Archie Comics #53

Betty Cooper is front and center on this 1951 cover, happily sprawled on a couch and writing in her diary — with a framed portrait of Archie propped nearby and a very telling diary entry visible overhead about keeping Veronica conveniently out of the picture. Bill Vigoda's cover art captures Betty's cheerful scheming with a light, breezy charm that makes the classic Riverdale love triangle feel instantly relatable. "The Mirth of a Nation" tagline says it all — this is Archie Comics at its most playfully entertaining.