Faculty Funnies #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In the late 1980s, Archie Comics revisited the Riverdale superheroes concept. Only this time, it was the teachers and staff of Riverdale High School that became empowered.

When Archie's science experiment explodes, several members of the faculty gain superpowers based on skills they've developed over their careers. Thanks to years of writing across a lengthy blackboard, Ms. Grundy's right arm becomes super-stretchy. Coach Clayton, develops super breath, thanks to his persistence with a P.E. whistle. His sneezes can also stun a criminal! Principle Weatherbee develops clairvoyance due to years of anticipating problems that arise within the realms of public education. Rounding out the group is Professor Flutesnoot, who became nigh invulnerable thanks to decades of suffering through exploding science experiments.

The four faculty members decide to become a superteam. Grundy sews up a quartet of very itchy wool costumes and the staff of Riverdale High become known as the Awesome Foursome. Their first adventure uncovers a plot in which the town's criminal underground seems to increase the crime rate through subliminal messages implanting in discount video tapes rented to Archie and his friends. 

George Gladir scripted with art by Stan Goldberg. Rudy Lapick inked. While not billed as a miniseries, Faculty Funnies was not intended to be a new regular title. The concept came to a planned end with issue #5, seeing the teachers losing their special abilities and realizing that being an educator who cared as their true super powers. 

The book was filled with the usual one-page gags and short stories; this time around starring other members of the RHS faculty. Gladir crafted a one-pager featuring the former drill Sargent turned Assistant Principal, Mr. Howitzer. Hal Smith wrote the 2-page filler starring the oft flummoxed Miss Haggly. And yes, that's the same Hal Smith who played town drunk Otis on The Andy Griffith Show! Again, the art in both was provided by Stan Goldberg with inks by Lapick. The pair also crafted the cover to this issue.

A fun, and at times silly comic of which I wouldn't mind having the other issues to round out a complete run.

Completing this review completes Task #26 (An Archie Comics release from the 1980s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Pep Comics #287 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

With a cover teasing the most one-sided snowball fight of all time, winter fun is the theme to this 1974 issue of Pep Comics. The opening story virtually has no dialogue, except for an exclamation from Archie that closes everything with a punchline. In 'Archie Says "It's Always the Same Old Story on a Weekend Ski Trip", Archie and Reggie head to the slopes. The tale is narrated like one of those Disney mockumentaries starring Goofy, as it's explained what to expect when you make an impromptu trip to the mountains. The unseen voice regales the reader with narration of a magical weekend ski trip while in reality we see everything go wrong for Archie and Reggie.

Follow up stories include Li'l Jinx engaged in a good ol' fashioned 1970s battle of the sexes. The task at hand: who makes a better pilot; men or women? But since Jinx and her pal are way too young to fly a commercial airliner, they'll have to settle for figuring out who can fly the better paper airplane. 

Archie bemoans a sudden snow storm in one yarn while Reggie and Moose struggle to get Archie up in time for a big game. Rounding out the issue are one-page gags starring Coach Kleats and Big Ethel as well as prize winning reports from members of 'Archie's Club News'. There's also a pin-up in which Archie gets Jughead to wrap him inside a giant gift wrapped box as Veronica's Christmas present. It's the only holiday themed part of this issue.

There are no creative credits anywhere to be found in this issue. But according to MyComicShop.com, Dan DeCarlo penciled the cover, Bob Bolling was the artist behind the ski trip opener and the Li'l Jinx story was written and illustrated by character creator Joe Edwards.

Completing this review completes Task #25 (An Archie Comics release from the 1970s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Jughead as Captain Hero #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Ever since it's beginning, comic books featuring the everlasting teenager Archie Andrews, have reflected the trends and fads of the age. The creation of Archie himself, was built upon the romantic misadventures of the Mickey Rooney character Andy Hardy. In the 1960s, when dashing spies such as James Bond and Napoleon Solo dominated the silver screen as well as television's nationwide, MLJ Comics (later Archie Comics) issued a series of parody adventures titled 'The Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.'

As superheroes returned to prominence in comics and pop culture, the editors at Archie decided to cash in by turning Archie into the orange tights wearing Pureheart the Powerful; later renamed Captain Pureheart for some reason. The first appearance of the super-powered Archie occurred in issue #42 of Life With Archie. Dated October, 1965, the concept was a joint collaborative of publisher John Goldwater and writer Frank Doyle. A few issues later, Pureheart returned with an origin story that introduced the 'PH factor' in which a character's pureness of heart bestows powers to the user. Eventually Reggie, Betty and best pal Jughead would be granted a portion of Archie's Pureheart powers; although Reggie would become more of a villain than hero when transformed into the guise of Evilheart.

Jughead's debut as a superhero occurred in LWA #50. His character, Captain Hero, had super strength like Superman with the arsenal of Batman. His gadgets included high-powered binoculars and rocket powered water skis. To transform into Captain Hero, Jughead had to recite a mantra similar to Green Lantern: 'Teeny weeny magic beanie pointing towards the sky; give me muscle, power, vigor - form a super guy!". However, a triple dose of Pop's famous hamburgers would enhance his powers much like spinach does for Popeye.

Jughead's demeanor was an almost 180 switch from Riverdale High School Jughead. Captain Hero was much more serious, focused and determined. It was almost as if becoming a superhero was Jughead's purpose in life and that he had been wanting planning for it since birth. Compared to Archie when in superhero mode, Captain Hero is also much more competent and less prone to klutzy accidents. 

After a few more adventures in Life With Archie, Jughead's super-powered alter ego received solo status with the debut of Jughead as Captain Hero in the fall of 1966. Both Archie and Reggie's superhero personas would be given solo titles as well. Betty',s Superteen would not see independent action until year's later in a 2020 one-shot.

