Archie Comics #2
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeArchie Comics #2 (1943) is one of only a handful of surviving issues from the opening run of the flagship series that transformed MLJ Magazines from a superhero publisher into the home of American teen humor. Published during World War II — its "Pancakes In a Blackout" story nods directly to the wartime home-front — the issue builds on the love-triangle engine introduced in the debut: Archie accidentally double-books Betty and Veronica for the prom in the lead story 'Prom Pranks,' cementing that romantic-comedy formula as the series' structural backbone for the next eight decades. As one of only two issues collected in volume one of Dark Horse's Archie Archives hardcover series, it occupies a foundational place in the documented history of the Riverdale universe.
In "A Prevue of 'Archie's Troubles'," Archie's miscommunication leads to a hilarious mix-up when he joins the rifle club, but Betty thinks he's training for track. While Archie shows up at the track meet, Jughead attends the rifle club—unbeknownst to everyone, his sharp aim makes it seem like Archie is the real sharpshooter. Penciled and inked by Bob Montana, this 1943 gem captures the classic charm of early Archie with a lighthearted prank that sets the stage for more trouble to come.
In "Archie the Athlete," Archie’s decision to join the rifle club leads to a mix-up when Betty assumes he’s signing up for track. While Archie shows up at the track meet, Jughead attends the rifle club—and impresses everyone with his sharp aim, leading the whole school to believe Archie’s the marksmanship star.
Archie dresses as Sir Archibald for the history prom, only to fall asleep and plunge into a wild dream where he must rescue Lady Veronica from the Mad Monk—Mr. Weatherbee. Waking up dazed, he’s still convinced he’s in the dream, drawing his sword on the bewildered school principal.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The series launched with a Winter 1942 cover date and this second issue followed in 1943, with art credited to Bob Montana and Joe Edwards — Montana being the co-creator and original visual architect of the Archie characters alongside publisher John L. Goldwater and writer Vic Bloom. The anthology format typical of Golden Age comics gave the issue backup strips (Cubby the Bear, Bumbie the Bee, Squoimy the Woim) alongside the Archie material, reflecting the era's standard practice of padding page counts with filler features. The same year this issue appeared, the Archie Andrews radio program debuted on the NBC Blue Network (May 31, 1943), signaling how rapidly the property was expanding beyond comics.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published in 1943 by Archie Publications (then still operating under the MLJ/Archie banner), cover art by Bob Montana, interior art by Bob Montana and Joe Edwards.
- Lead story 'Prom Pranks' depicts Archie accidentally inviting both Betty and Veronica to the school prom after Jughead mails a letter Archie only intended to fantasize about — an early, explicit dramatization of the franchise's defining love-triangle plot device.
- Includes 'Pancakes In a Blackout,' a wartime home-front gag strip that reflects the real-world WWII context in which the series was born.
- Features backup humor strips starring Cubby the Bear ('That Old Oaken Bucket'), Bumbie the Bee ('Crime Wave In Bugland'), and Squoimy the Woim ('Roses Are Red') — typical Golden Age anthology filler that ran alongside the Archie features in early issues.
- One retail source identifies this issue as containing the first appearance of Mrs. Andrews (Mary Andrews, Archie's mother) within the Archie Comics title.
- Characters listed in the issue include Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge, Fred Andrews, Mrs. Andrews, Miss Grundy, Mr. Weatherbee, Cubby, and Reggie Mantle — representing nearly the full classic Riverdale cast assembled very early in the series' run.
- Archie Comics #1 and #2 were collected together in Archie Archives Vol. 1, published by Dark Horse Comics in hardcover, preserving these earliest issues alongside contemporaneous Pep Comics and Jackpot Comics stories.
- The Archie Andrews radio program launched on the NBC Blue Network on May 31, 1943 — the same calendar year this issue was published — demonstrating how quickly the comics property was expanding into other media.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Archie Archives #1 (2011), The Best of Archie Comics #3 (2013), Archie 1000 Page Comics Bonanza #[nn] (2014), World of Archie (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #38 (2014)
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