ARCHIE COMICS #26-28

(on newsstands May 1947 - July 1947)

In Archie Comics #26 (May 1947) we get our first look at a 'Big Ethel' prototype who zero's in on Archie for the 'Patch Hop'. Apparently, a 'Patch Hop' is a dance where the girl chases down a boy and uses a needle and thread to sew a patch on to him (usually on the butt) to claim him as her date to the dance.

Archie is not amused by it.

(from Archie Comics #26 May-June 1947)

For those keeping score, Jughead actually gets snagged pretty early by Gabby for the dance!

Jughead has a date!

(from Archie Comics #26 May-June 1947)

Even though we'd get an occasional Woggon story of Betty and Veronica, for the most part, Irv Novick would handle the pair, putting them into an array of sexy situations (with corresponding outfits of course!).

Novick's layouts and anatomy (and settings, and... outfits), really began to define the characters in more adult humor stories (more on that later), that almost didn't seem to fit in the regular Archie Comic.

The skiing story in Archie Comics #26, is pretty straightforward in it's slap stick humor, not really relying on the sexuality of the characters. But it would soon seem like the exception...

(from Archie Comics #26 May-June 1947)

Bill Vigoda was still the regular artist on the book, and his stories (it's unknown, but assumed he wrote many of these) were fun and entertaining.

He does, I imagine, hold the record for most career panels containing a naked Archie Andrews.

(from Archie Comics #27 July-August 1947)

A puzzle page from Archie Comics #27. An interesting ad for Pep Comics there!

 (from Archie Comics #27 July-August 1947)

Mr. Weatherbee trying to peek into the dressing room as the TEENAGE girls get ready for the ballet and then his eyes popping out of his head as they run from the room half dressed...

(from Archie Comics #27 July-August 1947)

When Veronica agrees to pose for Archie to try and win a 'Prettiest Girl in Riverdale' contest, he's pleasantly surprised in how she shows up...

 (from Archie Comics #27 July-August 1947)

Of course, when Jughead brings his dog along, who has a habit of trying to jump into the pictures...

(Yeah, we've seen a variation on this concept before - in Pep Comics #48!)

(from Archie Comics #27 July-August 1947)

Maybe one of the most famous Golden Age Betty and Veronica pages, done NOT by Bob Montana or Bill Vigoda, but by Irv Novick...

He was good at what he did!

(from Archie Comics #27 July-August 1947)

Vigoda wasn't Irv Novick when it came to drawing females, but the guy was no slouch!

 (from Archie Comics #28 September-October 1947)

Novick just had a way of incorporating the slap stick AND the sexuality...

(from Archie Comics #28 September-October 1947)

Here's something you'd never see in this day and age in an Archie Comic. The whole sequence is pretty funny, but this panel in particular just makes me chuckle.  Golden Age slapstick humor.

(from Archie Comics #28 September-October 1947)

Every once in a while we'd get an Archie panel that would just flat out sum up the entire thing.

It's a pretty easy guess which panel I'll use to advertise this blog post!

(from Archie Comics #28 September-October 1947)

Sometimes when Archie gets stuck in those 'has to dress up in drag, like the house maid', he uses it to a good cause. Here he over hears Mr. Lodge planning to rip off his dad (!!!).

 (from Archie Comics #28 September-October 1947)

Find all of these stories right here:

ARCHIE COMICS #23-25

PEP COMICS #59-61

LAUGH COMICS #20

(on newsstands September 1946 - March 1947)

In issue #23 of Archie Comics, we were treated to Bill Woggon's first Betty and Veronica story. For the last year and half, Woggon had been writing and drawing his Katy Keene character in the pages of MLJ's WILBUR COMICS (debuting in #5, June 1945).

Inspired by the wartime pin-up girls, his art reflected that 'wholesome' pin-up look, that MLJ wanted to obviously see more of in Betty and Veronica.

(from Archie Comics #23 - Nov./Dec. 1946)

With issue #20, MLJ's the BLACK HOOD would become LAUGH COMICS, and they would use it to feature even more Archie and the gang stories. To help with the increased work load, they had Irv Novick, who'd been MLJ's primary artist on many of it's superhero comics, start drawing some of the Betty and Veronica stories.

