Dilton's Strange Science #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeDilton's Strange Science #1 marks the first and only time Archie Comics promoted its resident boy-genius Dilton Doiley to the lead of his own quarterly title, a meaningful creative step that pulled a beloved supporting character out of the ensemble and into the spotlight. Most significantly, this issue contains the first appearance of Danni Malloy — a scientifically gifted peer who matched Dilton's intellect — making it a genuine character-origin issue whose long-term cultural weight was not apparent at the time of publication. More than three decades later, writer Magdalene Visaggio and Archie Comics would reintroduce Danni as the publisher's first trans character in the 2023 one-shot Chilling Adventures Presents… Strange Science, retroactively granting this obscure debut a place in the broader history of LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream comics. The series also reflected a moment when Archie was actively expanding its Copper Age line with character-driven spin-offs, giving science fiction and adventure storytelling a home in Riverdale.
In "Working Out the Bugs!", Dilton Doiley’s latest invention takes an unexpected turn when he meets Riverdale’s new science prodigy, Danni Malloy—only to find himself shrunk down and face-to-face with a surprisingly large mouse. Written by Mike Pellowski and brought to life with sharp, detailed art by Bill Golliher, this 1989 adventure pairs Dilton’s wits with Danni’s brilliance in a high-stakes, tiny-scale escapade. The cover, penciled by Golliher and inked by Jon D'Agostino, captures the moment of surprise and scale shift perfectly.
In "Working Out the Bugs!", Dilton's latest experiment takes an unexpected turn when he meets Danni Malloy, Riverdale’s new science prodigy—only to discover she’s a girl. With their shrinking ray now working in reverse, the two find themselves in over their heads when a tiny, hungry mouse becomes a very real threat.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The series launched in May 1989 under editor-in-chief Richard H. Goldwater, with Victor Gorelick and Dan Parent also listed as editors, as part of a wave of Archie spin-off titles that year — the same push that produced the longer-running Veronica solo series. Writer Mike Pellowski and penciler Bill Golliher (inked by Jon D'Agostino, who signed some work as 'Jon Dagger') were the primary creative team for the launch issue, with Pellowski scripting the main stories across most of the five-issue run. The title was planned as a quarterly, shipping in February, May, August, and November, and ran from May 1989 through May 1990 for a total of five issues.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Danni Malloy — described as Riverdale's new science genius and a red-haired amateur inventor — who becomes Dilton's recurring partner and love interest throughout the series.
- The issue was written by Mike Pellowski with pencils by Bill Golliher and inks by Jon D'Agostino; Golliher also drew the cover.
- Published May 1989 (on-sale date February 14, 1989 for the direct edition) as a 36-page, full-color quarterly; both a direct-edition and a newsstand variant were produced.
- The lead story, 'Working Out the Bugs!', introduces the Dilton-Danni dynamic: Dilton is surprised to find that the brilliant 'Danny Malloy' he arranged to meet is in fact a girl, then the two are accidentally shrunk by Dilton's own invention and endangered by a mouse — a plot beat contemporary reviewers noted echoed the then-newly released Disney film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989).
- A two-part backup story, 'Big Trouble in Space!', features alien characters Bog and Klog from the planet Zog, who steal Dilton's shrinking ray — Dilton and Danni must track them to retrieve it.
- The issue also includes a non-fiction educational feature on the history of lighting ('Early Lights') and a humor piece ('The Blushing Photograph'), reflecting Archie's practice of mixing short-form educational content into its genre titles.
- Stories from this issue were later reprinted in Laugh Comics Digest #114 and #115 (1994), Archie's Pals 'n' Gals Double Digest #56 (2001) and #141 (2010), and Archie's Funhouse Double Digest #15 (2015) and #25 (2017).
- In 2023, Archie Comics revisited the Dilton's Strange Science title name for the one-shot Chilling Adventures Presents… Strange Science, written by Magdalene Visaggio, which re-introduced Danni Malloy as the publisher's first trans character — making this issue her original appearance of record.
Cast · 6 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Laugh Comics Digest / Laugh Comics Digest Magazine / Laugh Digest Magazine #114 (1994), Laugh Comics Digest / Laugh Comics Digest Magazine / Laugh Digest Magazine #115 (1994), Archie's Pals 'n' Gals Double Digest Magazine #42 (1999), Archie's Pals 'n' Gals Double Digest Magazine #56 (2001), Archie's Pals 'n' Gals Double Digest Magazine #141 (2010), Archie's Funhouse Double Digest #15 (2015), Archie's Funhouse Double Digest #25 (2017)
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