Archie Comics #21
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeArchie Comics #21 (cover-dated July–August 1946) holds a firm place in the Riverdale canon as the first time Reggie Mantle appeared on the cover of any comic book — a meaningful milestone for a character who had debuted in Jackpot Comics #5 back in Spring 1942 but had yet to receive that kind of marquee treatment. The cover, drawn by Al Fagaly, also gives Miss Grundy one of her earliest prominent visual showcases, placing two of the franchise's most durable supporting players front and center during the very postwar moment when Archie's popularity was exploding and MLJ Magazines was completing its transformation into Archie Comic Publications. The issue therefore captures the series in the act of crystallizing its classic ensemble — the rival, the strict teacher, and Archie himself — into the configuration that would anchor the line for decades.
Archie steps in when Mr. Jones’s plans to fish and hunt with Mr. Andrews fall through due to a visit from his mother-in-law. With a mix of enthusiasm and comic missteps, Archie finds himself in the great outdoors—trying to keep up, one clumsy moment at a time.
In "Boat Ride Blues," Archie’s ill-fated initiation into the Philomathian club lands him in trouble when he accidentally injures Mr. Weatherbee, earning himself a ban from the class boat ride. With Jughead’s mischievous encouragement, Archie sneaks aboard—knowing full well that Mr. Weatherbee never joins the outings—only to face the tense challenge of staying hidden while the principal’s presence looms on the water.
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The issue was edited by Harry Shorten, who oversaw the Archie titles through this pivotal mid-1940s expansion period. The cover and at least one interior story were drawn by Al Fagaly, with Bill Vigoda contributing the bulk of the interior art — both were workhorse studio artists of the era who helped define the early visual grammar of the Riverdale world alongside Bob Montana. Notably, one collector-history blog has observed that at least one story in the issue appears to be an updated redrawing of an earlier Jackpot Comics tale originally credited to Montana, with Vigoda reworking the material and receiving no formal credit for the revision — a common deadline-driven practice of the period that also allowed the publisher to reintroduce older content to a rapidly growing readership that had never seen the Jackpot run.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First cover appearance of Reggie Mantle — his interior debut had come four years earlier in Jackpot Comics #5 (Spring 1942), but this is the first time he appears on a cover.
- Cover penciled and inked by Al Fagaly, who also drew at least one interior story; Bill Vigoda drew the majority of interior stories.
- Edited by Harry Shorten, the editor overseeing Archie titles during the company's transition from MLJ Magazines to Archie Comic Publications.
- Miss Grundy shares the cover alongside Archie and Reggie — one of her earliest prominent cover-level appearances; her comics origin traces to Jackpot Comics #4 (Winter 1941, as 'Mrs. Grundy') and Pep Comics #30 (April 1942, as 'Miss Grundy').
- Interior stories include 'Knots To You' (featuring Fred Andrews and the introduction of Harry Jones), 'The Happy Hunting Grounds' (a father-son hunting trip with Archie and Fred Andrews), 'Crazy Over Horses' (Archie competing with Reggie), and 'Boat Ride Blues' (a reprint featuring Mr. Weatherbee).
- A text-feature section contains short Hollywood star profiles — June Haver, Dana Andrews, Vivian Blaine, Dennis O'Keefe, Ingrid Bergman, Gary Cooper, and Errol Flynn — framed as dispatches from 'Archie,' reflecting the postwar teen-celebrity culture the title was tapping into.
- The issue has been reprinted in Archie Archives Volume 6 (Dark Horse, August 2012), a hardcover series that collected the early Archie material in publication order.
- Archie Comics #21 appeared as the franchise was at the height of its initial postwar surge — by 1946, the title was selling in the millions and the publisher had renamed itself after the character.
Cast · 9 characters
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Jackpot Comics #5 (1942)
Reprinted in Archie Archives #6 (2012)
Key issues in Archie Comics
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