Richie Rich Riches #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeRichie Rich Riches #1 is the opening issue of one of several new Richie Rich spin-off titles Harvey Comics launched simultaneously in 1972, representing the publisher's most aggressive single-year expansion of its flagship character's newsstand presence — Riches, Diamonds, Bank Book, and Jackpots all debuted that year. The series gave artists Ernie Colon and Sid Couchey a dedicated venue to push the Richie Rich formula in a slightly more adventure-oriented direction, building on what Colon described as his mission to move the property beyond pure wealth comedy. Running a full 59 issues through August 1982, Riches proved one of the more durable titles in Harvey's sprawling Richie Rich empire, which eventually encompassed over fifty separate comic series. As a first issue it anchors a pivotal moment in Bronze Age children's comics when Harvey dominated newsstand spinner racks aimed at younger readers in a way no other publisher matched.
In "Richie Rich Riches and the Money Monster," Richie’s latest invention—a money-hungry robot built for a movie—goes rogue, chasing cash through the mansion until Mrs. Rich takes matters into her own hands with a trusty rake. A delightfully silly caper from the early days of the series, it’s a classic blend of kid-sized chaos and household heroics.
In "null," Richie Rich, inspired by Gloria’s comment about a sugar bowl, decides to stash his fortune in a tree house—only to learn the hard way that even a tree house can’t handle a mountain of cash. The weight of his wealth proves too much, leading to a spectacular, if messy, collapse.
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Harvey Comics launched Richie Rich Riches in July 1972 as part of a coordinated wave of new Richie Rich titles, a publishing strategy the company had refined over the prior decade by spinning the character — created by Alfred Harvey and Warren Kremer in 1953 — into increasingly specialized series. The interior work on issue #1 was handled by Ernie Colon and Sid Couchey, two of Harvey's core Richie Rich artists; Colon in particular had been instrumental in nudging the strip's stories toward gadgetry, science fiction, and light adventure rather than purely joke-driven wealth gags. Harvey's editorial practice at the time did not credit creators by name in the indicia, meaning Colon and Couchey's contributions went unsigned — a standard Harvey house policy that Colon later recalled sometimes circumventing by sneaking his name onto background signage.
Trivia · 7 facts
- Interior stories and art credited to Ernie Colon and Sid Couchey — two of Harvey's primary Richie Rich artists of the era.
- Lead story is 'The Money Monster,' in which a Rich Labs invention — a robot designed to consume money — is overwhelmed and driven haywire by the sheer scale of the Rich family fortune.
- Additional stories in the issue include 'Joy Toys,' 'The Great Ecology Mystery,' 'Richie Rich Meets Doc Fazoo,' and a Cadbury solo story titled 'Well Done,' plus a Little Dot backup.
- Characters appearing include Richie Rich, Mr. and Mrs. Rich (Regina and Richard Rich), Cadbury the butler, Dollar the dog, Irona the robot maid, Reggie Van Dough, Little Lotta, Gloria Glad, and supporting cast members Scarsley and Dr. Pasty Fazoo.
- The series ran 59 issues from July 1972 through August 1982, making it one of the longer-running Richie Rich spin-off titles.
- Richie Rich Riches #1 was one of at least four new Richie Rich series Harvey launched in 1972 alone (alongside Richie Rich Diamonds, Richie Rich Bank Book, and Richie Rich Jackpots), marking the height of Harvey's newsstand expansion strategy.
- Harvey's standard editorial policy during this period did not allow creator credits in the indicia; Ernie Colon later recalled that artists were forbidden from signing their work on Harvey Comics titles.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Spooky #33 (1959), Little Dot's Uncles & Aunts #5 (1963)
Reprinted in Harvey Collectors Comics #9 (1976), Richie Rich #195 (1980), Richie Rich Billions #37 (1980), Richie Rich & His Girl Friends #6 (1980), Richie Rich Inventions #15 (1980), Richie Rich Digest Stories #8 (1980), Richie Rich Bank Book #55 (1981), Richie Rich Digest Magazine #39 (1994)
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