Comics 2016)
  • Riverdale Season 5 Episode 15 (TV show 2021)


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Creators and Guests

Guido
Host
Guido
working in education, background in public health, lover of: collecting, comics, games, antiques, ephemera, movies, music, activism, writing, and on + on...
Robert
Host
Robert
Queer Nerd for Horror, Rock N Roll and Comics (in that order). Co-Host of @dearwatchers a Marvel What If and Omniverse Podcast
Amalgam Comics
Guest
Amalgam Comics
Marvel AND DC fan. Especially love the Amalgam Universe, lesser known Marvel/DC characters and Josie and the Pussycats. The #JosieQuest Guy
What if Josie and the Pussycats saved the world from being destroyed by teenagers turned into capitalist zombies? With SPECIAL GUEST Ethan aka MakeMineAmalgam (Archie Comics & the 2001 film)
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