The action for the main story begins on the cover! The Whammy, has used his persona-reversing powers and turned Archie Andrews into a juvenile delinquent! This prompted Jughead to transform into Captain Hero. Inside, the opening page has Captain Hero ready to restore his friend back into a good guy. However, the foe uses a slithery villain named Python and a lumbering lackey named The Beam to distract Captain Hero as evil Archie vandalizes downtown Riverdale.

In the 2nd feature, a villain called the Collector has decided to add teenagers to his collection. First on the list is Veronica. Pureheart the Powerful and Evilheart both attempt to free her and wind up becoming the newest additions to the antagonist's collection. Using his amazing gadgets, Jughead turns into Captain Hero and follows the Collector's trail which will lead the super-powered teen to a tropical island filled with criminals and captive teens from Riverdale.

Issue #1 was written by Frank Doyle. Cover and interiors by Bob White. It also contains a one-page gag starring Li'l Jinx as a superhero of her own. It was written and illustrated by Li'l Jinx creator Joe Edwards.

Jughead as Captain Hero ran for 7 issues. By 1970, the Superteens experiment was all but finished. Pureheart and friends would continue to reappear over the next 5 decades, primarily in reprint form in digests and trades. In 2019, the Superteens, now including Veronica as Powerteen, would return in a 2-issue crossover with another Archie Comics band of superheroes, the Mighty Crusaders, to take on an evil substitute teacher bent on revenge against the students of Riverdale High.

Completing this review completes Task #24 (An Archie Comics release from the 1960s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Archie's Valentine's Spectacular 2026 #1

The all-new feature for this year's Archie Valentine's Day Spectacular was a parody of the massive Netflix animated hit K-Pop Demon Hunters. Only it wasn't funny. Plus, it was the most dreadful thing I have ever read from Archie Comics.  It was such a disappointment. The writing was unpolished. The artwork was amateurish; supposed to invoke the styles of anime and Manga. The story succeeded in neither. It ends with a question posed to whether or not this was the end of the assault on the singing talents of Josie, Veronica, Sabrina and Betty by an arcane force. For my sake, I hope this experiment has concluded. I don't think I could read another chapter of the 'Spirit Slayers in Love'. 

The 5 backup reprints were better. Not by much. The Frank Doyle two-parter where first Veronica and then Betty go overboard in attempting to make Archie their Valentine had moments of funny antics and stunning art. It just didn't feel very original. Cheryl Blossom's attempts to permanently drive a wedge between Archie and the girls shows just how self-centered Archie and Veronica could be. It was reinforced by a follow up where Veronica sends Betty away in tears and Archie confesses that he woos Veronica because of how spoiled she is, just convinced me further that Betty would be better off dating someone who would appreciate her more. Jughead, anyone?

The fifth and final story featuring the talents of George Frese was my favorite of the bunch. Clearly from sometime in the 1940s or 50s, I liked the classic look and feel. It was a typical Archie love triangle story but it had a more timeless appeal to me. I would have loved it if all of the backup stories were from this era.

If anything, this special has convinced me that while I am a fan of Archie Comics, I can do without the schmaltz. I love the wholesome nature of Archie's holiday tales. I adore the ingenuity of the parody stories. Plus, Archie does horror so well with a balance of comedy and unsettling suspense. So what in the world went wrong with Becky G!'s original story? Maybe not being familiar with the source material had a little to do with it. Having Sabrina's cat Salem use the term 'sus' had me rolling my eyes. I'm going be honest, with the use of gender neutral pronouns and a mysterious character who hates the band's message of hope and love, I thought at first that this was some sort of allegory about the immigration policies of our current presidential administration instead of Archie's version of K-Pop Demon Hunters.

I think overall, the original tale lacked a timeless quality to it. Plus, the reprinted material reminded me how selfish Veronica is. Also, Archie is just a darn fool, thinking more with his pants than his brain. I think from now on, I'll stick to the deep ends of the Archie Comics pool that I like best. Just as long as that section stays away from Netflix series as inspiration!

Rating; 4 out of 10 stars.

Archie Christmas Spectacular 2025 #1

I've said it once and I will say it again: the Archie Christmas Spectacular is the holiday release I look forward to the most. Maybe it's a longing for nostalgia in my getting older. Maybe it's because I love Archie. Maybe it's because I love Christmas. More than likely it's all 3!

This year's offering features Dan Parent, my pick for the definitive modern era Archie creator. Parent has a love of classic Archie while not being afraid to embrace modern norms. Case in point: the fan favorite Kevin Keller, Riverdale's first gay character. While Dan Parent has been quite progressive, his all-new story features a trio of classic Christmas characters from Archies past.

Christmas fairy Sugarplum insults Jingles the Elf when her first pick for her date to the North Pole Christmas Dance- Archie- is snapped up by Santa's daughter Noelle. In response, Santa's helper promises revenge.Jingles snatches up Veronica and he does it by deception, transforming himself into a hunk. Sugarplum ups the ante by turning herself human and bringing Reggie to the North Pole. Soon, it's a love triangle of Yule tide proportions with Archie and the gang smack dab in the middle!

This special also features 4 additional stories which are supposed to be reprints but were all new to me! Dan Parent pens and pencils 3 of them and they all pay tribute to the publisher's rather large and somewhat forgotten cast of supporting characters.

Betty and Veronica flashback to the Little Archie days thanks to being hypnotized. Foes from Sabrina the Teenage Witch's past threaten to disrupt Riverdale's New Year Eve festivities. The last pair of stories star Jughead's cousin Wilbur Wilkins. Wilbur and Archie both go ice skating only to be outdone by Juggie. Then in a story penned by Tom DeFalco, Wilbur has trouble finding the perfect gift for his secret Santa. Featuring dozens of characters from over 80 years of Archie Comics, it was a real Who's Who and it had a great punchline.

