Archie #452

A sunny beach day sets the scene on this October 1996 issue, with cover art by Dan DeCarlo showing Jughead happily devouring an ice cream cone in the foreground while Archie leans toward two young women — one a redhead in a blue bikini, the other in green — relaxing on a checkered blanket. The speech bubble ("If you don't want to swim, Archie, what would you like to do?") hints at the classic Riverdale gang's brand of breezy, sun-soaked humor. With the gang's familiar faces peeking in from the cover banner and the ocean sparkling in the background, it's a warm, cheerful snapshot of Archie's world at its most carefree.