It was the South Side Serpents from not one but two Archie columns last week that sent me down Archie Comics rabbit holes. I always like how Archie pulls from the past and puts a fresh spin on it in today’s Archie Comics. I wanted to learn more about the Serpents, and that led to some interesting rabbit holes. So, let’s go down some of those holes!
Bob Bolling, who will be 97 on June 9th, began freelancing at Archie, where he worked on Pat the Brat. Then, in 1956, publisher John Goldwater decided he wanted a comic about the Riverdale Gang as kids, around ten years old. The first issue of Little Archie would come out in 1957.
Bolling would do everything—from writing to lettering, while his long-time friend Dexter did most of the coloring. As he became more comfortable writing about the Teens as kids, he added new characters and other concepts to the Little Archie series. He said that working on the series had a special place for him as a creator. He continued the series until 1965 and later returned for the last four years. Little Archie remained a hit for Archie for years, lasting 180 issues before coming to an end in 1983.
The South Side Serpents first appeared in Little Archie 9 in 1958. Unfortunately, it’s a little hard to find those Little Archie comics. But, back in 2008, Archie released two collections called The Adventures of Little Archie, which are still available. Among the stories is Archie battling Dr. Doom—not THAT Dr. Doom!
Mad Doctor Doom, the villain from Little Archie, first appeared in Little Archie #24, which was published in Fall 1962. Mad Doctor Doom is a sinister scientist with greenish skin and sharp, angular features. He resides in Crackstone Manor, located in Riverdale.
Bolling has said his favorite stories are those in which Little Archie battled with Mad Doctor Doom because no matter what the plan was to conquer the world, Little Archie always found a way to squash the Doctor’s plans. Over the years, Mad Doctor Doom would appear in over two dozen comics—the last time was in 2023 with Fear the Funhouse: Toybox of Terror.
One more fun fact: Marvel’s Doctor Doom and Archie’s appeared roughly at the same time in 1962. It’s not too often that something like that happens in comic books. And, yeah, those Little Archie comics were fun reads. They hold up pretty well over the years. So, go out and find them and read those battles between Archie and Mad Doctor Doom!
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