Tales from Riverdale Digest #10
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeTales from Riverdale Digest #10 (June 2006) is a chapter installment in Archie Comics' mid-2000s manga experiment, the only period in the Josie and the Pussycats franchise's history when the characters were systematically reimagined in a manga visual idiom. The digest's Josie feature — 'Using His Head' — showcases Alexandra Cabot at her scheming worst against her own brother Alex and the Pussycats, which is central to the character dynamic Dan DeCarlo established back in She's Josie. Collecting this run documents a deliberate, editorially announced creative pivot: in March 2005, Archie publicly committed to a manga makeover for both Sabrina and Josie, driven by the same artist (Tania del Rio), making these digest issues a coherent record of that short-lived but historically distinct chapter. The manga Josie ultimately ran only through Archie & Friends #104 (December 2006), making every chapter in this digest run part of a brief, complete creative arc.
In "Double ‘W’ Vision," the Pussycats find themselves outmaneuvered by Alexandra, who’s determined to steal the spotlight—first by trapping Alex in a closet, then by unleashing her witchcraft to disable their car. With no other option, the band is forced to accept a ride from her, setting up an uneasy alliance where Alexandra takes center stage. Written by Dick Malmgren and illustrated by Dan DeCarlo with inks by Rudy Lapick, this 2006 tale from Archie’s Tales from Riverdale Digest series features a cover by Fernando Ruiz and Jon D'Agostino.
In "Double “W” Vision," the new girl at Riverdale High, known only by her initials "W.W.," turns heads with her bold style and unusual pet tarantula. Her mysterious persona quickly earns her attention from the boys—until the truth about her name sends shockwaves through the school.
In "Using His Head," Alexandra’s attempts to steal the spotlight from the Pussycats take a magical turn when she tries to sabotage Alex’s efforts to get them to their gig—first by locking him in a closet, then by casting spells on their car. When her magic backfires and strands the group, they’re forced to accept a ride from her, setting up an unlikely partnership where Alexandra finally gets her moment in the spotlight.
ComicBooks.com Value
This exact issue on ebay
Read it digitally
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
In March 2005, Archie Comics announced a manga version of Josie and the Pussycats, with art by Tania del Rio, who had already given Sabrina the Teenage Witch the same treatment. The manga Josie's first story, 'Opening Act,' debuted in Tales from Riverdale Digest #3 (August 2005), and subsequent chapters continued to appear in the digest through this period. Tales from Riverdale itself was a digest magazine Archie launched in 2005, distinguished from older digest formats by pairing a multi-part original feature story with reprints and new short stories — a structural departure from the older all-reprint digest model.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Issue cover-dated June 2006 (on-sale May 17, 2006), published by Archie Comic Publications, Inc.
- Contains the Josie and the Pussycats manga chapter 'Using His Head,' in which Alexandra sabotages Alex and the band using witchcraft — a defining character trait established in the original comics since Josie #43 (September 1969).
- The manga Josie and the Pussycats feature was drawn by Tania del Rio, who was simultaneously doing the manga makeover of Sabrina the Teenage Witch for Archie.
- The manga Josie run began in Tales from Riverdale Digest #3 (August 2005) and concluded with Archie & Friends #104 (December 2006) — a deliberately short, complete creative experiment.
- Alexander Cabot III (Alex) debuted in She's Josie #1 (February 1963); Alexandra Cabot made her first appearance in She's Josie #7 (July 1964) — both are supporting players in this issue's Josie story.
- Also indexed in this issue: a Reggie Mantle story ('Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...') in which Reggie has a nightmare about his own reflection talking back to him; a Melody Valentine pin-up; and a Cheryl Blossom story spoofing The Today Show.
- Tales from Riverdale was structured with one ongoing multi-part feature and a mix of new and reprinted short stories — a format distinct from the traditional all-reprint Archie digests of prior decades.
- The manga Josie continuity retconned the Pussycats' origin: Josie and Valerie met after being cut from the school choir and co-founded the band together, with Melody later joining and suggesting the cat costumes.
Cast · 7 characters
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Archie's Madhouse #11 (1961), Archie's Madhouse #17 (1962), Archie's Madhouse #19 (1962), Archie's Madhouse #22 (1962), Mad House Ma-ad Jokes #69 (1969), Mad House Ma-ad Jokes #70 (1969), Josie and the Pussycats #48 (1970), Josie and the Pussycats #72 (1973), Cheryl Blossom #13 (1998), Sabrina #3 (2000), Sabrina #5 (2000), Betty and Veronica Spectacular #42 (2000), Archie & Friends #46 (2001)
Reprinted in World of Archie (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #6 (2011), B&V Friends Double Digest Magazine #214 (2011), Archie (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #276 (2017), Archie's Funhouse Double Digest #24 (2017)
Key issues in Tales from Riverdale Digest
Variants (1)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.