Archie #255
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeArchie #255 is a representative Bronze Age anthology from the flagship Archie title — a series that had run continuously since 1942 and was then comfortably into its third decade of defining the American teen-humor genre. While the issue carries no singular landmark first appearance, it documents the creative ensemble that kept Riverdale's world ticking during the mid-1970s, with a writing roster that includes the early Archie work of Tom DeFalco, who would later become Marvel's editor-in-chief, making issues from this narrow window of his career notable as artifacts of his pre-Marvel apprenticeship. The cover, a baseball gag piece rendered by Stan Goldberg, captures the house style at a moment when Goldberg was simultaneously drawing the Archie Sunday newspaper strip — a dual workload that illustrates just how central the Archie line was to American pop culture in the Bicentennial era.
In "Call of the Wild," Archie faces a surprisingly emotional dilemma when the girls grow frustrated by his hesitation to say "I love you." Jughead, ever the unconventional thinker, devises a plan to make the word feel less meaningful—just to see what happens. Written by Frank Doyle and illustrated by Chic Stone, with inks by Rudy Lapick, colors by Barry Grossman, and letters by Bill Yoshida, this 1976 classic features a cover by Stan Goldberg and Rudy Lapick.
In "Love and More Love," Archie’s hesitation to say "I love you" has the girls fuming—until Jughead steps in with a plan to make the word feel less rare. His scheme? Flood the airwaves with love talk until it loses its power, turning a heartfelt phrase into a punchline.
Archie’s stuck in a loop of saying “sure” to everything—no matter how absurd—until even his own name feels like a reflex. One moment he’s promising to clean the garage, the next he’s volunteering for a surprise road trip with no idea where he’s going.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was edited by Richard Goldwater, son of Archie Comics co-founder John L. Goldwater, during a period when the family maintained tight editorial control over the line. Stan Goldberg, who had come to Archie full-time after stints at Marvel (where he had colored the original Marvel Universe characters) and DC's teen titles, was in the early years of what would become a decades-long primary association with the publisher. Tom DeFalco, who had joined Archie as an editorial assistant in mid-1972 and helped initiate the Archie Digest series, was by 1976 writing short stories for the flagship title before eventually departing for Marvel later in the decade.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published August 1, 1976 by Archie Publications as part of Volume 1 of the long-running Archie series (which began in winter 1942 and ran through issue #666 in June 2015).
- Edited by Richard Goldwater; cover penciled and inked by Stan Goldberg, depicting a baseball scene with Archie, Reggie, Betty, and Veronica.
- Interior writers include Frank Doyle, George Gladir, Joe Edwards, Bob Montana, and Tom DeFalco, whose short story 'Sure Thing' is specifically credited to him in this issue.
- Interior artists include Chic Stone, Joe Edwards, Bob Montana, Stan Goldberg, Jon D'Agostino, and Rudy Lapick; coloring and lettering credited to Barry Grossman and Bill Yoshida.
- Tom DeFalco — who joined Archie Comics as an editorial assistant in mid-1972 and later became Marvel's editor-in-chief (1987–1994) — was actively writing for the flagship Archie title during this period, making issues like #255 early documented credits in his writing career.
- Stan Goldberg, the cover artist, was simultaneously illustrating the Archie Sunday newspaper strip from 1975 through 1980, placing this issue squarely within his most prolific dual-format period at the publisher.
- The issue is an anthology format featuring multiple short stories and half-pagers, including a Li'l Jinx installment by Joe Edwards, consistent with the standard Bronze Age Archie anthology structure.
- No documented first appearances, character introductions, or landmark story events have been identified for this specific issue across available collector and historical databases.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Archie's Joke Book Magazine #272 (1980), Archie's Pals 'n' Gals #147 (1981), Archie Annual Digest #41 (1982), Jughead with Archie Digest #52 (1982), Laugh Comics Digest / Laugh Comics Digest Magazine / Laugh Digest Magazine #42 (1982), Laugh Comics Digest / Laugh Comics Digest Magazine / Laugh Digest Magazine #43 (1982), Betty and Veronica Comics Digest Magazine #9 (1984), Archie... Archie Andrews, Where Are You? Comics Digest Magazine #45 (1986), Laugh Comics Digest / Laugh Comics Digest Magazine / Laugh Digest Magazine #68 (1987), Archie's Double Digest Magazine #56 (1991), Archie... Archie Andrews, Where Are You? Comics Digest Magazine #82 (1992), Laugh Comics Digest / Laugh Comics Digest Magazine / Laugh Digest Magazine #120 (1995), Archie's Pals 'n' Gals Double Digest Magazine #76 (2003), Archie's Double Digest Magazine #146 (2003), Archie's Double Digest Magazine #164 (2005), Archie (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #233 (2012), Archie 1000 Page Comics Celebration #[nn] (2014), Archie (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #255 (2014), Archie's Funhouse Double Digest #14 (2015), Archie (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #333 (2022), Archie #58
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