JUGHEAD'S DOUBLE DIGEST MAGAZINE #138 (May, 2008) Thoughts and Comments

written: Thursday, June 12, 2008, 12:00 PM - 1:39 PM; Tuesday, June 17, 2008, 7:30 PM - 10:19 PM


Note: I am reviewing only the new stories in this digest.


The front cover shows modern Jughead jumping into old Pop's, exclaiming "Wow! 5-cent burgers! I'm never leaving!" A cute, red-haired girl, sitting at the counter and eating ice cream, looks at him in surprise. Old Jughead jumps backwards, out of modern Jughead's way, and old Archie catches him and exclaims "Great! Now I have to loan money to both of them!" A blurb at the top reads "Collectors Issue Featuring Jughead #1, 1949". A blurb at the bottom reads "See what happens when Jughead meets Jughead!" It's a cute, nostalgic cover (paying homage to the cover of Archie's Pal Jughead #1) that ties into the feature story. The cover is by Fernando Ruiz and Bob Smith.


Did You Know...
by Jeffrey Branch
3 pages

This is a text history of Archie with some old artwork throughout.


Reprinted stories in this digest include:

Archie's Pal Jughead #1 front cover
by Unknown
Character(s): Archie, Jughead
1 page

"Experiment Perilous!"
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
8 pages

The Dangerous Sex
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
7 pages

Soupy the Cynic!
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
6 pages

"The Unsung Hero"
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
7 pages

"Pardon My Bumper"
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
2 pages

Pin Up
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
1 page

Pop's Last Stand, Parts 1 and II
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
11 pages

"A Cold Reception"
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead & his pals
6 pages

A Helping Hand!
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
1 page

"Goat of a Chance"
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
5 pages

Radio Active
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
5 pages

Snooze Ruse
by Unknown
Character(s): Hot Dog
1 page

Identical Opposites!, Parts One and Two
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
12 pages

Hamburger Helper
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
6 pages

Canine Cutie
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
5 pages

Dipsy Doodles "Think or Thwim"
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
1 page

Crop Failure
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
5 pages

"Hungry for Love"
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
5 pages

Pin-Up
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
1 page

Change For the Worse
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
6 pages

The Great!
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
5 pages

"Shoo Fly Pie"
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
1 page

"First Prize"
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
5 pages

"All*That's*Fit*To*Print"
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
6 pages

The Wrong Combination
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
6 pages

"The Task"
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
6 pages

A Lot of Fun!
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead with Archie
6 pages