I did find that a couple of the stories were a bit clunky; especially the all-new tale. I just don't think 5 pages is enough for an epic level opener. The Halloween special had this problem too. If the high ups at Archie ever read this review, I hope that they might consider devoting more pages for the all-new feature in the holiday specials. I think 8-10 pages would be acceptable and if the cover price had to go up 50 cents to do it, I would be okay with that.

Massive kudos once more to my favorite LCS. They've been managing to get me the classic variant covers for the holiday specials lately. Once again, I got the cover I wanted. It's an all-time Christmas classic by Dan DeCarlo. I must have been really good this year!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

World of Archie Jumbo Comics #84

One of my biggest complaints about the Archie series of digests, both regular, double, jumbo, and giant, is that they are never 100% topical. You would think with over 80 years of stories, gags and fun pages, (not to mention all-new material that's still being churned out) that Archie Comics would have no problem filling a jumbo digest sporting a Christmas cover with nothing but holiday material. Yet, they are always book-ending these digests with the seasonal material, while the majority of the filler is a smorgasbord of random material that has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas.

Now Archie has gotten a little bit better at this.The very recent Halfway to Halloween digest I read at least had the fillers containing spooky characters or mysterious encounters. But with the stories here that weren't holiday related, they could have occurred on September 16th or May 12th. They are that generic looking. 

I would say least been okay if all of the stories occurred while it was snowing. But only a 2-parter in which Archie travels to the Arctic for a report on the habits of wolves, seems to involve really cold weather. Plus I have read this story several times prior! Sure, this collection of Archie works is from 2019. But I remember reading that wolf tale when it was brand new in the late 80s. I even think that I can recall where I got the book: from my childhood dentist who gave away comic books as prizes to the patients. 

The Christmas material that we do manage to get was enjoyable. There was a classic looking story by Joe Edwards where Mr. Weatherbee decides he's had it with playing Santa every Christmas at the Riverdale Orphanage, so Archie tries to recruit someone else which has results on par for when Archie dates both Betty and Veronica at the same time.

Speaking of Veronica, she's the focus of another holiday classic. Bummed out that her folks are making her spend Christmas on a cruise ship, Betty gets the Archies signed up as the on-board entertainment. But when the kids start driving Mr. Lodge bonkers, the millionaire arranges for everyone's parents to join the cruise. It's a delightful tale that may be one of the only times you see and engage with Reggie's parents!

A fun, classic holiday read that needs more Christmas cheer.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Archie Halloween Spectacular 2024 #1

I found it! Also, I am not crazy. Scatterbrained because of symptoms from fibromyalgia. But I knew that I had read this before. Apparently, I filed this into my collection before reviewing it. (This is becoming an annoying pattern.) But I had read it before and yes, based on the events in this book going on to the events of the Halloween specials for 2025, I have missed something in the Amber Nightstone Saga featuring Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

In the all-new feature, Sabrina is summoned to Riverdale by Jughead. Juggie apparently is the only member of the Archie gang that knows Sabrina Spellman is a witch. Though, like with Batman, I think a whole lot of people know her true identity but they keep it quiet in order to stay out of trouble.

Anyways, Jughead is aware that his good buddy Archie is going on a date with Amber. Sabrina realizes that Arch has been entranced and along with Jughead, Sabrina seeks to save Archie from her enemy's clutches. Behind all of this is an ancient evil and the promise of more trouble from Nightstone.

Though they appear on the cover, Halloween sprites Trick and Treat don't have anything to do with this issue; even with the reprint stories. So when Archie expressed trepidation over being fooled by those characters again, as with what happened 'the previous Halloween' and Amber Nightstone is revealed to having ensnared Trick and Treat, I knew that I missed something. I still don't know where all that background stuff happened and it's a bit infuriating. Hopefully, Archie will produce a complete Amber Nightstone Saga trade so that I can get the full story. 

Next Halloween, perhaps?

The other reprints are more modern tales. There's a spoof on the M3gan movie where Veronica buys an expensive luxury toy that seemingly comes to life with malicious intents. As for the other stories, I can't really recall them. It has been over a year, ya know...

Obviously, I liked this special enough to have remembered bits from it. I don't think forgetting to review it speaks to it's diminished quality or anything like that. Although I really enjoy the stories from the Archie Madhouse era. People don't seem to realize it, but  Archie Comics was a pioneer, utilizing vampires and other monsters during a period in comics history when monsters and ghouls were verboten! And they managed to still receive the CCA stamp on their covers. I guess it goes to show that humor can trump horror and it's detractors - if it's done as a lampoon. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Archie Halloween Spectacular 2020 #1

A couple of days ago, I reviewed this year's annual Archie Halloween special. I had mentioned that there was a story inside that seemed to continue a continuing plotline from the past couple of spectaculars and it made me feel like I had missed something. Afterwards, I did some digging and discovered that I had somehow missed last year's edition! Not sure how I did that. But it lit a fire under me to search around for it as I still have a couple of gigantic piles of books to bag, inventory and add to my collection.

I thought I hit pay dirt when I found this book. Satisfied, I began reading it without checking the publication year. After reading the first story that was devoid of neither Sabrina the Teenage Witch or those Halloween sprites Trick and Treat, I discovered that this was the Halloween special from 2020!

Now October, 2020 was right in the middle of the pandemic. The entire comic book industry shut down and most of the holiday specials announced for release in October and December were postponed. So I likely didn't get to buy this book until early in the new year of 2021. That would explain how I missed this one. But where in the heck is last year's book?

