"Inflation Con$ternation" - An Archie and His Pals Tale

So, I decided to take advantage of some after Christmas sales online, and bought a few books from the Archie Comics website.  Among them were the Archie Holiday Colouring Book, the "Everything's Archie" collection, and this book.

For a major collector like myself, I surprisingly don't have a whole lot of the "Archie Americana Series" collections.  So, when I saw that the second book featuring the 1970s was available, I jumped at the chance to buy it.  It really does have a wide variety of stories that have some of the wackiest fads of the 1970s, as well as some of the major concerns that people were going through at that time.

One of these concerns was inflation.  Think the rising prices are a 2019 problem?  Think again.  Back in the 1970s, inflation of goods was a major concern in that decade.  Gas shortages in the mid-1970s meant that the cost of items skyrocketed, and it wasn't that uncommon for people in the 1970s to try and fight inflation as much as possible.

One of the stories that appeared in the Archie Americana Series book originally appeared in "PEP Comics #349", and it stars Archie and Jughead in their quest to fight rising prices.  It's a story that is called "Inflation Con$ternation".  And, yes.  That dollar sign is meant to be in that word.

See what I mean?

Anyway, Jughead meets up with Archie and shows off the brand new earmuffs he bought from a local department store.  They set him back three dollars (which doesn't sound like a lot now, but forty years ago was a nice chunk of change), but Jughead is satisfied with them.  I have to say, I like them.  They're bright red and look really warm.

Archie, on the other hand, is less than impressed.  He doesn't like that Jughead paid full price for the earmuffs and insists that the only way to fight inflation is to fight back.  Archie tells Jughead that he needs to get some earmuffs too, but instead of buying them at a store, he'll be scoping out the garage sales for some.  He figures that people will be charging less than a fraction of the price for them, and to be honest with you, you can find some interesting things at garage sales and yard sales.  But if you're looking for a specific item, you might have a hard time.

Archie certainly has some problems at first.  He hits up every garage sale within a two mile radius, and cannot find any earmuffs.  However, he does manage to find some other things, such as a tennis racket without any string, and other junk items.  It doesn't exactly specify how much money Archie spends on these useless trinkets, but I'm guessing that with a quarter spent here, and a dime spent there, it will quickly add up.  By the time Archie finally finds a pair of earmuffs, his jalopy is not only filled with junk, but Jughead makes an interesting point.

So after all of that shopping, Archie and Jughead are starving, and they both want to grab something to eat.  Jughead suggests that they stop at Pop's, but Archie has another idea.  There's another restaurant called Jill's that have a special deal on.  If they order a burger combo there, they can get a free glass.  A nice promotion, and certainly a lot of fast food places had free glass promotions (believe me, I have a couple of glasses from Burger King in my cupboard).  But the catch is that in order to get the glass, you have to buy a soda.  And sodas can be quite the expensive addition.

Besides, Jughead claims that he doesn't want a free glass, and that he doesn't even drink sodas with his burgers.  I'm guessing Jughead is more of a chocolate milkshake fan.  But Archie says that getting the glass is worth it because it's free.  And Archie is quite happy with his purchase, saying that the glass is really neat.  He makes an off the cuff remark that he should come back to collect the set.  But the waitress behind the counter has a proposition for him.

Wow.  Three dollars for eight glasses?  What a bargain!  Well, okay, I guess he has nine glasses, but he'll have two of the same one.  But still, Archie splurges on all of the glasses at once.  And after they eat their grub and leave Jill's, Jughead has one final point to make.  How much money does Archie have at the end of his "fighting inflation lesson"?

That's right.  Archie was so busy trying to fight inflation that he spent all of his money doing exactly that!  Jughead, on the other hand, paid for earmuffs and a couple of burgers, and only spent four dollars.  Now, you tell me who is the better saver?

Mind you, Jughead is also known for mooching off of others and running up a tab that is longer than his nose at Pop's...but still, in this case, Jughead was the victor.  And Archie?  Well, he has a broken tennis racket and a case of glasses.  Um, yay?

"Bread and Batter" - A Jughead Tale

Today's Friday, and that means that I will be featuring a story that has Jughead as the star.

And that usually means that there's a 98.6% chance that a Jughead story will feature food in some way.  Trust me, today is no exception.

Since I'm feeling in a bit of a nostalgic mood today, I thought that I would feature a story that was printed in the 1960s.

1964, to be specific.  It originally appeared in "Archie's Pal Jughead #110", but has been reprinted several times - most recently in "Jughead and Archie Jumbo Comics #25", where the scans for this blog come from.

