Archie #461

The cover of this July 1997 issue says it all: a breathless, mid-sprint Archie skids to a halt at the school bus stop, exclaiming "Whew! I finally made it on time, Jughead!" — his jeans flying off one arm, his backpack bouncing, and his shoes barely on his feet. Jughead stands coolly nearby holding a textbook, a woman in pink looks on in surprise, and a young blonde girl watches from the foreground as the yellow school bus waits patiently behind them — cover art by Stan Goldberg and Henry Scarpelli bringing the chaos to vivid life. With the interior story titled "A Perfect Mess," this one promises exactly the kind of cheerful, good-natured mayhem that makes Riverdale so endlessly fun to visit.