Archie #161

This February 1966 issue delivers a perfectly absurd slice of mid-century school life: Archie sits in "TV Class," casually reading a Pep comic book instead of watching his assigned television screen, while an exasperated teacher points an accusatory finger and threatens to report him to the principal — for reading. Veronica watches from her own booth with headphones on, a small figure tumbles acrobatically in the corner vignette up top, and the whole scene captures that wonderfully upside-down Riverdale logic where doing homework gets you in trouble. Dan DeCarlo's cover pencils give the gag a clean, cheerful energy that made Archie comics irresistible at a 12¢ cover price.