Pep #267

Pep #267 brings a perfect summer snapshot from Archie Comics, with cover art penciled by Dan DeCarlo and inked by Rudy Lapick. The gag plays out across two panels: a dark-haired girl in a bold striped dress and wide red hat cheerfully tells a blonde friend that "Archie said he named his new boat after me" — only for the right panel to reveal the sailboat plastered with the names of seemingly every girl in town, from Veronica and Valerie to Josie and Melody and dozens more. It's a breezy, sun-drenched 1972 cover that captures Archie's hopeless romantic reputation with a smile.