ARCHIE COMICS SHIPPING JUNE 2010


ARCHIE & FRIENDS ALL-STARS #4:
BETTY & VERONICA BEACH PARTY
Blondes, brunettes, beach balls and bikinis… it can only mean one thing: it’s summertime in Riverdale!  Leading the charge are those leading ladies of comics, Betty and Veronica.  Now you can relive some of the best Betty & Veronica beach stories of the decade in this special collection.  Whether chasing after hunky new lifeguards, modeling the latest swimwear, competing in a volleyball tournament, collecting seashells or holding a tiki party, Betty and Veronica are truly the queens of summer!  This fun-filled, sun-drenched edition also includes fun features like fashion pages, party tips, memory collages and more!  Grab a beach towel, some sunscreen and your sunglasses and enjoy some fun in the sun with this cool collection of sizzling summer fun!
SCRIPT AND ART: Various talents.
On Sale at Comic Shops: June 30th, 2010
Newsstands: July 13th, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-1879794504
96-page, full color trade paperback
$9.95 US. 


ARCHIE #610
LEGENDARY WRITER TOM DEFALCO RETURNS TO ARCHIE FOR THIS SPECIAL ACTION-PACKED STORY ARC FEATURING THE MAN FROM R.I.V.E.R.DA.L.E. AND A SURPRISE CHARACTER DECADES IN THE MAKING!
“The Blackest (and Bluest) Day!”:  In the annals of Archie Comics history, it doesn’t get more explosive than this, as we present the return of the MAN FROM R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E., the return of iconic writer Tom DeFalco AND the unveiling of an exciting character who has been kept under wraps for decades!  Evil spy ring C.R.U.S.H. is out to obtain Formula Z, but first they must get past the defenses of the Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. as he vigorously guards the secret formula!  Fortunately for C.R.U.S.H., the Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. is none other than Archie Andrews, and he’s as girl crazy as ever!  C.R.U.S.H. dispatches the beautiful Sharry the Spy Girl, who is determined to use all of her feminine wiles to obtain that formula!  Can Archie resist the paralyzing pull of pulchritude or will he lose the formula to crafty C.R.U.S.H.?  Adding to the excitement is Andy Andrews, star of a never-published tale of intrigue from the 1950s wherein the intrepid foreign correspondent went undercover behind the Iron Curtain!  All this is just the beginning of a four-issue story arc that is sure to get your pulse pounding with excitement!  Tom DeFalco, who got his start at Archie and later became a legendary writer/editor at Marvel, returns to Riverdale for the first time since overseeing 1994’s epic ARCHIE MEETS THE PUNISHER Archie/Marvel crossover, while fan-favorite Fernando Ruiz delivers the action-packed art!
SCRIPT: Tom DeFalco
ART: Fernando Ruiz
On Sale at Comic Shops: June 23rd, 2010
Newsstands: July 6th, 2010
32-page, full color comic
$2.99 US
 

ARCHIE & FRIENDS #144
“Freshman Year— the Missing Chapters: Pencilneck G”: For years, fans of Archie Comics have wondered what happened in the years before the fabled teens of Riverdale entered high school. How did everyone meet?  Were the teachers always at the high school?  Did all of Archie’s friends always live in Riverdale?  Just when did the “eternal love triangle” first start?  In the “Freshman Year” saga, originally presented in the pages of ARCHIE #587-591, readers finally learned the back-story behind Riverdale’s fabled cast of characters.  But that wasn’t the whole story!  In this follow-up series of stories, writer Batton Lash fills in the blanks, giving readers an even bigger glimpse of what went on with Jughead, Betty & Veronica, Reggie, Chuck, and Pencilneck G.  In this story, we examine Pencilneck’s circle of friends as they adjust to their own move from middle school to high school.  Along the way, Pencilneck’s obsessive nature drives the school’s librarian crazy, his pal Zane develops a crush on Veronica, Penelope considers Betty her new “BFF,” and Connie tries to make Zane jealous by going after Reggie!   All this, plus… skateboarding on school grounds?  Not if the “Bee” can help it!
SCRIPT: Batton Lash
ART: Bill Galvan
On Sale at Comic Shops: June 9th, 2010
Newsstands: June 22nd, 2010
32-page, full color comic
$2.99 US


ARCHIE DIGEST #265
“Splash Down!”: Archie and his friends learn that sometimes “old school” can be “way cool”—literally!
SCRIPT: Mike Pellowski
ART: Jeff Shultz
“Super Summer”: With the latest superhero flick hitting the multiplex, Archie and Jughead imagine what their friends would be like if they had super powers.
SCRIPT: John Rose
ART: Tim Kennedy
PLUS: Other new and classic tales!
SCRIPT AND ART: Various talents
BONUS: Puzzles, games and pin-ups!
On Sale at Comic Shops: June 23rd, 2010
Newsstands: July 6th, 2010
Full color digest format
$2.69 US. 


