"We're at the beginning of the beginning," says Jon Goldwater, co-chief executive of Archie Comic Publications. "We're going to expand. Publishing will always be part of it, but we must morph into a multimedia company."

With more than $40 million in print and digital sales last year, Archie Comics, based in Mamaroneck, NY, is a small player in a large but unforgiving market dominated by DC Comics and Marvel Entertainment. Archie's titles capture less than 1 percent of sales at comic book specialty shops, and the competitive challenge is only growing: Comics in general are battling the popularity of other distractions like video games and YouTube. And traditional readers of comics are aging, with no steady stream of new ones to take their place.

With more than $40 million in print and digital sales last year, Archie Comics, based in Mamaroneck, NY, is a small player in a large but unforgiving market dominated by DC Comics and Marvel Entertainment. Archie's titles capture less than 1 percent of sales at comic book specialty shops, and the competitive challenge is only growing: Comics in general are battling the popularity of other distractions like video games and YouTube. And traditional readers of comics are aging, with no steady stream of new ones to take their place.

But comics alone are not what generate the hundreds of millions of dollars that characters from DC and Marvel can rake in, which is what Mr Goldwater wants to emulate.

So Archie Comics is stepping up to the same playing field as Marvel (Disney) and DC (Warner Bros.), to get themselves a piece of dat comics cash. As a guy who's been fighting the "comics aren't to be taken seriously" stigma for half his life, it's nice to see them taking over pop culture.

However, as an SST fan and a guy who likes art produced by artists and not business executives, this makes me want to start a line of "Corporate Comics Still Suck" T-Shirts. Anybody out there got an attitude, a silkscreen and a dream? Get in touch!