Now, have you ever tried combining two different foods to make one delicious food?  Examples would be taking gravy, french fries, and cheese curd to make a poutine.  Or, perhaps you are one of the ones that stuffs a duck and a chicken inside of a turkey to make the delicacy known as the turducken. 

Well, in the story "Bread and Batter", Jughead creates a brand new sandwich that not only serves as a snack...but a deadly weapon as well.

Now, Pop Tate has given Jughead the clearance to make a hamburger for himself - which makes me wonder if Pop Tate took his stupid pills today.  Giving Jughead free reign of the Chocklit Shop is like giving a bank robber a key to the mint.  But while Pop is out of the store to run an errand, Betty asks him what he is doing, and seems surprised that Pop Tate is selling hero sandwiches now.  But Jughead explains that he brought the baguette himself.  He explains that Pop Tate told him he could help himself to anything he needed to make a burger.  But clever Jughead says that Pop never specified how large the burger could be.  So, he's essentially making a burger patty that fits inside of a submarine bun.  While I admire Jughead's way of thinking, I'm sure Pop Tate is not going to take too kindly to it.  I wonder how he's going to react when he sees Jughead's creation?

Yeah, that's what I thought.  At least Pop let him keep his burger in the submarine bun.  But as Betty tries to help him up, a passerby with a mean attitude bumps right into Betty.  And when I say he bumps into Betty, I mean he nearly plows her over into the street.  This really sets Jughead off and he yells at the man to watch where he's going.  The man has already had a bad day and he thinks that the best way to let off some steam is to punch Jughead's lights out.  Whatever is Jughead to do?

Well, he takes his sandwich and bashes the guy across the head, knocking him unconscious.  Wow, just how heavy was that hamburger patty?  It must have been really huge!  Either way, Betty is eternally grateful to Jughead for defending her honour and decides that she will reward him by buying him food at Pop Tate's.  Of course, Pop initially tries to ban Jughead from entering, but Betty smooths things over with Pop and Jughead is allowed to stay.  In fact, Betty surprises everyone by asking Pop to make her and Jughead both one of the burger/submarine sandwich combos.  Pop is disgusted, but reluctantly makes the snack for both of them.

In fact, it is Betty who coins a nickname for the tasty treat - the "Burgerino".  And while Jughead and Betty dig into their favourite new snack sensation, they also discuss the possibility of the Burgerino being an effective and fearsome weapon.

And just as they have this discussion, two rough looking guys barge into Pop's, call Pop's Fatso, and start destroying the place.  Okay, seriously, when was Pop's ever located in the rough part of town?  Or was crime really rampant in Riverdale in 1964?  Perhaps that could explain why Pureheart, Captain Hero, and Evilheart made their debuts right around that time.

But Jughead remembers the power of the Burgerino, and Betty and Jughead leap into action to take care of the two goons long enough for Pop Tate to call the police.  And once the police arrive, Pop Tate changes his tune about the Burgerino.

Of course, Pop Tate could also use the Burgerino as a way to make a ton of profit! 

Now, in all seriousness...would you try a Burgerino?  I know I sure would!  I'd probably need a whole jar of pickles and a whole jar of mustard though to really enjoy it as it should be enjoyed!

"The Great Quiz Whiz Contest" - An Archie at Riverdale High Tale

For those of you who may have missed it, a couple of months ago, I did a blog entry about the story where Moose was diagnosed with dyslexia.  That story was a turning point in Moose's character development for many reasons.  Before the story was released, Moose was always portrayed as a dumb jock who played sports well and who beat up Reggie.  But after the story was released, Moose gained a lot of depth, and was seen as a character who was just as smart as the average Riverdale High student.

Today, we're going to post the follow-up story to this tale, and it really goes to show that if you can believe in someone enough, they just might surprise you!

It appears in "Archie at Riverdale High #101" - three issues after the Moose story I talked about which appeared in issue #98.  And it's a story that is called "The Great Quiz Whiz Contest".  It's about a trivia contest show that often aired on public television or local cable television networks.  It's kind of similar to the PBS show "Whiz Quiz" or "Reach for the Top".  Well, in the school district that Riverdale High is located in, they have their own version called "Quiz Whiz"!

Mr. Weatherbee interrupts Miss Grundy's class to talk to them about the quiz show.  The school has been selected to compete against the snooty Pembrooke Academy for the episode.  And for those of you who might recognize the name, yes, Pembrooke Academy is where Jason and Cheryl Blossom initially attended school when they were first introduced.

