Archie's Joke Book Magazine #138

This July 1969 issue of Archie's Joke Book Magazine delivers exactly what its title promises — laughs in comic-strip form right on the cover. The cover gag follows a dark-haired girl who gets a bright idea (literally illustrated as a lightbulb thought bubble) after coughing through a string of repeated gossip, then gleefully spreads the juicy news — "Midge told Moose they're through… Mary is going steady with Tom…" — to a crowd at what looks like a soda shop. It's a cheerful, perfectly timed slice of Riverdale social life that sets a warm, fun tone for the gag-packed pages inside.