Archie #212

Archie #212 arrives with a gag that feels surprisingly timely for 1971 — on the cover, Archie sits cheerfully on a rock casting his fishing line into a trash-strewn, polluted river, quipping that he's fishing for "spare parts" for his car, while a friend looks on in dismay at the industrial smokestacks belching in the background and Archie's beloved jalopy parked nearby. Cover pencils by Harry Lucey and inks by Jon D'Agostino give the scene that warm, clean Riverdale charm even as it winks at real environmental concerns of the era. A small inset at the top teases a slapstick moment between two figures, promising plenty of the lighthearted chaos that makes this series such a pleasure.