Jughead #256

The backyard beauty routine goes hilariously sideways on this September 1976 cover, where Ethel — face slathered in mud — cheerfully insists the treatment will "improve her looks," while a blond friend (likely Betty) plays along with a grin and Jughead and Archie peek over the fence to deliver the punchline. Stan Goldberg's pencils and Jon D'Agostino's inks give the scene that warm, rubbery charm that made Archie covers so appealing in the mid-'70s. A fun slice of Riverdale humor for 30 cents, with a baseball gag tucked into the upper corner for good measure.