The 2020 special was in my opinion kinda dull. Although I suspect that if I would have had this during the doldrums of COVID-19, it would have been a highlight of my home bound Halloween season. (It's amazing what seasonality and your current circumstances will make a ho-hum book feel like a masterpiece.) (And compared to how good this year's Archie's Halloween Spectacular was, this book just couldn't compete!)

The all-new opening story finds Archie determined to scare Reggie after being humiliated for the last time. It's a story that I know that I have read before, only by different writers and artists. And probably not set during Halloween.

The immediate follow up story was much better, even though it wasn't set at Halloween. Inspired by the movie Night at the Museum, Jughead and Archie spend the night at the local history museum. As a prank, a couple of employees dress up as cavemen and scare the boys silly. 

The next tale funds Archie in his eternal predicament: committed to taking Betty and Veronica to the Riverdale High Halloween Dance at the same time. But in a twist, there's a third player who's impersonating both the the girls. If you're familiar with the legend of the Betty-Archie-Veronica love triangle, you'll know immediately who the fourth wheel is and it's NOT Sabrina! 

And yes! I knew who it was!

Archie specials typically have 4 stories. But the 2nd and 3rd yarns are pretty long. So the 4th entry is a one-pagers that I've read previously somewhere before. It's a parody of the famous demon on the airplane wing episode of The Twilight Zone. I love it and I wonder if they ever made more of those...

I enjoyed this read. I would have really loved it if at least all 3 large tales were all about pranks instead of just the first 2. Plus I wish there was more creativity behind the new opener. It felt more like a mid-90s stagnant era Archie Comic instead of a more dynamic 2020s offering. I guess I have been spoiled by the superior quality of the past several years of holiday specials...

As for the cover by Jeff Shultz and Rosario 'Tito' Pena, this is why I would choose Betty over Veronica any day of the week?

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Archie's Halloween Spectacular #1

As strange as it may seem, the Archie Halloween Spectacular is the Halloween special that I most look forward to! This annual one-shot is just so fun. Contrary to what you might think, while it is all-ages appropriate reading, it not all sunshine and lollipops.

The all-new opener is from the mind and might of Dan Parent; who in my opinion is the definitive modern day Archie creator. The story involves the South Side Serpents who have been transformed into actual monsters thanks to a defective invention of Dilton's. Transformed, the bullies look pretty terrifying and they seem eager to do some damage against Archie and his pals. 

It's the second story that I thought was the most intense of the bunch. In yet another reputed Riverdale haunted house, the gang seeks to put on a Halloween bash. Archie is on guard, expecting trouble from those Samhain sprites, Trick and Treat. Archie is on the money as the two do indeed cause calamity. Only there's an air of evil in these pranks which lead to teenage witch Sabrina to go into battle versus an old foe.

That story, along with the other 3 or 4 other tales are supposed to be reprints. But Trick and Treat were only introduced to the Archie universe a couple of years ago. And the last Archie Halloween Spectacular I read, which I assumed was last year's special, alluded to a rematch between Sabrina and Amber Nightstone. So did I miss something?! I mean obviously I did. I just don't know when and where I did and is there even more to this saga that I have yet to encounter because I am not reading a monthly Archie title regularly?

As for the other stories, only one sticks out to me as being memorable. It is by Frank Doyle and Harry Lucey and it looks like it's from the 1950s or early 60s. Betty and Veronica plan to meet up with Archie and Jughead at yet another haunted house. (How many violent deaths have occurred in this tiny burg to warrant so many haunted places?) The girls think that the guys are trying to scare them. The boys think that the gals are trying to spook them. It turns out that it's really the ghosts who occupy the dilapidated structure. And yet because each group thought the others were behind the frights, nobody gets scared. 

There was another story that looked like it's from the Silver Age that has Archie being the mark on a prank TV show similar to Candid Camera. Only, Archie has been warned ahead of time of the ruse and doesn't react to the ghost, which turns out to be the real thing! It wasn't a bad story. It just didn't feel as fresh being in the same book with another similar story. 

As for story #5 and #6 I think it involves Reggie. Maybe...? I just can't recall what happened in either. They must not have been all that great.

I enjoyed this special. It feels like Archie Comics is reading my annual reviews and making changes. At 30 pages and no middle ads, this felt like a giant read. Many thanks to my favorite LCS for ordering me the vintage looking variant cover. I like it so much more than the standard cover which looks CGI to me. Also, taking center stage is some random character that I bet most readers don't even know. Heck, I'm still not 100% sure I know who they are. I just with the green face paint, purple and black hair and fangs, whomever it is just is NOT recognizable. 

I loved this special. But it wasn't a perfect read. And it left me wondering if I missed something important.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Archie Showcase Digest #24- Halfway to Halloween

This book debuted in stores in May. I was very lucky to find a copy still on a Harris Teeter magazine rack just a couple of weeks ago. Boy am I glad I did because there's a ton of stuff that I have never read before!

Archie, both Little and as a teenager, Sabrina and her bewitching family and Betty and Veronica all have both Halloween themed and regular day supernatural adventures in this book. I didn't realize how many abandoned mansions that are supposedly haunted, occupy the town of Riverdale. In this gigantic digest, I lost count after 4!

The best story was a multipart tale where an Addams Family archetype clan moves into the haunted mansion behind Archie's house. I liked this story because of how creepy and kooky this family is and yet Archie treats them like normal people. He even treats their man-eating shrub like you would a beloved family dog.Once he got to know their true character, of course. It's how if I meet the Addams Family or even the Munsters, I hope I would react and interact with them.

Another thing that was really good didn't involve anyone from the Archie gang. It was the monster heavy pieces from the 1960s horror comedy anthology titled Archie's Mad House. Those pieces looked like something from EC Comics and had the humor of MAD Magazine. I thought they were great! I've never actively pursued these issues. But I've never turned down a chance to purchase one of I ever find them while searching through discount long boxes. But I might just start...

