Misadventures of Archie - When he was a BOY! Little Archie 1 Facsimile Reprint Review

Little Archie 1, from January 1956 is the latest facsimile reprint from Archie Comics. The further misadventures of America's favorite comic book teenager, Archie Andrews! The debut issue opens with Little Archie and Little Jughead on a hunting safari in the Andrews living room! The duo approaches their quarry from opposite sides and with dual "SPLAT!" they nail Fred Andrews with their suction cup arrows! Both he and Mary advise the boys to take their hunting expedition outside. That's where they concoct a plan to open a wild animal zoo! With Betty and Veronica, they head down to the creek to look for wild animals. Finding a turtle, they bring him home, and Jughead plops him in Mr. Andrews' tub... before an unsuspecting Mr. Andrews dives in for a relaxing bath.

Next, the boys enjoy watching racing on television and get the idea to have their own soap box derby! While everyone else builds their own racer, Archie enlists Veronica and Betty to help him with his. Unfortunately, the other boys discover what Archie's got hidden under the hood!

Later, Veronica ropes Archie into matrimony and they play "house". Mr. Andrews tells Archie to be a gentleman. Betty wants in, so she tries to marry her cat to Archie's dog. Which lands her cat up a tree and Archie in trouble with his pop. Things go from bad to worse when his friends start teasing him.

Finally, playing army, General Little Archie and Moose inspect the troops... Until Veronica gets hold of Moose bugle and turns everything around.

The issue is buttoned up with Reggie and Archie playing "office".

The stories are so much fun and light-hearted. Full of wonder and imagination. Bob Bolling captures the spirit of being a kid.

The reprint facsimile of Little Archie 1 earns five stars.  

 

Archie Andrews Pure of Heart! The Life with Archie 42 Review!

June 2026, Archie Comics released a facsimile reprint of the October 1965 Life with Archie, featuring the FIRST appearance of Archie as Pureheart the Powerful.

The cool villain, The Ice Cube freezes Pureheart in a block of ice. While whisking the hero away, Pureheart's "inner goodness" melts the ice! Free, Pureheart grabs a nearby flagpole, while the street floods with the water from the block of ice! Before he can carry The Cube away, The Witch Doctor turns Pureheart into a white rabbit! Hopping away to find help from The Head, who uses syrup and a lighter to change him back. It's a game of cat and mouse as Pureheart endeavors to prevent The Ice Cube from stealing Mr. Lodge's fortune!

The pacing is somewhat uneven and jerky, jumping from one thing to the next pretty quickly. That's due to the nature of the story and The Reveal. The reveal is a bit of a letdown. Pureheart is a very cool character. He deserves a genuine, unique origin.

Of course, Archie is pretty similar to Jimmy Olsen and Chris King. So maybe a Walter Mitty approach is not so bad a thing.

The back-up story features Archie stepping in at the Choklit Shoppe when Pop Tate gets a crick in his neck. Reggie pulls a prank that drives everyone away and causes Pop to throw Archie out when he comes back.

Hilarity courtesy of Archie scribe Frank Doyle, with art by Bob White and Mario Acquaviva.

The highlights of the reprint are original ads featuring Rocky and Bullwinkle for Cheerios, the Trix Rabbit and Sunny, the Cuckoo Bird for Cocoa Puffs! Good times...

Life with Archie 42 earns five stars as a definite classic.

The Hand That Rocks The Army of Darkness! Archie x The Army of Darkness 5 Review

With Riverdale's new S-Mart overrun by Deadites, Ash, Archie and the gang decide to flee and head to Pop's Choklit Shoppe. There's no way to drive there, the car in the parking lot had flat tires, so they have to leg-it. Quietly, so they don't attract the Deadites to follow them... Unfortunately, they are hot on the gang's trail, and things get bloody on the way to Pop's. Even more unfortunate, the leader of the Deadites has gotten there first, and dispatched and decapitated Pop.

It's the final round and the final stand for the gang against The Army of Darkness!

