"Kiss Proof" - An Archie Tale

I may have mentioned this beforehand, but when it comes to classic Archie comic artists, I have my selection of favourites.  I mean, I love Dan DeCarlo's classic look, and Stan Goldberg was at his prime during the 1970s and 1980s.  But I have a huge soft spot for Harry Lucey's work.  When it comes down to it, Harry Lucey brought a lot of animated facial movements, beautifully drawn characters, and brought life to some incredibly creative stories.

I figure that since this is Sunday, I thought I'd share some of my favourite Harry Lucey drawn Archie stories all month long.  The reason being that when it comes to stories that starred Archie, Harry Lucey illustrated some of the best.  And sometimes, Harry Lucey was so skilled at drawing panels that you didn't really need a whole lot of dialogue to accompany it.

A perfect example of this appears in the comic book "Archie #194", and this is a story called "Kiss Proof".  As the story begins, it's evening at the Andrews residence, and Fred and Mary Andrews are relaxing at home in their living room while Archie is out on a date with Veronica.  But when Archie comes home after a great date, that's where our tale kicks off.

It appears as though Veronica's lips cause Archie such a reaction that it's a wonder that homeland security hasn't declared them a weapon of mass destruction!  And since Fred and Mary have been through this rodeo before so they prepare as if they are going to war.  Given that Archie is stumbling around out of control and takes out a recliner before flopping down onto the floor, I'm guessing that this is going to be a long night for them.

A VERY long night!

Now, being the kind, loving parents they are, it would be criminal to let Archie loose in the house while he's under the charm of Veronica's kiss.  He is their only child, and Fred and Mary need to keep him safe from harm so that one day he can provide them with grandchildren and keep the Andrews family name alive.

Besides, they have a house filled with furniture and Archie will end up destroying it all in the state he is in.

Not to mention that the Andrews family can't afford the medical insurance to take care of any injuries that Archie would sustain.

Eventually, Archie manages to make his way into the bathroom to get ready for bed, and it seems as though all is calm.  In fact, it's a little too calm.  After half an hour, Mary gets concerned that Archie might have accidentally drowned himself in the bathtub and she sends Fred upstairs to investigate what is happening.  And to Fred's shock, Mary's thoughts come true.

Okay, thankfully there's no water in the bathtub.  But Archie is out cold, and now Fred has to do something that he hasn't done in fourteen years.  He has to get Archie out of his street clothes, into his pajamas, and tucked into bed.  It's not as easy to dress a teenager as it was when he was Toddler Archie, but Fred does a pretty good job.  But Fred does make the mistake of letting Archie get into bed himself, and Archie ends up walking into the closet.

The good news is that Archie is rescued by his father and tucked in safe and sound from the world - and Veronica's kisses.  And once Archie's parents are outside of Archie's room, they decide that it's time to call it a night themselves, and Mary kisses Fred good night.

Yes, I definitely plan on featuring more Harry Lucey comics for Sundays with Archie.  In fact, I already know what my story for next Sunday will be all about.  You'll just have to wait and see what that is next week.