My choice for the worst story was the story from Archie's Weird Mysteries. Adapted from the monster and alien heavy 2000 cartoon series of the same name, I was excited about this one at first. I loved the animated series and I had put the 25 issues based on it on my wish list. But after reading this one, I might have to rethink that. The story, which recounts how Veronica became chosen as the Riverdale version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well as the betrayal of their friend Scarlet, who was a bloodsucker all along, relies too much on the TV series. The recap is too long. Inside jokes about the cartoon are referenced way too much and I had trouble relating to the mentor character of Dr. Beaumont.

I didn't know that Halloween in May was a thing. I know all about Christmas in July. But if Archie Comics wants to make this digest an annual thing, I'm all for it! This Summer time digest had more new-to-me material than this year's October published Halloween themed Archie digest, which was almost comprised entirely of Archie Halloween Spectacular material of the past decade!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Thunder Bunny #1 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Martin L. Greim's Thunder Bunny first debuted in  1977. For almost a decade, Greim had self-published one of the first fanzines devoted to comic books. The 17 issues of Comic Crusader were heralded by comic collectors and creators alike. In 1977, Greim published a massive 150 page plus archive of original artwork that had appeared in the pages of Comic Crusader called Comic Crusader Storybook. New stories were also crafted just for this edition such as a Mister A. adventure by Steve Ditko and the origin of Thunder Bunny titled 'The Sound of Thunder', written by Greim with art and inks by Gene Day and Jerry Ordway. The character was inspired by the Golden Age funny animal superhero Atomic Mouse and Greim's love of Captain Marvel, of which he boasted a large collection of SHAZAM memorabilia. Thunder Bunny was also given the team-up treatment in a back cover pin-up with the Silver Surfer by Joe Sinnott.

Afterwards, Greim ceased publication of Comic Crusader. It appeared for a while that his dream of working and thriving in the comic book industry had come to a close. Then in 1981, Greim was invited by Charlton Comics to present his Thunder Bunny origin story to a mainstream audience. ' The Sound of Thunder' appeared in the 6th issue Charlton Bullseye; an anthology try-out series with a March, 1982 publication date. The character would appear again in issue #10 with Greim working on a second follow up.  Unfortunately, low sales resulted in the cancellation of Charlton Bullseye, leaving Thunder Bunny without a home once more. But not for long.

In 1984, Greim was invited to bring Thunder Bunny to Archie Comics. The idea was for the character to join the Crusaders superhero team revival happening under the Red Circle imprint. The first issue was to introduce the character to new readers. Instead of reusing the origin story for a third time, Greim re-wrote the script with new artwork by Brian Buniak.

Thunder Bunny is the greatest hero of a long-dead planet of anthropomorphic animals. Before their civilization died, it was decided that they would channel Thunder Bunny's energy into a special battery. Once placed inside a spaceship, the battery would travel from planet to planet giving a portion of the hero's super powers to a single citizen before flying off to another world.

The earthling deemed worthy of empowerment was young Bobby Caswell. A mental image of Thunder Bunny was placed in Bobby's mind. Every time the boy visualized the hero while clapping his hands together, thunder would peal, transforming Bobby into a large pink bunny in a crimson and white suit complete with cape. 

The shock of the transformation is also the greatest downfall for Bobby. In order to become human again, Bobby must visualize himself as human while slapping his hands together once more. However, the more Bobby remains in his rabbit form, he forgets what Bobby Caswell looked like; potentially trapping himself as Thunder Bunny indefinitely.

The first Red Circle issue featured a backup Thunder Bunny tale. Riffing off of the cancelled story that would have appeared in a future issue of Charlton Bullseye, Greim and Buniak send Bobby and a friend to a comic book convention where a group of costumes thugs are planning to steal a rare comic book up for auction. Summoning Thunder Bunny, Bobby must save a convention hall filled with comic book legends such as Jack Kirby and Neal Adams.

Though it's billed as the first of a new series, Red Circle's Thunder Bunny #1 was the only issue produced. Thunder Bunny did manage to team with many of the Crusaders in a trio of issues before the entire line was cancelled in 1985. 

Greim found a final home for Thunder Bunny, signing with WaRP Graphics. A 12-issue series along with an annual was published from 1985-1987. Half of this series was published under WaRP's Apple Comics imprint. 1988's WaRP Graphics Annual #1 would be the final ever appearance of the character. 

Martin L Greim died in 2017. 

Completing this review completes Task #36 (Bought From Your Favorite LCS) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Jughead's Time Police (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The concept of Jughead's Time Police debuted in the October, 1988 of Archie's Giant Series   (issue #590.) Created by Rich Margopoulos, Jughead is visited by Time Police Marshall January McAndrews, of which she calls Archie Andrews an ancestor. January tells Jughead that in the next few minutes, he's about to save the life of a Senator who will one day become President. However, a trio of literal time bandits are determined to change the future by stopping Jughead's rescue attempt. After a trip to the 29th Century, McAndrews and Jones stop the criminals and Jughead manages to save the politician in the nick of time.

The idea of Jughead travelling through time was a hot with readers. January would make a trio of reappearances, promoting Jughead into the Time Police and the 20th century team would eventually find a souped up version of his iconic beanie that would send him anywhere in the timeline as long as he thought about it really, really hard. 

In 1990, Jughead's Time Police would become its own self-titled bi-monthly series. Over the course of 6 issues, Jughead along with his fateful pup, Hot Dog would protect the timeline from villains out to change history, such as rogue Time Police officer, Morgan Le Fey, as well as clean up any messes accidentally left by Jughead. Often instead of saving the day by going back in time and causing a time paradox, Jughead would find a way to allow history to remain unchanged by cheating. For example, when Jughead saves Riverdale from a raging flood, he allows the Time Police of the future to think it still occurred by writing up a fake newspaper story about the aborted tragedy. 