The catch is that only four students can be selected to play for Riverdale.  And how the school will select these players is through a general knowledge test that the television studio that produces the show has given Mr. Weatherbee.  Both Mr. Weatherbee and Miss Grundy ask for volunteers to take the qualifying test.

Right off the bat, Dilton and Betty raise their hands, and Mr. Weatherbee is happy because Dilton and Betty are the smartest kids in the whole school.  Veronica also decides that she wants to try out as well, mainly because it's an excuse for Mr. Lodge to buy her a new dress.  And of course, since Veronica raised her hand, it shouldn't come as a shock to see Archie and Reggie volunteer as well.  In fact, most of Miss Grundy's class agree to take the test - well, except Jughead who couldn't be bothered.

As Miss Grundy starts to explain what the featured categories are going to be, one more hand shoots up.  Moose declares that he wants to try and do the test to get onto the quiz show.  At first, Miss Grundy tries to let him down easily by trying to explain how hard the show would be - and honestly I almost see red when I see her do this because I know what it's like to have teachers not believe in you.  But Moose stays firm, and demands that he take the test.  Before he was tested for dyslexia, he believed that everyone thought that he was hopeless.  But now that he knows what is wrong with him, he can work with it and he wants the chance to try.  If he fails, so be it.  But nobody ever scored a touchdown by sitting on the sidelines.  And that speech was enough to move both Miss Grundy and Mr. Weatherbee.  They allow Moose to take the test and the whole class cheers.

Moose quickly gets to work by studying everything that he can get, and his girlfriend Midge is doing everything she can - including carrying dozens of library books - to help him.  And of course, Reggie is using the opportunity to take bets against Moose, with his hope of profiting off of Moose's failure.  You know, come to think of it, I can see why Reggie is Moose's human punching bag a lot of the time.

The quiz comes and goes, and not long afterwards come the results of the quiz.  The first two spots are easily taken by Dilton and Betty, who score 100% and 98% respectively.  Veronica also does well on the test, scoring an easy 95% and a brand new Paris original.  Not exactly sure that was the right motivation for Veronica, but it does prove that she does have a brain inside of that body.

When it comes to the fourth and final spot, it looks like it's a three-way tie between Archie, Reggie, and Moose!  It appears as though all that studying really helped Moose out, as he scored a 90%!  That is remarkable.  But it does leave them with a bit of a dilemma as they don't know who deserves the last spot.  Miss Grundy suggests that a tie-breaker test be held to decide the victor, and all three take another test.  The new tests are graded, and Reggie is knocked out of contention, but Archie and Moose are still tied.  Archie finds the whole idea of taking tests a bit ridiculous and decides that the matter be settled with a coin toss.

Moose calls out heads, and as it so happens, the coin reads heads!  That means Moose takes the fourth spot, and Reggie is suddenly out a LOT of money.  Serves him right.  Okay, granted Archie used a special two-headed coin that his friend Ambrose gave him years ago that secured Moose's spot.  But Archie saw the writing on the wall long before anyone else.  Archie realized that he and Reggie were only competing to sit next to Veronica on the panel.  Moose was doing it for an actual purpose.  If anyone deserves it, it's Moose.

It's the night of the quiz show taping and the audience is filled with Riverdale High students and faculty.  On the bottom tier are four of the snootiest snobs from Pembrooke Academy including Jason Blossom and his friend, Preply.  I'm guessing that's a last name and not a first name, but since that's the only name we're given, we're going with it.  And up on top is the Riverdale team made up of Dilton, Betty, Veronica, and a beaming Moose!

Jason Blossom is a bit concerned about the Riverdale team.  He doesn't think Moose will be a threat, and Betty and Veronica might keep them on their toes...but he tells Preply that Dilton could easily beat all of them single-handed.  This starts to crank the gears of Preply, who is out to win at all costs.  And when he overhears Dilton wanting to go downstairs to grab a drink of water before the show starts, he takes advantage by sticking his foot out as Dilton heads down the stairs...

...and just like that, Dilton is knocked out of contention.  Mr. Weatherbee comes out of the audience to examine Dilton and to everyone's relief, Dilton doesn't have any broken bones.  But because he bopped his head, he's unable to see straight.  Certainly he's in no condition to answer any questions.  Mr. Weatherbee tries to switch out Dilton with Archie, but the rules are set in stone.  No substitutions.  So, it looks like it'll be Moose, Veronica, and Betty to carry the team.  Moose is understandably upset by this, but Mr. Weatherbee assures him that it will be okay.