ARCHIE’S DOUBLE DIGEST #210
“Yes You Can”: Don’t miss this ALL-NEW Little Archie adventure, written and drawn by Little Archie creator, the living legend Bob Bolling! Little Archie’s alien allies Abercrombie and Stitch return to retrieve a fuel cell they’ve buried… right in the middle of the football field!  Their timely arrival has ramifications of “super” proportions for Ambrose, who is feeling left out because he’s too puny to play football.
SCRIPT AND ART: Bob Bolling
“Country Club Material”: When Archie overhears Mr. Lodge fretting about Archie joining his family for dinner at the country club, Archie decides to spiff up… even if it costs him his last penny!
SCRIPT: Barbara Slate
ART: Pat Kennedy
PLUS: Other new and classic tales!
SCRIPT AND ART: Various talents
BONUS: Puzzles, games and pin-ups!     
On Sale at Comic Shops: July 7th, 2010
Newsstands: July 20th, 2010
Full color digest format
$3.99 US


BETTY & VERONICA #248
“Beach Blanket Babysitters”: A day at the beach is no picnic for Veronica—literally—when Betty brings along Jughead’s sister Jellybean!
SCRIPT: Dan Parent
ART: Jeff Shultz
“Members Only”: Tired of hearing about Veronica’s exclusive clubs, Betty and Nancy tout an elite (and totally fictitious) club of their own… which Veronica promptly insists on joining!
SCRIPT: Craig Boldman
ART: Jeff Shultz
“Who’s Sorry Now?”: Veronica never accepts the first apology… not when the second apology comes with so many gifts attached!
SCRIPT: Craig Boldman
ART: Jeff Shultz
On Sale at Comic Shops: June 16th, 2010
Newsstands: June 29th, 2010
32-page, full color comic
$2.99 US


BETTY & VERONICA DIGEST #205
“Life’s a Ball”: Veronica plans to become famous on ViewTube by filming her beauty regimen on the beach, but when Jughead intervenes, she becomes infamous instead!
SCRIPT AND ART: Dan Parent
“Recycled”: The gang has a “wheelie” good time when they uncover Veronica’s childhood unicycle!
SCRIPT: Mike Pellowski
ART: Bob Bolling
PLUS: Other new and classic tales!
SCRIPT AND ART: Various talents
BONUS: Puzzles, games and pin-ups!     
On Sale at Comic Shops: June 16th, 2010
Newsstands: June 29th, 2010
Full color digest format
$2.69 US


BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #182
“No Baseball for Betty Part 3”: Continued from last issue.  Betty has decided to play hard ball instead of softball, and in the process she’s thrown a curve ball to Archie and the other boys on the team!  Now the all-out debate between the boys and girls is being taken to a higher level, with a special school board meeting called to decide Betty’s fate.  Will Betty keep swinging the bat, or be banned from baseball forever?  This is only the seventh inning stretch!
SCRIPT: Melanie J. Morgan
ART: Rod Whigham
PLUS: Other new and classic tales!
SCRIPT AND ART: Various talents
BONUS: Puzzles, games and pin-ups!
On Sale at Comic Shops: June 30th, 2010
Newsstands: July 13th, 2010
Full color digest format
$3.99 US


JUGHEAD & FRIENDS DIGEST #38
“The Big Job Hunt”: When it comes to work, Jughead only wants jobs that work for him!
SCRIPT: George Gladir
ART: Fernando Ruiz
“Toe the Line”: Is Jughead as interested in ballet as he is in buffets?
SCRIPT: Mike Pellowski
ART: Fernando Ruiz
PLUS: Other new and classic tales!
SCRIPT AND ART: Various talents
BONUS: Puzzles, games and pin-ups!         
On Sale at Comic Shops: June 30th, 2010
Newsstands: July 13th, 2010
Full color digest format
$2.69 US


JUGHEAD’S DOUBLE DIGEST #161
“Decree Degree”: Veronica declares that it’s “Romance Week” and has Jughead deliver the news to Archie in full “town crier” attire.  Can Archie meet Ronnie’s exacting demands?  Perhaps with some help from Betty…
SCRIPT: Tim Kennedy
ART: Pat Kennedy
“Bump & Run”: A beach volleyball team is all that stands between Jughead and the ice cream man… and the volleyballers never see Jug coming!
SCRIPT: Mike Pellowski
ART: Tim Kennedy
PLUS: Other new and classic tales!
SCRIPT AND ART: Various talents
BONUS: Puzzles, games and pin-ups!               
On Sale at Comic Shops: June 16th, 2010
Newsstands: June 29th, 2010
Full color digest format
$3.99 US


