Archie Comics #20
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeArchie Comics #20 (June 1946) arrives at one of the most consequential moments in the title's early history: it was published in the same year that MLJ Magazines formally rebranded as Archie Comic Publications, Inc., a corporate pivot that signaled the complete triumph of teen-humor comics over the publisher's wartime superhero line. The issue reflects the bread-and-butter storytelling formula — slapstick domestic comedy, high-school misadventures, and the Betty-and-Veronica rivalry — that had already pushed the Archie franchise past a million copies per issue and reshaped what an American humor comic could be. As part of the first twenty issues produced entirely under new studio conditions (with Bob Montana still away returning from military service), this run demonstrates how a stable stable of Golden Age journeymen artists kept Riverdale running continuously, proving the franchise's resilience as a concept rather than a one-creator phenomenon.
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Archie Comics #18 was the last issue published under the MLJ Magazines imprint, meaning that #20 was among the earliest produced wholly under the Archie Comic Publications banner following the 1946 corporate name change. The cover was drawn by Al Fagaly, who served as the workhorse cover artist for the title during this period, while interior duties were split among Bill Vigoda, Al McLean, and Pen Shumaker — all house artists who kept the book on schedule while original series artist Bob Montana was completing his return from World War II service (GCD records indicate Montana did not contribute a story again until approximately issue #22, fall 1946). Writer credits for the interior stories are listed as unknown in available records.
Trivia · 6 facts
- Cover art by Al Fagaly; interior story art by Bill Vigoda, Al McLean, and Pen Shumaker — Bob Montana had not yet returned from WWII service at this point in the run.
- The issue was published the same year MLJ Magazines formally rebranded as Archie Comic Publications, Inc., following Archie's breakout success — a milestone that effectively ended the publisher's superhero era.
- Story lineup includes: 'Pop Fixes Things' (Fred Andrews causes domestic havoc), 'All Washed Up' (Archie invents an electrical dishwasher), ''Ray!' (Mr. Weatherbee bars Betty from cheerleading at the swim meet), 'Spring Practice' (Fred Andrews joins Archie's football team), and 'Bringing Up Archie' (a Red Cross errand leads Archie to his skinny-dipping friends).
- The cover is a Betty and Veronica pin-up style illustration by Al Fagaly, a format typical of the era and consistent with the title's practice of centering the female cast on covers to broaden readership appeal.
- No new first appearances of major named characters have been independently corroborated for this specific issue across available databases; the ensemble cast of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Fred Andrews, Mrs. Andrews, and Mr. Weatherbee appears throughout the run without a single-issue debut tied to #20.
- The Dark Horse Comics 'Archie Archives' hardcover reprint series (launched 2011) collected issues from this era of the title, making these Golden Age stories accessible to modern readers for the first time in decades.
Cast · 9 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Archie Archives #6 (2012), Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #236 (2015), Best of Archie Comics Betty and Veronica #2 (2018)
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