Evil, arrow-through-the-head Archie cuts off Pureheart Archie's hand!

Finally, (SPOILER ALERT!) Archie finishes the counter incantation and The Army of Darkness bursts into flames!

Archie ends up with a metal hand just like Ash.

Ash ends up transferred to Hawaii, where a new S-Mart is set to open. He may face future encounters with the Deadites!

It's a pretty simple ending to the thriller-chiller. It's an ending that was in place from the start - reverse the incantation and drive off The Army of Darkness. Still Burnham, the Galvans, Wright and Mangual wrap things up with a fiery bang. The resolution leaves behind permanent scars.

Archie x The Army of Darkness wraps up with four stars. 

    

Facing the Dark Mirror - The Archies of Darkness! Archie x The Army of Darkness 4 Review!

At Riverdale's new S-Mart, Ash and the Archie gang must face - The Archies of Darkness! Evil, undead, zombie dark mirror reflections bent on annihilation! How can good overcome evil? Betty bludgeons Evil-ronica with a weight. Veronica dispatches Evil Betty with a shotgun. Ditto for "Evilheart" Reggie. Ash downs Evil Archie with an arrow through the head. Jughead clobbers his own evil twin with a salami! Ash puts the final touches with his chainsaw, whittling away at Wicked Juggie.

While this is not necessarily for Archie's younger, more impressionable audience, it feels more played for comedy and laughs than blood and guts horror. It's thriller and suspense, Archie style. That's kudos to Erik Burnham's writing and the Galvan's art, with Ellie Wright colors and Mangual's lettering. It's all fun and games even when somebody puts out an eyeball.

All this is happening while Ash is trying to find the right passage for Archie to recite to end The Army of Darkness.

Can. They. Do. It. In. Time?!?! Only time will tell...

Archie x Army of Darkness 4 earns four stars!    

The Chilling Adventures of Archie and the Gang! The Archie x The Army of Darkness 3 Review!

Erik Burnham has got this down.

This latest installment opens with Ash saving Archie and the gang from a pair of possessed stuffed Stormy Dogs! It's "groovy" to see Bill and Ben Galvan along with Ellie Wright bringing the look of Archie and The Army of Darkness. It's like a darker version of Scooby Doo. Where the Deadites seem to play for keeps! The visuals are pretty dark. A cabin the deep dark woods at night and after hours at the Riverdale S-Mart.

One is more familiar with the Archie gang than Ash, however, everyone is acting very much in character. Even Jughead comes off as Shaggy! The kids are delightfully hilarious. Ash is pretty grim 'n' gritty. It meshes pretty well.

Burnham sets up the suspense. There doesn't seem to be any predictability. There's somewhat of a familiar sequence when the leader of the Deadites creates evil doppelgangers! Jinkies!

What horrors await Archie and the gang next?!?!

Archie x The Army of Darkness 3 earns five stars!  

Beware The Hounds of Riverdale! Archie x The Army of Darkness 2 Review!

It's the Grand Opening of Riverdale's S-Mart! Ash is showing Archie the ropes. Archie's done pretty well handling customer service. The best part is the First Paycheck! The whole point of Archie working at the S-Mart is to be able to afford a couple Stormy Dogs - one for Betty and one for Veronica.

Cashing his check and buying the stuffed animals leaves Archie broke and with a broke down jalopy! Ash to the rescue again. He gives Archie a ride out into the dark woods to the party at Reggie's lake house. Ash declines an invite to the party, however, all four of his tires blow out and he ends up stuck.

Good thing he just happens to be around when Archie accidentally reads from the Necronomicon!

Burnham keeps things light-hearted for a horror story. Horror comedy is much more enjoyable than bloody and gory horror. Your mileage may vary on that. I'll take a Scooby Doo or Tremors version over Michael Meyers or Freddie Krueger any day. The Army of Darkness seems cut from a wacky suspense horror mold. A highlight is when the pair of Stormy Dogs come to evil, murderous life!