As the superhero's were becoming less successful, and Archie was becoming more successful, the companies interest started leaning that way. Thankfully, talented guys like Novick still had work available for him!

Novick would go on to a long career with DC in the 50's, 60's and 70's (including Batman), but for now he gave us some unforgettable B&V moments!

(from Laugh Comics #20 - Fall 1946)

Bill Vigoda was still drawing the rest of Archie Comics, the Archie story in Pep Comics, and now the Archie story in Laugh comics! Is it just me or does it seem unnatural that every time Archie has to dress up like a woman, Weatherbee is always fooled by it and turns into a horny wolf?

(from Pep Comics #59 - Nov./Dec. 1946)

When Vigoda had time, his art really started to look good. Looking at this I wonder if he influenced Bob Burden's work....

 (from Archie Comics #24 - Jan./Feb. 1947)

If all else fails, have Betty and Veronica wrestle in Swimsuits! Novick knew what to do!

And Weatherbee wouldn't miss a girls water polo match for the world...

(from Archie Comics #24 - Jan./Feb. 1947)

As much grief as Betty and Veronica had made for him lately, this was one time when his wolf persona really got him into trouble! Sex Maniac?

(from Archie Comics #24 - Jan./Feb. 1947)

Veronica as a pirate and Archie in a rain coat. What am I reading again?

(from Pep Comics #60 - March 1947)

The Archie line up was growing! Four Million copies per issue!

 (from Archie Comics #25 - March/Apr. 1947)

Sure there's a lot of sexuality in Archie Comics! But does anyone remember the violence?

Mr. Andrews takes it on the jaw...

 (from Archie Comics #25 - March/Apr. 1947)

I'm no tennis player, but if Betty is my instructor, I'm there for every lesson!

Vigoda shoulda worked more of this into his stories!

 (from Archie Comics #25 - March/Apr. 1947)

Find all of these stories here:

ARCHIE COMICS #19-22 (on newsstands February 1946 - August 1946)

Bill Vigoda's art was starting to look more sure of itself, and the stories were becoming more concise and starting to read like the Archie Comics we'd know and love for years. Editorially they were still decades away from avoiding THESE type of stereotypes!

(from Archie #19 March/April 1946)

Poor Mr. Weatherbee would get a slight reprieve for a number of issues from Archie's hijinks (Archie's Dad had it rough during this time), but Betty and Veronica would make up for it, as he became the target of their solo story mishaps.

(from Archie #19 March/April 1946)

Al McLean penciled a Betty and Veronica story in Archie #20 (Vigoda inks) and an Archie story at the end of the issue that, well... 

Yeah, it was a different time and place (heck it was 67 years ago!) and kids back then would go down to their local water hole, strip down butt naked and go swimming. You just... didn't expect to see it in an Archie Comic!

 (from Archie #20 May/June 1946)

Or that it'd be Archie who was butt naked! Eeek!

(from Archie #20 May/June 1946)

And what the hey, nothing like the good natured fun of your friends jumping you, tearing off all of your clothes, and tossing you in the water. I guess if Betty and Veronica were doing this I wouldn't be complaining!

(from Archie #20 May/June 1946)

Meanwhile in Pep Comics, a dashing young artist by the name of Harry Lucey got to work on Archie for the first time, inking Al McLean's pencils, quite possibly helping give Veronica a look that Bob Montana would adopt for the newspaper strip...

Of course, Harry Lucey would go on to become the regular artist on Archie Comics for many years, and one of my personal favorites!

 (from Pep Comics #57 June 1946)

Vigoda was back on schedule for the next couple of issues, handling all of the art chores, though Archie #22 would end with the first 6 page Bob Montana story since he'd left for the war. 

He'd go on to do the newspaper strip for the next 30+ years or so, which you can read about here: http://undercoverarchie.blogspot.com/2013/09/blog-post_30.html

Meanwhile, Vigoda would introduce 'Theodosius', a Dilton prototype: 

 (from Archie #22 September/October 1946)

As well as 'Muscles Maguire', an obvious 'Moose' prototype:

 (from Archie #22 September/October 1946)

Vigoda was also doing the Betty and Veronica solo features in Archie Comics, and here, Betty ends up in her underwear for no apparent reason....

 (from Archie #22 September/October 1946)

For two panels in a row!

(from Archie #22 September/October 1946)

Yes, it was a different era!

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