Fortunately, while Moose is staying quiet because he is very upset about Dilton getting hurt, Betty and Veronica do their best to keep up with Pembrooke Academy.  Every time Pembrooke answers a question correctly, Betty and Veronica tie up the score.  By the end of the show, the score is tied at 230 points for each team.  The final question is up for grabs.  The question is:  Which Riverdale native held the field goal record during the 1949 pro football season?

Clearly a question that Betty and Veronica can't answer, as neither one of them really follow football.  And Pembrooke doesn't exactly know the answer either.  It's up to Moose to try and get the question right.

But is it the right answer?  Come on...Moose is a football player who loves the sport.  What do you think?

Everyone in the audience is celebrating Riverdale's win...and Moose takes all the credit for winning!  Even Dilton recovers in time to cheer for Moose.  It is a happy moment for everyone.

Well...ALMOST everyone.  A very bitter Preply is cursing under his breath, even saying that he tripped Dilton for nothing.  Now, this gets the attention of Jason Blossom, who reacts with visible shock and disgust.  You know, for all the flack that Jason gets for being snobby (which most of the time is deserved), at least he understands good sportsmanship.  He is appalled that Preply would stoop to such levels to win.

But even more unfortunately for Preply, Moose happens to hear his confession, and he gets his revenge for what he did to Dilton.  Fortunately most of the violence takes place off panel, but it ends with Preply being tossed in a garbage dumpster.  Preply begs Jason to help him out, but Jason scoffs at him and just says this...

Because believe me.  Moose IS a winner. 

"Deja Vu, Who?" - A Betty and Veronica Tale

Hello, everyone!  This entry is coming a bit late today, but I hope you'll forgive me.  After all, it's not often that I get inspired by a recent digest to post a story that got my attention.

The newest Betty and Veronica Double Digest hit stores the first week of January, making the 269th issue of that title the official first digest of 2019.  And it was in this digest that I found today's tale.

Originally appearing in "Betty and Veronica #143", this is a tale that was penned by Mike Pellowski, and illustrated by Dan DeCarlo and Henry Scarpelli.  It wasn't too long after this story was released that Dan DeCarlo was fired from Archie after over 40 years of service to the company, and he passed away just a few months after that.  So, in honour of Dan, I proudly present this tale.

This story is called "Deja Vu, Who?", and for those of you who might not understand the title, the phrase "Deja Vu" is a French expression that means the same as when you have the feeling that you've done something before, or been in the same situation before another time, and you remember it.  Well, in this case, it's Betty who is having the feeling of deja vu, and not in a good way either once Veronica comes into Pop's.

Betty asks Veronica what it was like when her little cousin Ashley came to visit her.  Veronica does not mince words when she tells Betty just how much of a spoiled brat she is, and she even provides various examples of why this was the case.  Take for instance one day when Veronica decided to treat her cousin to a day of shopping at the local mall.  When the limo pulled up to pick Veronica and Ashley up, Ashley was incredibly rude to the driver.

Ashley was so rude to the driver that Veronica was visibly embarrassed and told Ashley to knock it off, but of course, Ashley had the attitude that she was right and everyone else was wrong.  As Veronica tells her story to Betty, she foolishly asks Betty if she knew anyone who was that bratty as a kid.  Of course, Betty knows of one person who was like that...

Yeah, here's where Betty's feelings of deja vu come into play.  Because back when Betty and Veronica were Ashley's age, Betty recalls Veronica being just as bratty with Mr. Lodge's employees as Ashley is now.  Of course, Betty is polite and doesn't bring this up because if she does, she might get a chocolate milkshake thrown in her face.  But Veronica is still steamed, and she brings up an incident that took place inside one of the stores at the mall.

The caption underneath this picture is true.  I hate shoe shopping.  But as someone who's worked retail for fourteen years, I also dislike it when customers treat me as if I'm their own personal shopper.  I've actually dealt with a few "Ashleys" in my time, and not once have they been pleasant ones.  So I can understand Veronica's frustration and anger when it comes to Ashley's conduct.  I mean, at one point, Ashley flaunts just how wealthy her family is as an excuse to get the salespeople (who are likely working on commissions) to do her bidding.  It's a really disgusting display, and she asks Betty if she's ever seen anything like it.  Well...yeah.  Betty has.

(But seriously, what kind of name is Dress Barn.  I half expect a cow to come wandering through the store!)

