Pep #286

A late-night goodbye stretches on a little too long in this charming February 1974 entry from Archie's long-running Pep anthology. Dan DeCarlo's cover perfectly captures the gag: Archie and Veronica are locked in a romantic farewell outside her front door, while a wisecracking older man leans out an upper window and quips that if he hates saying good night so much, he should just wait a few minutes and say good morning instead. The banner of familiar Riverdale faces — Betty, Jughead, and the rest of the gang — crowning the top of the page gives this issue the warm, ensemble feel that made Archie comics a staple of 1974 spinner racks.