Jughead's Time Police was the victim of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Cancelled after just a half dozen issues, Archie was grouped along with the stars of Harvey Comics and Disney as being 'baby comics.' The early 90s was a time of gritty, violent comic books and the youthful teens of Riverdale didn't fit the popular archetype. This was also the period of 1st issue frenzy among speculators who would drive the comic book industry to near collapse. A Jughead's Time Police #6 couldn't stand up to a Jim Lee illustrated X-Men #1 or the Death of Superman. 

In an editors column from issue #3, editor Scott Fulop bemoans the lack of love the time travelling antics of Jughead was receiving. Fulop mentions that he's yet to receive a single letter praising the new book while the original stories of 'World of Jughead' that appeared in Archie Giant Series had been getting fantastic responses from readers. 

While Jughead's Time Police failed to find an audience, the series did like many failed masterpieces do over time; it became a cult classic! Chip Zdarsky, who grew up reading the short-lived series, revived the concept in the 2nd issue of the 2015 reboot of Jughead; although it's up for interpretation whether Jughead really went forward in time or if he just dreamed of it during a session of detention. In 2019, Jughead's Time Police would officially become a part of Archie's 'New Riverdale' universe; boasting a more modern art style and serious themes for its characters.

Featuring reprinted material from:

• Archie Giant Series #590. #602
• Jughead #14, 18
• Jughead's Time Police #1-6
• Jughead, Volume 2 #2

Completing this review completes Task #15 (An Archie Comic) the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Archie Giant Series #467

From 1979, the star is Sabrina the Teenage Witch. There are several stories inside ranging from 1-page gags to tales of about 6-8 pages in length. Every entry is Christmas themed. The twist: how witches celebrate the holidays. Sabrina pretty much wants a modern age. Warlock cousin Ambrose prefers a traditional Christmas. Aunt Hilda has zero clue how to host a Christmas to remember, despite being countless centuries old. Sabrina and Ambrose try to educate Hilda on the holidays. But it fails miserably.

Doesn't Sabrina have a second aunt? Despite being on the cover, younger Aunt Zelda is absent from the interior of this book. It's not explained why. But the kinder, viridescent haired relative to Sabrina Spellman is nowhere to be found. She's not even mentioned in passing. It's almost like someone cast a spell of forgetfulness about her...

Featuring the talents of Archie legends X, Xx and Xxx. Why the X's? Because this book was released during a time when Archie Comics didn't give listing credits to authors and artists. But I wouldn't be the least surprised if Dan Decarlo was among those legends who worked on this book.

One might think that the name of the book is 'Sabrina's Christmas Magic' and that this is the 467th issue of that series. In reality, this is a part of the Archie Giant Series. As a child, I really thought that there were 400 plus Christmas themed issues starring Sabrina and family. The title also is not  Archie Giant Series Magazine like the top banner says. This name confusion often gets on my wife's nerves to the point that if at a con, she'd throw up her hands and give up digging through the long boxes to me and my wish list. So, I totally understand the perplexity over the unofficial and official titles of this book as well as the overall series.

Festive fun with a Halloween touch.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Archie Christmas Spectacular 2024 #1

I waited as long as I could to read the Christmas annual I look forward to the most. This year's 2024 Archie Christmas Spectacular did not disappoint in the least. In fact, I feel like Archie Comics might have listened to some of my criticisms, because instead of trying to cram in a brand new magical, they went into a totally different direction.

In order to enjoy the opening story, you had to have read this year's Halloween special. In that issue, a foe of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, threatened revenge upon the blonde pixie. Since that episode, Sabrina gifted her foe, Amber Nightstone, with a holiday present. One that was personal and really well thought out. The story opens with Archie and friends being kidnapped by Amber. But they're not in danger from the events that occurred during All Hallows Eve. Instead, they're being forced to help their kidnapper find an even better present for Sabrina!

There's also 4 other stories in this special. Normally, they're reprints. But not one of them are stories that I've ever read before. So I don't know if they were previously published or if Archie took my advice and crafted more all-new festive fare for their Christmas special. 

The fun begins with Jughead and Big Ethel getting to the bottom of a rumor that Christmas is cancelled. Then Betty and Veronica, as their superhero alter egos Power Teen and Super Teen, help the two Mighty Crusaders who bear the moniker of the Jaguar to recover Santa's stolen sleigh. Betty and Veronica then give a potential new recruit to the Mighty Crusaders a makeover.

Lastly, Archie helps the Shield solve the mystery of a super-weapon that was stolen during a Christmas party at a museum dedicated to America's first patriotic superhero. 

Every story was great fun. But the last story was my favorite. The story is set up where readers are supposed to examine the party-goers for clues to the whereabouts of the missing artifact. But in reality it was a ploy to prevent the readers from missing the countless cameos of iconic and forgotten characters from 85 years of Archie Comics that were hidden in every panel. While I do wish that I could have solved the mystery, I greatly value the deception because I would have missed out on seeing some long lost friends from my childhood, such as L'il Jinx!

This is perhaps my favorite of all the Archie Christmas Spectaculars. It was magical. It was fun. It was nostalgic. It's everything that I've been asking Santa for in an Archie holiday special.

Keep up the good work!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Happy Horror Days One-Shot

I've been learning over the years how the holidays are filled with creepy characters and horrible stories from around the world. So who better than Archie's horror imprint to provide some festive frights? From 2022, Happy Horror Days offers 3 tales designed to bring holiday fear instead of cheer.

Frank Tieri returns to the Jughead: The Hunger universe he created with a story that answers the question: What would happen if Krampus ran across the path of a hungry werewolf? 