It's quite funny how Betty sees the parallels between Veronica and Ashley, but yet Veronica is too oblivious to pick up on it.  But that's not even the end of it because Veronica talks about how they were going to go to lunch and how Veronica settled on a restaurant in the food court.  But Ashley wasn't keen on the idea of having a fish taco or a burrito.

Seriously, just stuff a grilled cheese sandwich in her mouth and be done with it.  At least it'll keep her mouth shut for a little while.  Something tells me that little Jughead never really had this issue.

But, Betty remembers that little Veronica had that issue once upon a time...here's the proof.

So, after all that, Veronica is incredibly disgusted by Ashley, and she actually kind of wonders what kind of a person she will be like when she becomes Veronica's age.  Veronica already has this belief that Ashley will be so spoiled rotten that she will be beyond help.  But after listening to Veronica complain about Ashley, Betty seems to believe that Ashley will be okay.

After all...if Veronica can at least recognize that Ashley's behaviour was bad (even though she doesn't realize that she was that bad herself), then that's part of the maturity coming through.  And even though Veronica has her moments of being spoiled, she always had Betty as her best friend to keep her more grounded. 

Maybe what Ashley needs is a best friend like Betty to do the same thing?

"Ding Dong Calling" - A Josie and the Pussycats Tale

How many of you remember what your first after school job was?  Perhaps it was something like delivering newspapers.  Or maybe you flipped burgers at the local diner or fast food joint.  Perhaps you swept popcorn off the floor of the movie theatre.  Or, maybe you did what I did and painted a fence or two.

Today's story features a couple of women who work for the same company for a part-time job.  One needs the money, the other doesn't.  And what happens when one of the women comes up with a "brilliant" idea that ends up getting her shown the door in one of the most hilarious firings ever!

So, today is Tuesday, which means that I'll be featuring a story that stars non-Archie characters.  But that doesn't mean that the stories aren't any less entertaining.  I guffawed a lot when I read this story for the first time, and I think you will too.

Now, it might seem strange that this story first appeared in an Archie title - "Archie's TV Laugh-Out #59".  But keep in mind that "Archie's TV Laugh-Out" was a title that usually featured two Archie stories, one Sabrina story, and today's subject, one Josie story.

And this one is a genuine Josie story.  Not a Josie and the Pussycats story.  And to be honest, this story doesn't even really feature Josie all that much, as Alexandra Cabot is the main character of this tale.

Today's story is called...wait for it..."Ding Dong Calling".  Even the title makes me chortle!

If the scans look slanted, it's because I used the story reprinted in "Laugh Digest #74".  But whatever the case, we eavesdrop on a conversation between Alexandra and Valerie, and Valerie is talking to Alexandra about Josie's brand new part-time job.  It seems as though Josie has landed a gig as a girl who goes door to door to sell cosmetics and beauty aids.  Basically, it's kind of similar to the Avon or Mary Kay business models, only the company name in this story is the Ding-Dong company.  I'm guessing that they chose that name because doorbells go ding-dong.

Alexandra is not impressed by Josie's job at all - mainly because Alexandra was born into a wealthy family and has zero use for any kind of job.  But when Alan M. comes along and starts praising Josie for making an honest living by doing some hard work, Alexandra is fuming, and she decides at that moment that she will become a Ding-Dong lady herself.

Yeah, for those of you who aren't familiar with Josie comics during the Pussycats era, Josie likes Alan M.  Alan M. likes Josie.  Alexandra also likes Alan M., but Alan M. thinks that Alexandra comes on too strong.  So, Alexandra's main purpose in life (aside from being a spoiled brat and making her twin brother's life miserable) is to steal Alan M. away from Josie.  So, essentially, it's like Archie/Betty/Veronica all over again.

So, because Alan M. has praised Josie for working, Alexandra decides that she will lower her standards by getting a job and actually working for a living.  Why do I get a feeling that this is going to end up being a trainwreck?  Sigh...let's take a peek inside of the interview process.

You can see why I find this story to be quite hilarious.  The amount of ding-dongs flying around the conversation makes me think that the company is run by ding-dongs.  In fact, Mr...erm...Ding-Dong, shall we call him?  Yeah, Mr. Ding-Dong doesn't even really give Alexandra an interview.  He hires Alexandra on the spot and she basically glances over the contract which she states is entirely made up of fine print.  It's actually kind of disappointing that this is the only mention we hear of the contract because they don't really touch upon it at all.  But I will say that this is the beginning of Alexandra's career as a Ding-Dong lady, and believe me, she definitely fits the Ding-Dong description.

