For over seventy-five years, Archie and the gang at Riverdale High have been America’s most iconic teenagers, delighting generations of readers with their never-ending exploits. But despite their ubiquity, Archie comics have been relatively ignored by scholars—until now.
Twelve-Cent Archie is not only the first scholarly study of the Archie comic, it is an innovative creative work in its own right. Inspired by Archie’s own concise storytelling format, renowned comics scholar Bart Beaty divides the book into a hundred short chapters, each devoted to a different aspect of the Archie comics. Fans of the comics will be thrilled to read in-depth examinations of their favorite characters and motifs, including individual chapters devoted to Jughead’s hat and Archie’s sweater-vest. But the book also has plenty to interest newcomers to Riverdale, as it recounts the behind-the-scenes history of the comics and analyzes how Archie he
Trade Review
"Archie gets, at last, academic and theoretical consideration in Bart Beaty's wildly readable Twelve-Cent Archie." * PopMatters *
"Fascinating" * New York Magazine *
"Whether you’re interested in the differences between Harry Lucey’s Archie and Bob Montana’s, or simply haunted by the signifying structure that is Betty Cooper’s ponytail, there’s something here for everyone who’s ever read an Archie comic." -- Scott Bukatman * author of The Poetics of Slumberland: Animated Spirits and the Animated Spirit *
"Funny, insightful, and perfectly paced, this is a highly enjoyable volume of criticism, one that would be equally at home in the ivory tower or by the porcelain throne." * Quill and Quire *
"For readers interested in the history and form of comics as art, Beaty offers analyses of visual humour, borderless panels and the central authors and illustrators of this era. Twelve-Cent Archie will satisfy cultural critics, Archie fans and comics fans more broadly ... This book is as fun and satisfying as reading an Archie digest." * Alberta Views *
"In its analytical vignettes on such a wide variety of topics, Twelve-Cent Archie attempts - and succeeds - not in ending our questions about Archie, but in showing us how many more questions we ought to be asking." * Children's Literature Association Quarterly *
"exciting and often deeply funny" -- Neale Barnholden * English Studies in Canada *
"Archie gets, at last, academic and theoretical consideration in Bart Beaty's wildly readable Twelve-Cent Archie." * PopMatters *
"Fascinating" * New York Magazine *
"Whether you’re interested in the differences between Harry Lucey’s Archie and Bob Montana’s, or simply haunted by the signifying structure that is Betty Cooper’s ponytail, there’s something here for everyone who’s ever read an Archie comic." -- Scott Bukatman * author of The Poetics of Slumberland: Animated Spirits and the Animated Spirit *
"Funny, insightful, and perfectly paced, this is a highly enjoyable volume of criticism, one that would be equally at home in the ivory tower or by the porcelain throne." * Quill and Quire *
"For readers interested in the history and form of comics as art, Beaty offers analyses of visual humour, borderless panels and the central authors and illustrators of this era. Twelve-Cent Archie will satisfy cultural critics, Archie fans and comics fans more broadly ... This book is as fun and satisfying as reading an Archie digest." * Alberta Views *
"In its analytical vignettes on such a wide variety of topics, Twelve-Cent Archie attempts - and succeeds - not in ending our questions about Archie, but in showing us how many more questions we ought to be asking." * Children's Literature Association Quarterly *
"exciting and often deeply funny" -- Neale Barnholden * English Studies in Canada *
Table of Contents
The Twelve-Cent Archie 3
How to Write (Archie) Comics 8
Story Length 11
The Archie Hierarchy 12
Archie Andrews 16
How Well Does Archie Speak French? 19
Bowling 19
Harry Lucey’s Rhythm 21
Veronica Lodge 26
Riverdale, USA 29
The Daily Strip 31
Footnote 33
“Why Is It Always between Archie and Reggie?” 34
Archie’s Jalopy 37
It’s as Easy as A-B-V 38
United Girls Against Jughead 41
Archie Giant Series 43
Invisible Paint 44
Archie Comics versus Art 46
Betty Cooper 49
Riverdale’s Racial Problem 52
Fashion 55
Betty’s Ponytail 56
Self-Plagiarism 57
Archie’s Sweater Vest 61
Jughead Jones 63
Beatniks, Hippies, and Other Undesirables 66
Dilton Doily 68
Moose 69
Reggie Mantle 70
Jealousy 73
“Are You Familiar with Shakespeare, My Young Ignoramus?” 76
“I Never Squeaked a Pip, Either!” 78
Jughead’s Hat 79
Fantastic Elements 82
Archie’s Joke Book 83
Often Imitated, Never Duplicated 84
The Historical Archie 88
Mutually Assured Destruction 90
Betty = Veronica 91
Head over Heels 92
Mr. Weatherbee 94
Caveman Archie 95
Life with Archie 99
What Is the Zip Code for Riverdale? 102
Cover Art 103
Fairy Godmothers 106
Dan DeCarlo’s Foreground Portraits 107
Archie as an Adventure Comic 108
Text Pieces 111
Previously on Archie 113
Notes for the Norton Anthology 115
Archie : Arch :Archiekins 118
Eep! Omigosh! And Other Unusual Contributions to the Language of Comics 119
Archie’s Black Book 121
Laugh and Pep: The Residual Titles 122
Pureheart the Powerful 124
Errors 127
Midge 128
You Can Take the Boy Out of Riverdale . . . 130
Archie Club News 132
Veronica’s Mother 133
Mr. Lodge 133
Betty’s Parents 137
Jingles 137
Li’l Jinx 139
Archie’s Gender Politics 140
Should Archie Marry Betty or Veronica? 143
Big Ethel 145
The Mayor of Riverdale 148
Worst. Archie. Story. Ever. 149
Archie the Klutz 150
Celebrity Culture 153
Jughead’s Dipsy Doodles 154
Imitation Is the Lowest Form of Flattery 156
Surf and Ski 158
Samm Schwartz’s Art 160
Self-Referential Metafictions 163
Riverdale High 166
Who Cut Veronica’s Hair? 167
Little Archie 169
Credits 173
Juvenile Delinquency 174
Teenese 176
The Archies 177
Pop Tate’s Choklit Shoppe 182
Unusual Panels 184
Smithers 185
The Archie Archive 186
Fads and Fashions 189
Borderless Panels 190
A Comic About Nothing 192
Fred (and Mary) Andrews 195
The Banjo in Archie Comics 196
Wordless Stories, or Nearly So 197
Hot Dog 201
Dan DeCarlo’s Split-Horizon Girl 203
The (Nearly) Perfect Archie Story 206
The Myth of Archie 209
Archie and Me 210
Index 213