I Love Jellybeans!
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
1 page

Hat Spat
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
1 page

"Museum Apiece"
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
10 pages

Jellybean's Big Bro
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
1 page

"Seat Treat"
by Unknown
Character(s): Jughead
1 page


When Jughead Meets Jughead
by Fernando Ruiz
Character(s): Jughead
12 pages

One day in 2008, Jughead is walking Hot Dog in the park while playing a video game and listening to music on his MP3 player. He also has a cell phone. Two old men, sitting on a bench, comment negatively on Jughead's gadgets. Jughead, distracted by his video game, accidentally lets go of Hot Dog's leash. Hot Dog runs away. Jughead chases after him, calling him. Jughead runs down Memory Lane and finds himself in the 1940s. He comments on the old cars and the "old school clothes". He thinks they're filming a period movie. Jughead hears Hot Dog and finds him with old Jughead. Old Jughead hopes for a dog just like Hot Dog, if he ever gets a dog. Jughead and old Jughead meet. They're both surprised. Jughead recalls when Archie told him about his own trip down Memory Lane and thinks of going back up the street. Old Jughead asks Jughead about his "doohickeys". Jughead shows off his video game on his "Game Kid". Old Jughead is surprised at Jughead's time commitment to the game and isn't interested. Old Jughead walks away. Jughead chases after him and asked what he does for fun. Old Jughead shows him: they race soap box racers, play stickball, and roll barrel hoops. Jughead comments that that's as low tech as it gets. Jughead thinks the games are all very simple but fun. After a quick walk around town, both Jugheads go to the theater. Old Jughead is surprised that Jughead thinks a movie ticket costs ten bucks, and Jughead is surprised that it really costs only a quarter. Three hours later, they exit the theater, and Jughead is amazed that they saw two whole films, a bunch of cartoons, and a serial. Old Jughead suggests grabbing some "chow" at Pop's - if Jughead has a nickel for a burger. Jughead faints. When he wakes up, old Jughead asks if he's okay. Jughead says he was dreaming of 5-cent burgers. After a quick bite, Jughead mentions his love of everything about the 1940s: the food, jazz and swing music, and the "snazzy retro fashions". Even his hat is in style here. Jughead decides to stay in the 1940s. Old Jughead approves of Jughead's decision, saying he'll "never have to waste four hours pushing buttons again". Old Jughead suggests celebrating with penny candy and licorice whips. Jughead is excited but then sees a sign that says "You're Really Keen With a Jellybean!". Jughead, Hot Dog, and old Jughead go to Memory Lane. Jughead says good-bye. Old Jughead makes Jughead promise that the Martians haven't invaded the Earth in the future. Back in the present, Jughead goes for a run on a sidewalk with Hot Dog while carrying Jellybean and rolling a barrel hoop. He comments that the 1940s didn't have everything after all: no mom, no dad, and no Jellybean; in the present, Jughead has all of them and can still roll barrel hoops. That surprises an old man that sees him.

Did we really need another Memory Lane story? This story is even lamer than the previous one.

The anti-video game slant is annoying. Video games are a perfectly valid form of entertainment and can be just as fun - if not moreso - than soap box racing, stickball, and rolling barrel hoops.

Hot Dog disappears after the games and doesn't re-appear until Jughead is ready to go back to the present. That's pretty sloppy. Did Jughead just abandon him for a while?

Jughead is very ignorant of inflation and doesn't realize that prices were lower 6 decades ago.

Despite what the front cover would have you believe, old Archie doesn't appear in this story (except in a flashback).

Finally, Jughead makes the decision to stay in the 1940s to have fun, completely forgeting his family - not to mention his friends. It takes an ad for jellybeans to remind him of his own sister. Up until then, he was prepared to give them up without a thought. He didn't care for them and didn't think of how his being gone would affect them. What a jerk.


I picked up this digest solely for the Memory Lane story and the appearances of Betty in the reprinted Jughead stories. That said, it didn't entertain me that much. Not recommended.

Quote from: Tuxedo Mark on June 17, 2008, 10:25:13 PM

Did we really need another Memory Lane story? This story is even lamer than the previous one.

So, I'm guessing that you WON'T be buying Betty and Veronica Digest #185 for that very reason, huh?

False logic.

You assume that my bad experience with Memory Lane stories will prevent be from buying any book in which it appears, including my beloved B&V Digest.

My point was that the Memory Lane story made me buy the Jughead Double Digest, which I usually don't buy.

Memory Lane is more powerful than Jughead, but Betty and Veronica are more powerful than Memory Lane.

Did we really need another Memory Lane story?

I guess you won't be on board with the Memory Lane solo series I'm proposing.

Quote from: Tuxedo Mark on June 17, 2008, 10:25:13 PM

Did we really need another Memory Lane story?

I guess you won't be on board with the Memory Lane solo series I'm proposing.

I'm (probably unwisely) going to assume you're serious, and have to ask: is this going to be a roundabout way of getting new 50s type Archie stories? If so, you must do this series.

I think it's just a device to hurry the story along that's worked well enough so far in order to quickly get on to the parts people might be looking forward to the most, that is, seeing the interaction between the character of the past with that of the present. Perhaps there will even be a few more of this sort of thing, except with the Archie characters visiting other versions of themselves further back (prehistoric) in time, as well as into the future (3000).

"Crisis on Riverdale" (?) covers this all much better... http://www.archiefans.com/all_about_archie/anyone_hear_of_an_essay_called_crisis_on_infinite_riverdales-t1130.0.html;msg11744;topicseen#new