She is sent to Chestnut Street and the first house she comes across has a typical housewife who is in the middle of doing the laundry, the dishes, and the vacuuming.  Unfortunately, Alexandra is very uncomfortable in her house because of the mess.

So, Alexandra decides that she will have to conduct her business at the country club, and she tells her prospective customer out to lunch to talk it over.  Yeah, taking a customer to an expensive country club restaurant just to sell her cosmetics.  I sure hope our customer buys enough cosmetics to stock a Sephora store because that's the only way Alexandra can expect to see any sort of profit.  And for all the trouble Alexandra goes through, all our customer purchases is a small tube of lipstick that costs four dollars - which let's face it, in 1978, it was quite pricey.  But still, spending a few hours for one sale.  Can't wait to hear how she explains this to Mr. Ding-Dong!

Alexandra comes back to the offices of Ding-Dong Cosmetics, where Josie is updating Mr. Ding-Dong on her progress.  Josie's had a fairly good day, selling over a hundred dollars worth of beauty products to several people on her route.  That's quite a nice haul that she made.  She must be really good at her job!  Alexandra, on the other hand, made a hundred and eight dollars less than Josie - a sales figure that kind of makes Mr. Ding-Dong a bit sick on the inside.

But not as sick as he is about to feel when Alexandra reveals that the country club lunch that she took her customer to cost thirty-seven dollars.  Yep, she spent $37 to make four.  Net profit = MINUS $33!

And this probably leads to one of the funniest endings I've ever read!

You thought that Veronica Lodge was oblivious?  Meet Alexandra Cabot.  At the end of this story, Alexandra is so angry at being fired that she makes plans to fire Mr. Ding-Dong - but Alexandra has to realize that she's only a teenager and that she hasn't exactly been fired before - mainly because she hasn't had a job before this!  At least Josie has shown that she's a capable employee...and it looks like Josie has kept the love and attention of Alan M. at that.

Better luck next time, Alexandra.

"Remote Possibilities" - A Dilton Doiley Tale

Today is Monday, and according to the new schedule that I posted on Friday, today is the day that I am dedicating towards a secondary character outside of the core Archie five.  It'll be a story where the supporting characters take on a starring role, and the person that I have chosen to kick off the inaugural posting is Riverdale genius Dilton Doiley!

And, here's a special twist for all of you.  You might recall that in the past, I've posted fragments of stories rather than scanning the whole thing.  That's partly because I don't want to spoil every detail for you.  But in today's case, I will be sharing the whole story for you because if I try to post bits and pieces of the tale, the story will absolutely make zero sense.  It's one of those rare tales where you pretty much have to read it from start to finish to get the full impact.

And who am I to deprive my blog readers from enjoying one of my favourite stories from the early 1990s?

This story appeared at the tail end of "Archie Digest #122", so I can understand how it could have been overlooked.  But it is truly a gem of a tale.

It comes at an age in which remote control technology was firmly in place.  I can still remember when my family got their first remote control television.  It was the summer of 1988, and my parents had gotten a brand new television and VCR with remote controls.  Prior to that, if we wanted to change the channel, we had to get up off of the couch and switch the dial to the desired channel.  Remote technology certainly made this task easier (and us as a society much lazier).  And since my family also began subscribing to cable television in 1988, this meant that we had well over seventy channels to switch back and forth between.  As a then seven-year-old, this was like a dream come true.

So, what do you think would happen if you took remote control technology and applied it to a comic book story?  Imagine flipping back and forth between an Archie story and a Betty story?  Or, switching between Reggie and Jughead?

Well, Dilton Doiley has invented a remote control that can do exactly that!  And as I mentioned before, it's quite a hilarious tale that only makes sense when you read the whole story.  So, sit back and grab some popcorn.  This story is called "Remote Possibilities"!

For the record, I can't stand it when the batteries go dead in my remote control.  Believe me, I have FOUR of them.  One for my television, one for my satellite receiver, one for my Blu-Ray player, and believe it or not I even have one for my air conditioner in the summer!  I think the only thing worse than having the batteries go dead is losing your remote control.  Or, accidentally dropping a remote control in a bucket that you just threw up in because you were sick with the flu.

I'm not lying about that last one.  That really did happen.  See, Archie's not the only klutz!

Okay, so, I'm now going to include a poll at the end of each Monday entry, because I want you to choose the next subject of the secondary character story.

For Monday, January 14, which character should I spotlight in this space?

A)  Ethel Muggs
B)  Miss Beazley
C)  Chuck Clayton

Voting begins now and will run until Sunday, January 13, 2019.

"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.