Last week, I talked about how, in the pages of Little Archie, Archie, as a boy of around ten, battles with the Mad Doctor Doom. This Doctor Doom was a green mad scientist with fangs. But, what’s fantasticly, fascinating is this Doctor and a certain other Doctor appeared right around the same time, back in 1962.
Well, the Mad Doctor Doom has returned in a brand-new storyin B&V Friends Forever: Spy Girls One-Shot out this week. It’s not Little Archie having it out with the Good Doctor, but teenage Betty & Veronica as Spy Girls. You also get the introduction of a new character—the Doctor’s daughter,Medusa, who tears through Riverdale, making everyone’s lives miserable. You can probably see more of Medusa and the Good Doctor again, and I can’t wait to see what other diabolical plans they are cooking up. You also get some classic stories, likeBetty, the Girl from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E—a spin on the classic The Man from U.N.C.L.E. TV series.
Medusa isn’t the only one getting a first appearance. The facsimile edition of Betty & Veronica #320 from 1982 has Cheryl Blossom’s first appearance. What adds to the charms of these special editions is that they also include the house ads from the comic. But, I’ll let go in on a bit of secret—all the Betty & Veronica issues (hundreds of them!) are available in digital edition from the Golden Age to the Silver Age.
While we’re talking about the classics, let’s not forget Archie continues to release several Pep Comics issues every week. That’s not only where Archie first appeared, in issue 22, but also featured heroes like The Shield and Black Hood. Lots of the good folk of Riverdale had their first appearance in Pep Comics. They might be decades old, but these tales can still be charming and funny. Plus, you get a chance to see how the characters have evolved from then until now.
A column doesn’t seem complete unless I throw one digest into the mix. Back in 1973, it was Archie Comics that came up with the digest format. As a kid, during the Bronze Age, DC had a line of digest comics. Other publishers tried them, and none of them lasted very long. Decades later, Archie still puts out fantastic digests.
This time around, it’s an anniversary issue with no variant coversor special bells and whistles, but World of Archie Double Digest#150 has a collection of classic Archie stories. Yeah, yeah—like most of the digests, it contains at least one new story (more on that in a minute), but it’s the classic tales I always look forward to reading.
Sometimes, I think the editors have a dartboard that they use to pick what goes on in each digest. Almost anything could appear in an issue. Like this time around, we have a tale of The Archies—the music group, a surprise. But, I often go deep dive when I don’t know my Archie lore, as in the case of the Wilbur tales in this digest. “Who the heck is Wilbur?” Wilbur Wilkin, another Riverdale teen, debuted in Zip Comics #18 in September 1941, preceding Archie Andrews’ first appearance by three months. He even had his own series, which ran from 1944 until 1965.
Now, about that new story—it features Kardak the Mystic, who first appeared in Top-Notch Comics #1 in December 1939. And, that’s another thing I like about Archie—there’s no forgotten characters or retcons or reboots. They, as in Karnak, dust these characters—and BAM!—out them in something new for today’s fans. Pop Tate’s is gearing up for a grand celebration, featuring dazzling magic from Kardak the Mystic and a show-stopping performance by the world’s biggest pop sensation, Tara Swift! But is it truly her, or just one of Kardak’s enchanting illusions?
There you have it—another batch of Archie Comics to hunt down! Over the years, Archie has consistently put out all-ages fun that makes for a nice break from the stuff you are used to buying and your comic shop. When was the last time you read an Archie Comic? No better time than now!
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