Jackpot Comics #5
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeJackpot Comics #5 (Spring 1942) is among the most consequential single issues in the entire Archie Comics canon, quietly delivering two of the franchise's most enduring supporting characters in a single story. Within its pages — tucked inside a predominantly superhero anthology — Bob Montana introduced the character who would become Reggie Mantle, Archie's eternal frenemy and the vain, upper-class prankster who has anchored the Riverdale dynamic for over eight decades. That same story also gave readers their first fully named, physically recognizable Principal Weatherbee, the long-suffering authority figure whose comedic exasperation with Archie became the template for the adult-vs.-teen generation gap that defines the series' humor. The issue thus did the world-building work that the Archie line would draw on for every title that followed — giving Riverdale High its principal and its rival in a single 10-cent package.
In "The Lost Colony," Archie’s initiation into the Philomathian club takes a wild turn when he accidentally injures Mr. Weatherbee, landing himself banned from the class boat ride. With Jughead’s scheming encouragement, Archie decides to sneak aboard—knowing Mr. Weatherbee never joins the outings—leading to a tense game of hide-and-seek on the water. Written and drawn entirely by Bob Montana, this 1942 Jackpot Comics #5 delivers classic Archie mischief with a splash of suspense, all captured in Montana’s signature cover by Bob Montana.
In "Trip to Bear Mountain," Archie’s attempt to join the Philomathian club takes a messy turn when he accidentally injures Mr. Weatherbee, earning himself a ban from the class boat ride. Determined to make up for it, Jughead convinces Archie to sneak onto the trip—especially since Mr. Weatherbee never goes on the boat rides himself—leading to a tense game of hide-and-seek aboard the waters of Bear Mountain.
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The Archie material in Jackpot Comics began only one issue earlier, with issue #4 (Winter 1941–42), when writer-artist Bob Montana brought Archie and his gang into the MLJ anthology alongside established superhero features. The series was edited by Harry Shorten and published by MLJ Magazines Inc. — the company that would later rename itself Archie Comics entirely as those teen-humor features eclipsed the superheroes. Montana based Mr. Weatherbee on his real-life former principal, Earl MacLeod of Haverhill High School in Massachusetts, where he had drawn inspiration for Riverdale itself. The character who would become Reggie debuted in this issue under the placeholder name 'Scotty' before Montana refined him and established the 'Reggie Mantle' name in the very next issue (#6, Summer 1942), suggesting the character was still taking shape even as he first appeared in print.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: Spring 1942; published by MLJ Magazines Inc. (precursor to Archie Comics); edited by Harry Shorten.
- First appearance of Reggie Mantle — introduced under the name 'Scotty' in this issue; he was renamed Reggie in Jackpot Comics #6 (Summer 1942).
- First fully unambiguous appearance of Principal Waldo Weatherbee — named and depicted with his signature heavyset physique; a possible earlier unnamed proto-cameo exists in Pep Comics #25.
- The Archie story, titled 'Trip to Bear Mountain,' was written and drawn entirely by Bob Montana, with other issue contributors including Carl Hubbell and Irv Novick.
- The issue's Archie story explicitly sets Riverdale in the New York tri-state area, referencing the Hudson River and Bear Mountain — one of the earliest geographic anchors for the fictional town.
- The Archie story's plot concerns Archie's initiation into the Philomathian club and a class boat ride he's been banned from attending after accidentally injuring Weatherbee.
- Starting with this issue (#5), Steel Sterling's supporting comedic characters Clancey and Looney received their own standalone humor strip within the anthology — a new editorial addition to the series format.
- The story from this issue has been reprinted in Archie Archives Vol. 1 (Dark Horse) and the Archie Americana Series: Best of the Forties (Archie Comics, 1991), making it accessible to modern readers well outside the Golden Age original.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Archie Comics #21 (1946), The Best of Archie #[nn] (1980), Archie Americana Series #1 (1991), Archie's Pals 'n' Gals Double Digest Magazine #133 (2009), Archie Firsts #1 (2010), Archie Archives #1 (2011), The Best of Archie Comics #4 (2014), Archie Spotlight Digest: Archie 75th Anniversary Digest #8 (2017), Best of Archie Americana #1 (2017), Archie Milestones Jumbo Comics Digest #7 (2020)
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