Archie x Army of Darkness earns four stars for a bloody goody thrill!

Those Meddling Kids!... Groovy! Archie X The Armey of Darkness 1 Review!

Whoa!

A mysterious relative leaves Reggie a lake house. His parents say it will be fully his at graduation. He celebrates with a party. Archie discovers a secret room and the mysterious Necronomicon! He starts reading, trying to understand the book. Unfortunately, Archie unleashes an Army of Darkness! Fortunately, Ash was transferred to Riverdale's S-Mart a month ago. Starting his new job at S-Mart, Archie gets a tour and background on Ash.

Erick Burnham is known for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters. He is also known for Nick Landime. Burnham definitely has Riverdale's cast of characters down.

Robert Hack's homage cover is enjoyable. Fans of Afterlife with Archie will enjoy this story. Bill Galvan and Ben Galvan's art is top-notch. They've got the Archie look down. Ellie Wright on colors and Carlos M. Mangual on letters round things out.

This is an enjoyable start. It's a curiosity to see where Burnham takes things. Yes, it's Archie X The Army of Darkness. It also feels something like Scooby Doo, without Scooby, just the Mystery Gang.

Archie X The Army of Darkness earns five stars.
 

Archie's T.V. Laugh-Out 79 Review

Archie has been following right along with DC Comics and Marvel Comics with facsimile reprints.

The latest Archie Comics facsimile reprint is Archie's T.V. Laugh-Out 79, from September 1980. The original cover is something of a Jaws tie-in. Archie builds a sand shark at the beach. It's so realistic that Jughead decides to move his snack cooler just a little farther away! It's a hilarious gag. Unusual that it's a two-part, or two-panel gag. Usually, Archie covers feature a single image with just the set-up and the punch line.

What's even more interesting is the Jaws tie-in. The original Jaws film came out in 1975, based on the 1974 Peter Benchley novel. The sequel, Jaws 2 was released in 1978. Jaws 3-D was released in 1983. This 1980 issue falls between Jaws 2 and Jaws 3-D. Perhaps to capitalize on the original cover gag, two variant covers were released to tie into the Jaws theme. Both feature a movie-poster quality. The foil variant features Veronica swimming, with the Jaws shark below.

They are both cool covers.

The first story, Words and Music, finds Reggie up to his usual self-centered, self-promoting antics. He wants to move to a better venue. He thinks Betty and her tambourine are holding him... er, The Archies back. He recommends firing her. He strong-arms playing one of his songs for the club owner checking them out. Half-way through Reggie's song, the club owner uses the restroom! During a break, Betty writes some lyrics. The Archies back her up. The club owner is impressed and signs The Archies - spotlighting Betty! The laugh is on Reggie!

Next up, Alex tries to show up Alan by cooking up something better than pizza. He makes a mess of his Chef's kitchen! The laugh is on Alex, when his chef chooses pizza in the end! The only problem with the Josie and the Pussycats story is that Alex Cabot looks and acts like Reggie Mantle's twin! There really is no way to tell the two apart! It's only when Alex gives his chef the boot from the kitchen that he's different. Even the whole gag of making a mess of the kitchen trying to show up Alan - a one-off himself of Archie - seems like a total Reggie move.

Another fun story is Li'l Archie and Jughead using a goat to mow the lawn when the family mower dies.

The last story finds Sabrina's aunts with a cursed Egyptian statue. Touching it might spread the curse! Harvey scoffs, until one of the aunts uses magic to convince him.

All in all, it's solid, light-hearted comedy from the Archie gang. 

Archie's T.V. Laugh-Out 79, facsimile reprint, earns five stars. For the extra effort on variant covers. Your mileage on that may vary.  

What Would A Gilligan's Island Comic Book Look Like?

