Archie's Double Digest Magazine #17

Betty and Veronica are furious when Archie’s double date disaster lands him in trouble with both of them at once. But their anger takes a sharp turn when they spot him with Jughead’s surprisingly glamorous cousin, sparking a surprising shift in their priorities.

In "Race Chase," Jughead takes a surprising turn by letting Ethel catch him in this year’s "girls catch boys" race—possibly because the prize of five hundred pounds of hamburger might have tipped the scales in her favor. The humor unfolds as the usual antics of Riverdale’s teens take a playful, lighthearted turn.

In "Friend or Foe," Little Archie takes his dad’s advice to heart and tries to make a friend—only to bond with a mischievous squirrel that quickly turns the household upside down. The story captures the classic charm of early Archie humor, with Jo and her dad caught in the chaos of an unexpected furry friendship.

In "The Faith of a Date," Archie and Reggie’s constant bickering about each other finally pushes Veronica to the breaking point—enough is enough, she’s had it with both of them. Now she’s determined to find someone who doesn’t spend their time tearing each other down.

In "Just Imagine," Betty spins a whimsical daydream where she’s Superteen, a hero with powers to protect Archie from evil and outwit Veronica. Back in reality, her heroic ambitions take a playful turn—she ropes Archie into a mock kidnapping, tying him up with a grin.

In "The Tale of the Magic Cat!" from Archie's Double Digest Magazine #17 (1985), Jinx stumbles upon a curious cat marked with a star on its head—only to be whisked away to ancient Egypt alongside it. There, Jinx’s tales of cars, phones, and television unsettle the court magician, who sees the future as a threat to his power.

When Mr. Lodge kicks the kids out of his house to restore peace and quiet, he quickly finds the silence more unsettling than the chaos. Suddenly, the familiar noise of teenage hangouts feels like home—just as Jo and the gang are wondering why they’re not invited back.

In "The Third Man," Veronica's sudden announcement that she's attending the big sports rally with someone other than Archie or Reggie sends the two rivals into a frantic, ill-fated alliance to uncover her mystery date and eliminate the competition—before the night even begins.

In "Fizzician," Jughead sets off a playful panic when he claims sodas are secretly fattening—prompting the girls to panic and offer their drinks to him. When Pop checks the scale and declares it's ten pounds over, the real question becomes: who’s really been keeping track?

In "Paint by Numbers," Jo and the gang skip their trip to Washington to rally the school in a last-minute effort to repaint the building before Mr. Weatherbee’s important meeting with other principals. With brushes in hand and time running short, the students roll up their sleeves to turn the school’s dull walls into something bold—just in time.

In "The Voice of Trouble," Betty and Veronica go to increasingly absurd lengths to win Archie's affection—only to find their efforts mysteriously funneling into Jughead's latest snack. Written by an unknown author and illustrated by an unknown artist, the story captures the classic Archie dynamic with a humorous twist, where every attempt to impress Archie ends up feeding the one person who truly benefits: Jughead.

In "The Winner," Archie finds himself in a classic school prank war when Mr. Weatherbee catches him running through the halls—thanks to a prank from Reggie, who claimed the principal wasn't at school. Now determined to get even, Archie hatches a clever plan to turn the tables, all while navigating the usual chaos of Riverdale High.