Then Veronica makes an Icelandic immigrant's first Christmas in Riverdale hell by berating their fashion sense. Little does Ms. Lodge know about the legend of the deadly Yule Cat.

Finally, under pressure from his parents, Reggie wishes for a girl he can take to Christmas dinner with. Little does he know that his prayers have been answered by a pair of devilish imps.

The opening story was more black comedy than horror. Lots of funny banter that if the main Jughead: The Hunger books are anything like this Krampus caper, then I most certainly wanna get my hands on them. The other two stories were like most classic horror comic tales. It's the twist endings that elicits the scares. The closing panels to both stories were absolutely creepy. But I think it's that last panel of the Reggie story that is really going to stick with me for a while.

I loved this anthology. The annual Archie Christmas specials are the books I look forward to the most each holiday season. They bring forth a magic of the holidays and this special is no different. Except that it's black magic instead of Christmas magic. I'm kicking myself for not having read this one sooner because I feel like if I had given praise to this one-shot sooner, we could have had 2 more years of scary Archie Christmas comics.

Well, there's always next year.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Archie & Friends: Summer Lovin' #1

This summer time fun special was something I meant to read when it debuted in 2022. Unfortunately it got buried in my ever growing to-read pile, only to see the light of day just recently.

The main story introduces a new love triangle to Riverdale. Veronica's cousin Harper has returned for the summer. This means for Reggie a chance to restart his relationship with the teen. However, there's a new player in the mix, Eliza Han, an African-Korean American with ADHD and is pansexual. At the summer carnival both Reg and Eliza vie for the affections of Harper. But it looks like love will have to wait when everyone gets sick from riding the Gravitron. 

The opening story was written by Tee Harper with artwork provided by my favorite modern Archie artist, Dan Parent. I was surprised that the main feature was only 6 pages in length. Especially since the cover promises an introduction to Eliza Han. Instead, the back-up feature took up the majority of this book, which was 32 pages in total length. It involves Archie trying to win the affections of Veronica by practicing for the Riverdale beach windsurfing championship. Did I mention he's rather bad at it? Written by Tom DeFalco, the story features an often forgotten member of the Archie-Betty-Veronica love affair; one Ms. Cheryl Blossom who decides to train poor Archie just to get revenge on Veronica.

The back up was illustrated by Pat and Tim Kennedy. The brothers artwork looks really new and I know that it's a newer story because Kevin Keller is a main character in the story and he's only been around since 2010. What I want to know is this: was the windsurfing story brand new or like with other specials of the past, a reprint? 

With a Halloween or Valentine's Day spectacular, the reprinted tales look older. Why didn't the editors pick such a more modern story to fill in the gaps? And if it's an all-new story as well, I'm crying FOUL! Why does this one-shot get special treatment of original material but the holiday annual books get stuffed with stuff that I've more than likely already read!?

I've said it before and I will say it now: I'm willing to pay $3.99, up from the standard cover of $2.99 for all my Archie specials to contain more original stories than 1 measly 6-pager. C'mon Archie Comics! You do so well responding to fan demand, let's make this happen!

Before I go... Great cover by Bill Golliher. Love the Easter egg to the birth year of Archie!

Worth Consuming!

Rating 8 out of 10 stars.

The Mighty Crusaders, Vol. 1

I'm a big fan of MLJ/Archie's Red Circle line of heroes. They're just so darn difficult to find. Their golden and silver age books are ultra rare and too expensive for my wallet. The bronze age titles weren't massive sellers and so there's not a lot of those issues floating around. In the 90s, DC had the rights to them and touted them as !mpact Comics, only to be brought down once more by poor sales. (I'm doing pretty good at collecting these ubiquitous dollar bin floppies.) Then there's the modern age stuff. Why didn't anybody tell me that there was modern day Red Circle books out there?

Under the imprint Dark Circle, Ian Flynn and Kelsey Shannon linked together every incarnation of the Red Circle heroes in this 4-issue miniseries from 2017. It's been a couple of years after the last version of the Mighty Crusaders disbanded after the colossal battle with longtime Crusaders enemy, the Brain Emperor. Friends died in the conflict. Public support for heroes waned. Communities rebuilt. But now with the return of a second generation of super-villains, Joe Higgins, now referred to as the Broken Shield believes that the time for another incarceration of the Mighty Crusaders has come.

Unfortunately, this new group is far from a cohesive unit. Their leader, the latest to carry the name of the Shield, Victoria Adams, is too much of a loner and has trouble delegating to her teammates during a crisis. It doesn't help that legacy hero, the Fly, undermines the struggling new leader's every command. It also doesn't help that Higgins added another legacy, the over-confident Web to the lineup without the Shield's knowledge. Old-timer Steel Sterling is secretly battling the effects of time. Former Crusaders leader the Comet is with the team. However, the nightmares of that climatic fight with the Brain Emperor have left the hero's confidence rattled. Then there's the wild cards: Jaguar and Darkling. The Jaguar is teetering on the edge of insanity as the ancient god that shares her body is demanding sacrifice while the mysterious Darkling, the most powerful of all the Crusaders, is only on the team to prevent her from becoming a villain.

This book also comes with an exclusive short-story about the Mighty Crusaders predecessors, the New Crusaders. Also written by Ian Flynn, this story is supposed to bridge the reader between the two more recent superhero teams. I probably would have liked this story if not for Flynn himself. In this book's foreword, Flynn warns readers that the new team might have connections with the New Crusaders that left them confused. Thus the inclusion of the prequel story. Well, I actually felt like the main story didn't need the extra tale and that short was more confusing and unnecessary than Ian Flynn intended. Possibly even worse, that clunky short had an unintended consequence; it's put me off from wanting to read New Crusaders: Dark Tomorrow. 

