Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: archie comics, golden age, Silver Age

The Expansion of Archie Comics' Riverdale Franchise, Up for Auction

The Archie Comics franchise began to expand in earnest with titles that featured some of Riverdale's other most famous characters.

Published Sun, 29 Jan 2023 14:27:10 -0600

by Mark Seifert

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The publisher which became known as Archie Comics has been a beloved part of American pop culture since the character's debut in 1941. There have been a seemingly endless number of titles featuring Archie and his pals since that moment, and the concept of titles featuring the other residents of Riverdale began to take shape with the introduction of Archie's Pal Jughead in 1949 and Archie's Girls Betty and Veronica in 1950. There are stand-out examples of both of these titles with Archie's Girls, Betty and Veronica #40 (Archie, 1959) CGC FN- 5.5 Cream to off-white pages and Archie's Pal Jughead #8 (Archie, 1951) CGC FN/VF 7.0 Off-white to white pages, both of which are now up for auction in the 2023 January 29-30 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122305 at Heritage Auctions.

Archie's Girls, Betty and Veronica #40, Archie's Pal Jughead #8 (Archie Comics, 1951,1959)

The creation of Bob Montana, John L. Goldwater, and Vic Bloom, Archie Andrews first appeared in 1941 in Pep Comics #22. Archie became a regular feature of that title, which was followed by the launch of Archie Comics #1 within a year. MLJ superhero series Top Notch Comics eventually became Laugh Comics, which was also soon converted into a title featuring Archie and the gang. The publisher which had until then been called MLJ was renamed Archie Comics in 1946. Other characters in a similar vein, like Wilbur and Katy Keene were added to the publisher's line, but the Archie franchise expansion itself continued with the Archie's Girls Betty and Veronica and Archie's Pal Jughead titles, with still others being added in the decades to follow.

This material features artwork by Archie Comics legends such as Dan DeCarlo, Bill Vigoda, and Harry Lucey among others, with the covers shown here by Lucey and Vigoda. Nice early issues of series that featured the other stars of Riverdale, there are stand-out examples of both of these titles with Archie's Girls, Betty and Veronica #40 (Archie, 1959) CGC FN- 5.5 Cream to off-white pages and Archie's Pal Jughead #8 (Archie, 1951) CGC FN/VF 7.0 Off-white to white pages, both of which are now up for auction in the 2023 January 29-30 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122305 at Heritage Auctions. If you are new to Heritage Auctions be sure to check out their FAQ on the bidding process and related matters.