Archie's Joke Book Magazine #254

The cover of this 1979 Archie Comics Group issue tells its whole joke in three perfectly timed panels: Archie hatches a scheme outside the Principal's Office — "Maybe if we all cough the bee will send us home early!" — and sure enough, the exasperated principal unleashes a thunderous "KOFF! KOFF! KOFF!" before fleeing with the punchline, "I'm leaving before I catch their cold!" It's a compact little gag strip that showcases the breezy, quick-fire humor Archie's Joke Book Magazine delivered so reliably to readers. At 35 cents, issue #254 is a cheerful slice of Riverdale comedy that holds up as a fun artifact of late-'70s all-ages comics.