Everything’s Archie (2 of 5)

It’s a fair question to ask whether the prurient fascination found in the Archiverse (and it’s there, don’t kid yourself) comes from an honest attempt to portray teens coming to terms with their own burgeoning sexuality or from horny old goats mentally drooling over adolescent kids.

While Bob Montana set the basic character designs and set the tone for all future Archie stories, his style remained rooted in classic comic strip styles of the 1930s and 40s. 

His style became the de facto Archie house style even while he served in the military in WWII.  Returning from service, he discovered Archie’s popularity had grown immensely during his time away and several new artist -- while following his style closely -- began putting the characters through far more lively poses and predicaments. 

Montana began drawing the daily Archie comic strip, often crafting long and involved continuities, but by the late 1940s he no longer served as the primary shaper of the Archie look or stories (he passed away at age 54 after having drawn the daily strip for 35 years).

Coming from a show biz family and familiar with showgirls and backstage shenanigans, Montana introduced a spicy streak to the early Archie books with stories featuring characters in bathing suits, underwear, torn clothing, and group nudity (just the boys).

There’s an underlying perversity to the Archiverse, one the comics steadfastly refuse to openly acknowledge that nonetheless just keeps chugging along under the surface.* 

Look at the number of times giving or receiving a “pearl necklace” is discussed among the principle characters.  Remember how Jughead sent Mr. Weatherby off on a futile hunt for “Goat C” in the 1990s.  All this can be traced back to Montana’s happy pen.

But the Archiverse didn’t become really sexually charged until they acquired the services of a cartoonist who drew knock off books for their competitors and racy cartoons for men’s mags on the side.

© Buzz Dixon

* The Riverdale TV series harbored no such restraint, going so far as to have a key party with no Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice cop out but fully consummated partner swapping.