Pep #168
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freePep Comics #168 (January 1964) holds a specific place in Archie's Silver Age publishing history as the last issue of the anthology series to carry a superhero backup — specifically an extra Jaguar story — after a rotating run of The Fly, Flygirl, and The Jaguar features had appeared in issues #150–160. It marks the quiet end of Archie's first sustained attempt to compete with DC and Marvel in the Silver Age superhero space, before the publisher regrouped and relaunched those characters more aggressively as the Mighty Comics line in 1965. For historians of the Silver Age, the issue is a punctuation mark: the moment Pep returned to being a pure humor anthology after nearly three years of genre experimentation. It also demonstrates how Archie used its flagship anthology as a low-risk testing ground for superhero content, a strategy that shaped the company's publishing identity for decades.
In "Who Shook That Tree?", Archie finds himself caught in a web of teenage tension when his frustration over Jughead’s comment about Veronica’s resemblance to her father accidentally gets back to Veronica herself. Written by Frank Doyle and illustrated by Harry Lucey, this 1964 classic captures the messy, heartfelt chaos of high school friendships, with Bob White’s cover capturing the moment’s electric tension.
In "Who Shook That Tree?", Archie finds himself caught in a classic Riverdale tangle when his frustration over Jughead’s comment about Veronica and her father spills over—only to accidentally let Veronica in on his real opinion. The moment he realizes what he’s done, the air in the lunchroom shifts, and Archie’s trying to figure out how to fix things without making things worse.
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The Jaguar backup in this issue was penciled by John Rosenberger, the character's primary visual artist throughout his Silver Age run, and the story follows the established creative template set by writer Robert Bernstein and Rosenberger when they launched the character as part of Archie's 'Archie Adventure Series' imprint in 1961. The superhero backup features in Pep Comics — running from #150 (October 1961) to this final appearance in #168 — were editorially conceived as a way to cross-promote Archie's standalone superhero titles in a high-circulation humor anthology. By early 1964, The Adventures of the Jaguar had already concluded its solo run (ending November 1963), making this Jaguar story in #168 a genuine coda to the character's entire first Silver Age publishing cycle.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published January 1964 by Archie Publications (Archie Comics); cover art by Bob White.
- Contains the Jaguar backup story 'The Return of the White Jaguar!' — penciled by John Rosenberger — in which Ralph Hardy is rendered powerless after bandits steal the mystical nucleon energy belt that grants him his abilities.
- This is the final superhero backup to appear in Pep Comics during the title's early-1960s Silver Age experiment; superhero content in Pep does not return until Pureheart the Powerful appears in #187 (November 1965).
- The Jaguar (Ralph Hardy) was created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist John Rosenberger as part of Archie's 'Archie Adventure Series' imprint, first appearing in Adventures of the Jaguar #1 (September 1961); his solo title had ended just two months earlier with issue #15 (November 1963).
- Also contains an Archie story scripted by Frank Doyle with art by Harry Lucey; a Betty and Veronica Christmas Fashions pin-up by Dan DeCarlo (inks by Rudy Lapick); a Li'l Jinx story by Joe Edwards; and a Melody/Pepper story scripted by Frank Doyle with Dan DeCarlo art.
- The Jaguar, Fly, and Flygirl backup stories from Pep #150–160 and #168 were reprinted in resized black-and-white format by Alan Class Comics in the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, giving the character significant international exposure.
- Pep Comics #168 appeared at a moment when Archie was one of the very few American publishers outside DC and Marvel actively producing superhero content — a distinction noted by pop-culture historian Will Murray regarding the 1961–1964 period.
- The issue is a 36-page, full-color anthology, consistent with Archie's standard Silver Age format for the title at that time.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Archie Comics Digest #11 (1975), Archie (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #237 (2013), World of Archie (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #64 (2017), Gwandanaland Comics #2443 (2019), Archie (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #333 (2022), Pep Comics #[nn] (2024)
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