Kelsey Shannon's art was so lively and animated. In fact, it looked like the storyboards that you might see for a cartoon show. There's been rumors of a Mighty Crusaders cartoon series since the 80s. I've pretty much given up hope on that project. So if Shannon's artwork is as close as we'll ever get to seeing the Red Circle heroes on the tube, I'm fine with that.

A very good opening salvo. I love that these guys can't seem to get along! I'm excited to see what's on store in volume 2. I just don't know where to find it. I found this book on a total lark at Ollie's and I didn't see any other similar books. Well, it turns out that's because there is no volume 2. Despite a promise of more story and this book being labeled 'Volume 1', these guys just didn't catch on and were quickly shelved. The Red Circle guys just can't catch a break!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

Riverdale Free Comic Book Day 2018 #1

I was waiting in my car for my bride's haircut to end yesterday. I had forgotten my phone and my favorite radio show wasn't on the air. So I dug around my vehicle in hopes of something to read when I found this! I had packed some FCBD reads I had doubles off to give to the kids in our Comic Book Club. I guess this 2018 offering had fallen out. I'm glad it did because it sure saved the day and I would have kept missing out on an amazing read.

Titled 'Pop's Little Chock'lit Shoppe of Horrors', this comic is set in the universe of the CW's Riverdale live action series. Now I've never watched an episode of the show. But as always, I do my research to learn a little bit about all aspects of pop culture. So I know that Riverdale is a show with a lot of creepy stuff floating around in the background of America's most popular small town. This book appears to be no different than the TV show.

Betty is writing a series of articles about Riverdale icons and selects Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe for her next feature. While talking with Pop, who happens to have taken the name after the death of his father, the original Pop, Betty learns about the bizarre history of the restaurant. From famous guests to paranormal investigators to old Scratch himself, a lot of diners have come through those doors and brought with them a host of evil and odd occurrences. 

Archie Comics does two things very well: classic style books and horror. This FCBD comic was definitely a well executed horror book. Ironically, while a Riverdale set version of the Little Chock'lit Shoppe of Horrors was never produced after this freebie, Archie editors knew not to let a great idea die and in 2022 and 23, issued Halloween time one-shots based on the theme. Only this time around, the books are set in the modern Archie universe created by Mark Waid and Fiona Staples.

Based on their gory covers, I hadn't given any interest in those restaurant set spooktaculars. But based on the quality of the one that started them all, I might just give them a second glance if I ever come across them.

A good one-shot. But it's got an ending that would make me change my mind and remove this issue from my collection. I don't like horrors that involve the devil and this book sure has an evil ending to it. You might be seeing this book on an area free shelf sometime soon...

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

Bite Sized Archie: Going Viral

I was such a fan of the first volume that I eagerly anticipated a follow up. While that first year of Bite Sized Archie was a groundbreaking romp that paid tribute to over 75 years of Archie lore and the entire Archie Comics library, there was something not quite right with the second year of strips. It was almost like Ron Cacace and Vincent Lovallo tried to get too experimental with a concept that in of itself was an experiment. The genius of Bite Sized Archie is how an entire story is told in just 4 square panels. Here, the creators tried to do a drawn out story over several strips and the way they did it just didn't work.

First of all, the concept was too wacky. An anthropomorphic cheeseburger takes revenge on Jughead with the help of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and a leprechaun. Then the story is told sporadically instead of several weeks in a row. That's hard enough to keep up with but the creators end up jumping ahead into the storyline with events that happened off page, like Veronica and Reggie getting kidnapped by the reindeer. Add in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and a Kaiju version of Jughead fighting the Cheeseburger and wrap it all up with a stupid punchline for an ending and I was begging for this volume to be over!

Thankfully, Cacace and Lovallo continue to add their director's cut commentary to their strips. Without it, I would've been lost, thinking that some pages of that continuous story were missing. I appreciate the creators wanting to try something new by having a lengthy story. However, I think they were too indulgent with their efforts. 

As Bite Sized Archie continues on over at Archiecomics.com, there's a good chance for a third volume. I just hope Cacace and Lovallo learn from their sophomore year mistakes and can recapture some of that magic from the inaugural year.

Rating: 6 out of 10 years.

Archie Valentine's Day Spectacular 2023 #1

For some reason or another, I didn't get my hands on last year's Archie Valentine's special until after February 14th. That's why I'm reading and reviewing it now.

This special introduces a new student to Riverdale High. Cassie Cloud is a tall, beautiful blonde who could be mistaken for Betty if note for the sky blue highlights in her hair. All the guys seem into Cassie. Archie thinks she's a dancing queen. Moose is enamored by her physical abilities as a girl's football player. Jughead is head-over-heels with Cassie's baking abilities. And all of the girls are jealous with a capital J!

Only the macho guys of Riverdale don't even appear on Cassie's romantic radar. She's into the more nerdier population of Riverdale. Cassie digs comic books, RPG games and sci-fi movies. 

I think Cassie Cloud is fascinating and I hope we see more of her. She kinda reminds me of my wife who is a lady of multiple talents and interests. Only I wouldn't classify Cassie Cloud as a nerd. That's what the green eyed gals of Riverdale High call Cassie's role playing guy pals. And Cassie claims the title of NERD for herself. Only because of her interest in sports and other popular activities, I would seem Cassie to be a geek. That's what I was in high school and if my wife has been a student athlete in high school, so would she.

 Other than the mislabeling, I enjoy this new tale.

There were 4 reprint stories. Two were by the amazing Dan Parent. All of them seemed to be from the past two decades. While I would have appreciated a classic tale from the 50s or 60s, these were all good holiday reads. Sure, that Veronica's new boyfriend story had a predictable ending (maybe I've read it before), but this annual Valentine's Day read was the total package!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.