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The Most Infamous Archie Cover? Betty and Me #16, Up for Auction

Betty, Archie, and Reggie are featured in what might be the most infamous accidental double entendre cover from vintage comics history.

Published Thu, 03 Oct 2024 17:27:08 -0500

by Mark Seifert

Last updated Thu, 03 Oct 2024 18:27:15 -0500

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Article Summary

Betty and Me #16 features an infamous accidental double entendre cover coveted by collectors.
Created by Bob Montana, John L. Goldwater, and Vic Bloom, Archie debuted in Pep Comics #22, 1941.
MLJ transformed into Archie Comics in 1946, expanding Archie titles throughout decades.
Dan DeCarlo, Archie mainstay, possibly created the Betty and Me #16 cover art.

Classic comic book panels and covers that contain accidental double entendres have long been favorites on the internet and social media. Vintage Batman seems to have contained a lot of them, but there are plenty of others from random places that make the rounds from time to time. Given the sheer volume of Archie covers, the humorous nature of that entire line, and the changes in language that comes with the passage of time, it's no surprise that there are some double entendres to be found there as well. The cover of Betty and Me #16 might be the most infamous of these, and this inevitably leads to collector interest.

The creation of Bob Montana, John L. Goldwater, and Vic Bloom, Betty Cooper and Archie Andrews first appeared in 1941 in Pep Comics #22. Archie and the gang 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. Betty and Me arrived in 1965 and lasted 200 issues 1965-1992.

Archie Comics mainstay Dan DeCarlo worked on 151 issues of Betty and Me, and the cover here might be by him. There are plenty of stand-out Archie and related issues up for auction tonight, but Betty and Me #16 (Condition: FN+) might just be the most infamous at auction in 2024 October 3 – 5 Good Girl Art and Romance Comics Showcase Auction #40269.