PALS ‘n’ GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #142
“Car Crazy”: Archie’s infamous clunker becomes famous when the town newspaper photographs it for a gag shot.
SCRIPT: George Gladir
ART: Fernando Ruiz
“It’s the Pits”: Stand back… Archie and Reggie are entering a watermelon seed spitting contest! 
SCRIPT: Mike Pellowski
ART: Tim Kennedy
“Fashion Sense”: Archie loves summer fashions… as long as they’re being worn by girls! 
SCRIPT: Mike Pellowski
ART: Bill Galvan
On Sale at Comic Shops: June 9th, 2010
Newsstands: June 22nd, 2010
Full color digest format
$3.99 US
     

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #214
“Reigning Cats and Dogs Part Two”: Sonic, Sally and Big find themselves in the middle of all-out WAR!  It’s mass hysteria as the clash of the Cats and Wolves begins, but what new threat could be pulling their strings?  Get ready for old friends, new faces and much, much more in the cataclysmic conclusion of "Reigning Cats and Dogs"!
SCRIPT: Ian Flynn
ART: Steven Butler
On Sale at Comic Shops: June 30th, 2010
Newsstands: July 13th, 2010
32-page, full color comic
$2.99 US


SONIC UNIVERSE #17
FEATURING AN ALL-NEW SOLO TAILS ADVENTURE!
“Trouble in Paradise Part One”: Tails takes the spotlight in this brand new adventure!  The twin-tailed fox treats his friends Bunnie and Antoine to a long over-due honeymoon on the remote and idyllic Cocoa Island… but not remote enough to keep a brand new villainous force from spoiling the party!  Who are these foul fowl?  What do they want? And more importantly, will our heroes survive their first encounter with the fine-feathered fiends?!
SCRIPT: Ian Flynn
ART: Tracy Yardley!
On Sale at Comic Shops: June 16th, 2010
Newsstands: June 29th, 2010
32-page, full color comic
$2.99 US
 

VERONICA #201
“This and Tat”: A tattoo artist named Arnie falls hard for Veronica, and even gets a tattoo in her image… but just wait until Veronica gets an “inkling” of his other tattoos!
SCRIPT AND ART: Dan Parent.
On Sale at Comic Shops: June 30th, 2010
Newsstands: July 13th, 2010
32-page, full color comic
$2.99 US

I'm getting all the comics and digests as usual (except Sonic), a bit more info on the Archie & Friends TPB would be nice - I'll likely pick it up just to support Archie Comics. 

Tom DeFalco writing four issues of Archie is a good idea - they've done a good job with Archie #600-#606 getting more readers, hopefully some Tom DeFalco fans will pick up Archie #610.

Tom Root writing Jughead #200 was good too!

They're changing the logos again?  It was only a year and a half ago since the last ones!

I like the new Betty and Veronica logos they've been using, so having them across the board looks good.

Well, except on the two new books Rik announced in another thread...  go figure!

I don't like that they are using the Jughead's Double Digest logo on all three titles.  If anything if they are going to replace the traditional logo I would have used the Jughead and Friends logo over that one.  It's too thin and doesn't stand out.

Dan's the Man on those covers of B&V Digest and Veronica. 

Brunette, thanks for identifying the homage.  I knew I'd seen something like that before.

To elaborate on Tom DeFalco's background, here's an interview where he talks about his career and his work with Archie.

And according to an interview with Dan DeCarlo, DeFalco was the one person at the company lobbying the editors to include credits, though they didn't start until after he'd left.

Seeing the man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. again will be a kick, especially with Ruiz drawing; it's appropriate, too, because most of the original stories were drawn by Bob White, creator of... Cosmo the Merry Martian!

As a kid I always liked those stories better than the Pureheart ones, though the range of plots wasn't huge. It seemed like most of them were about a villain in a silly costume who used mind-control on one or more of the gang. (I guess Frank Doyle would just pick a villain and a different mind control device every time.) I think what I liked best was that all the characters were referred to as acronyms that didn't stand for anything, like A.R.C.H.I.E. and B.E.T.T.Y.  Must have been hell for the letterers to do, though.

Also, though Bob Bolling's new Little Archie stories haven't been up to the level his old ones (but what is?) it's great that Archie's press releases are identifying him as the "creator" of Little Archie. He is, too, but Archie has traditionally been slow to give its artists full credit like that. Also, any story with Ambrose and Abercrombie and Stitch is a trip back for anyone who grew up with the Little Archie digests.

Really nice covers all around, and I agree, Dan has been really creative with his covers as of late. Very eye catchy.
Is it just me or is it the first time colorists are now credited on the covers? First time I notice anyway. I'm happy about that.

Yup, Jason Jensen. I've also recognized Tito Pena. Both great colorists.