Warner Bros. has announced that Josh Gad will write and star in a feature film update of the 1960's television sitcom Gilligan's Island. It's unclear, as yet, which stranded castaway Gad will play, or when the film will reach theaters. There have been a number of proposals over the years of who should play the classic characters. The late Sherwood Schwartz considered Michael Cera, from Scott Pilgrim, Juno and Superbad, to be an ideal candidate for Gilligan. Cera's response was that he hadn't been offered the part, nor was he even interested. Whatever story a Gilligan's Island cast and film tells, I'd like to see Warner Bros. affiliate DC Comics publish a monthly all-ages comic book.

But what would a Gilligan's Island comic book look like? It could look like a lot of different things.

Archie Comics have recently gotten renewed energy after celebrating a milestone 600 issues with a "What if?" storyline involving Archie marrying either longtime sweethearts Veronica or Betty. Not only that, but Archie has recently met KISS, done a crossover with Glee and parodied Twilight. Right now, Archie is riding the zombie craze with a Walking Dead-like storyline, Afterlife With Archie.

A Gilligan's Island comic book could look an Archie comic book. 600 issues is a pretty good model to follow. DC Comics published 163 bi-monthly issues of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen from 1954 to 1974. Issues from that series have been collected in Showcase Presents: The Superman Family, and Superman: The Many Transformations of Jimmy Olsen.

Jimmy Olsen, like Archie, has had a lot of wacky and strange adventures. Jimmy's encounters with Professor Phineas Potter were the source of a lot of those wacky adventures and strange transformations.

A Gilligan's Island comic book could look something like a Scooby Doo comic book. Archie comics brought the Hanna-Barbera character to comics in 1995. DC Comics acquired the rights two years later. DC published 159 issues of Scooby Doo before relaunching the title as Scooby Doo, Where Are You in 2010. DC just launched a Scooby Doo Team-Up book.

In 1992, when Warner Bros. launched an animated Batman series - cartoon are now known by the sophisticated term "animated series" - a tie-in comic The Batman Adventures was launched. The book was relaunched a number of times to reflect changes in the series. The Batman Adventures ran 36 issues; The Batman and Robin Adventures another 25; and Batman: Gotham Adventures 60 issues. DC's all ages imprint has had equal success with Superman Adventures, a tie-in to the Superman animated series; Justice League Adventures and Justice League Unlimited; Teen Titans: Go and Tiny Titans. Those are just the super-hero properties. DC's Looney Tunes published 212 issues starting in 1994.

Still, what would an issue of a Gilligan's Island comic book look like? The Batman Adventures perfected a three-act story scripted out over twenty-two pages. A twenty-two page comic book is comparable to a thirty minute episode.

A Gilligan's Island comic book could look like a Simpsons comic book. Over the last twenty years, Bongo Comics has published 207 issues of Simpsons Comics. According to Wikipedia, with 538 episodes over twenty-five seasons The Simpsons is the longest-running American sitcom, the longest running animated series, and is the longest running prime-time scripted television series. Gilligan's Island lasted only 98 episodes before it was cancelled. Legend has it that creator Sherwood Schwartz wrote down ideas for the series on a roll of paper he unrolled at CBS offices to pitch the series.

If Archie can reach 600 issues, The Simpsons 207, Looney Tunes 212, Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen 163 and Scooby Doo 159 - and that is 159 in just one of three different runs - then Gilligan's Island certainly has potential. It's just a matter of finding the right all-ages writer that can capture the moral lessons of Gilligan's Island. Names like Sholly Fisch, Jeff Parker, Michael Uslan, J. Torres, Art Baltazar, Chris Giarusso, Kelley Puckett, and Terrance Griep come to mind. Each one has proven success writing all-ages comic books. Tim Levins comes to mind as a penciller to capture the look of the Castaways.  Joan Hilty would make an excellent editor.

Right now, DC is publishing a tie-in comic for Arrow; Smallville: Season Eleven; and Batman '66, stories based on the 1966-1968 live action Batman television series starring Adam West. There's no reason why a Gilligan's Island comic couldn't be both profitable and successful.