Laugh Comics / Laugh #234
Laugh Comics #234 (September 1970) is a snapshot of Archie Comics at a moment of genuine expansion: the anthology format was carrying not just the Riverdale core cast but two distinct satellite universes — the suburban-family strip of Li'l Jinx and the rock-band world of Bingo Wilkin — under one cover. The issue's inclusion of African-American supporting character Russ in the Li'l Jinx feature reflects a deliberate editorial push, in the wake of the civil rights movement, to diversify the backgrounds of even Archie's youngest readership-friendly strips. Laugh Comics itself was one of the publisher's oldest and most durable anthology titles, having launched in 1946 and eventually running to more than 400 issues, making every issue from this era a working record of how Archie managed multiple tonal registers — teen humor, family gag strips, and youth-oriented rock culture — simultaneously.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
By 1970, Laugh Comics had been Archie's flagship anthology for nearly a quarter-century, providing a home for backup features that couldn't sustain their own titles month to month. Li'l Jinx, created by Joe Edwards and debuting in Pep Comics #62 in July 1947, had long been a staple of such anthology slots; Edwards drew heavily on his own parenting experiences for the strip's humor, centering it on the good-natured battle of wills between the mischievous Jinx and her long-suffering father Hap Holliday. Bingo Wilkin had arrived only two years earlier, in That Wilkin Boy #1 (cover-dated January 1969), launched by writer Frank Doyle and artist Dan DeCarlo as the Archie line rode the wave of The Archies' real-world pop success with 'Sugar, Sugar.'
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: September 1970; published by Archie Comic Publications (Radio Comics Inc. indicia imprint).
- The issue's lead story is titled 'Karate and Judo,' featuring Archie Andrews and the core Riverdale cast.
- Li'l Jinx — created by Joe Edwards and debuting in Pep Comics #62 (July 1947) — appears alongside her father Hap Holliday in a backup feature; Joe Edwards scripted, penciled, and inked his own Jinx strips throughout this era.
- Jinx's friend Russ, an African-American supporting character added to the strip following the civil rights movement, is indexed as appearing in this issue — making issues around this period significant for the strip's conscious diversification.
- Bingo Wilkin — Jughead Jones's cousin, lead singer and guitarist of The Bingoes, and resident of Midville — appears as a crossover feature; his solo title That Wilkin Boy had debuted just the prior year in 1969.
- Laugh Comics was one of Archie's original anthology showcases, having launched in 1946 and ultimately running for over 400 issues into the 1990s.
- Li'l Jinx's father Hap Holliday (full surname: Holliday) is a recurring co-star of the strip; Jinx earned her nickname from being born on Halloween.
- The issue appears in full color at 36 pages, consistent with Archie's standard anthology format for the period.
Cast · 5 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Reggie, jealous of the attention Archie gets from Betty and Veronica, decides to drive around in an old jalopy thinking that is the key to Archie's success with the girls.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).