Archie #69 -- Inside A RARE GEM!

I've got a real treat for you this week folks!  We're going to set the Wayback machine to 1954 and delve into the awesome goodness inside Archie #69.  I picked this up for $2 (it's held together more loosely than the Millennium Falcon) at my local store's weekly Whiz Bang last week.  I almost passed it up due to its strong moldy odor, but then I realized I may never get my hands on a Golden Age comic book again! 

I'm glad I decided to buy it (you've just got to read it at arms length), because it was FANTASTIC!!!  If it wasn't illegal, I'd scan the whole book for you, but instead I've sampled a few snippets to help you see what I'm talking about, since mere words would be insufficient to describe this RARE GEM!!! (Now I know why Lee loves this old material so much.)

Let's start with the cover:  Check out that banner!  And pay attention to "Approved Reading" stamp.  I love the expressive eyes too.  Betty seems to have a lot more going for her than Veronica.


Next we have the top two rows of the title story where Betty wants Archie to treat her like a cave man!  This gives Archie the idea to try those troglodyte moves on Veronica, but even in the 50's, she's much more liberated than the average gal.

Then there is a bizarre feature that I can only surmise is some weird parallel universe.  In it Archie is a brainy type named Red that isn't interested a beautiful love-struck girl and sells her romantic poetry to a blond-haired Reggie named Wilbur.

One of the best stories is a classic Archie versus Mr. Lodge episode.  Archie wants to make a plaster bust of Veronica's dad, but Mr. Lodge knowing these things usually end up ruining his day turns the tide on Archie himself.  So everything Archie experiences Mr. Lodge WOULD HAVE experienced.

Dig the teen-age speak of the day in the opening panel and Indian joke is pretty funny too.

In the third main story Archie has Jughead dress up as a mechanical man, because Reggie has been impressing Veronica with his machinesmith prowess.  It's working great until Juggie goes after her dog's steak!  Pay attention to the propaganda sign on the fence.

There are lots of little one page features (and a good deal of bicycle ads -- tells you what kids liked to do in those days).  This Gag Bag joke had me laughing out loud!

Speaking of Ads, here's the back cover.

You know I bet this never gets collected in hardcover, but even if it did nothing compares to having the original vintage comic.  I'll treasure this baby for years to come!