Archie Americana Series: Best of the Forties, Vol. 1

Archie Americana #1

by Vic Bloom, Bob Montana, Ed Goggin

In 1941, Pep Comics introduced Archie Andrews, "America's newest boyfriend." Since then, Archie and his perennial teenage friends have entertained young and old alike with their hilarious misadventures. In this volume, you'll journey to a bygone era and unearth the roots of an American Institution.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 12, 1995

Reviews

[TraceyL · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is fine I like Archie but the really old stuff wasn't nearly as good as the later stuff, in my opinion.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a special collection, and I love that Archie Comics has made these older stories more and more accessible to fans. As a lifelong Archie fan, it's a surreal experience to see these beloved characters as they first appeared 80 years ago. They have changed so much and yet so little in some ways. This primitive chipmunk-cheeked Archie goes by "Chick"(possibly referenced decades later in the nickname of Betty's older brother) for at least one story, but it seems almost nobody bothers to call him anything but Archie. He's girl-crazy right from the very start, doing balancing stunts to impress his new neighbor Betty, who has sausage curls instead of her iconic ponytail. Jughead had changed little in comparison; he already sports the "S" sweater, jagged hat, and sardonic squinty-eyed visage.

The stories are over-the-top, but in the most fun and charming way possible. The writing is peppered with '40s slang that may date the stories a lot, but also makes them into wonderful little snippets of another era. The artwork(mainly by Bob Montana and Bill Vigoda) is not as sleek and stylish as in later decades, but what it lacks in polish it makes up for in vitality. And I find that the rougher-looking art actually harmonizes pretty well with the edgier humor. And I would be remiss not to mention Rex W. Lindsey's fantastic cover art for this series!

These classic comics are a treat for any devoted Archie fan!

[Mari Mankle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just okay. You can tell how and why the comics changed over the year. Also, Archie wanted to be called “Chick”? Nah 😂

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third star is because it is interesting to read old crappy Archie stories and see how they differ from modern crappy Archie stories. Here is the write up:
Unknown (writer), Bob Montana (artist)
“Prom Pranks”
Archie Comics
Reprint, 1991, #1, Winter 1942
Page 2
One of the best-known love triangles in comics is that between teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge. The story that introduces Veronica begins at Riverdale High School, with Archie writing a love letter to her during class. His teacher, Miss Grundy, wants to know what he is doing. Archie tells her, “I’m writing an essay on Shakespeare. Heh, heh! I’m going to make it the best essay I ever wrote for you!” At that, Archie’s pal Jughead reminds him that they are in geometry class. Miss Grundy keeps Archie after school to punish him. The wealthy Veronica agrees to go on a date with Archie to amuse herself at his expense, but there are no further Shakespeare references. This story was reprinted in the book, Archie Americana Series: Best of the Forties, edited by Scott D. Folup. New York: Archie Comic Publications, Inc., 1991.

[Jean-Pierre Vidrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

You really have to hand it to the people at the company that was once MLJ Comics. During the Golden Age super hero boom, when every comic book publisher was trying to create more Supermen and Batmen, someone there said, "Let's do something different." Teenagers getting into trouble may not sound like it should hold its own against super powers in colorful garb, but it did and still does. Collected here are some real comedy gems from that era. There are a lot of dated references here, but the interaction among these characters is timeless. Love and friendship characterize said interactions; even between rivals like Betty and Veronica or Archie and Reggie, even behind Jughead's facade of indifference. These stories make the ordinary seem extraordinary.

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Archie Americana series is a good series for examining how the Archie series has changed over the decades, and it provides a window into American pop culture across the decades. This volume features stories from the 40s. Many of the stories featured here are origin stories, so you'll get to see many Archie characters introduced for the first time. The writing is hit or miss since the comedy is a bit dated, but it's also interesting to see how the writing has changed over the decades.

[Caroline Quek · Rating 5 out of 5]

To see the original drawings of Archie and gang and see the evolution of them is so....COOOL!

[Gabriel Benitez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se trata de un libro que recopila varias de las primeras historias de Archie, en especial las primeras apariciones de Archie, Betty y Torombolo (en el primer relato); de Verónica, de Carlos, del Sr. del Valle, del Sr. Paz, la Srita. Canuta (aunque aún no tiene nombre), Gorilón (que aun anda con otra chica que no es Magda).
Nunca fui un fan de las revistas de Archie pero si las leía y la verdad que estás primeras historias están mucho mejor construidas que las que he leído de forma más reciente.
Por cierto, hay una película sobre Archie producida y hecha en la India (que no está nada mal, es todo el espíritu del comic) y es así porque en la India, la historieta es desde hace décadas todo un éxito.

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My ironic love of the Archie franchise is slowly becoming an actual affection, and these pleasantly dated Forties strips are a real blast from the past. Yes, they're disposable, frequently stupid. But that's part of the charm, isn't it? Over the Forties we see Archie evolve from a Lil' Abner "hayseed" stereotype into the quintessential All-American Boy.

[Daftfader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun look back to the 40s. Some of the jokes haven't aged that well and other jokes they are still using in 2018.

[Amory · Rating 2 out of 5]

fine, I guess? 40s Archie was a lot of physical humor and chaos apparently

[Remy]

nothing but respect to bob montana, but you're telling me betty and veronica fell in love with THAT archie?

[Akilah]

Today I learned that Big Moose had a girlfriend before Midge.

[Lisa McBrien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love old school comics, and Archie is one of my favorites!!!! This collection has fantastic color artwork and entertaining storylines, that are, as the title suggests, a slice of Americana as it was in the 1940s. It is interesting to see the way each charecter was dressed and styled, though Jughead pretty much stays the same. I've been trying to find more installments of this collection (I also have Vol. 1 of the 1950s) but finding compilations of nonanime comics or nonmanga comics is becoming increasingly rare especially in print form, which is how Archie is best looked at, as digital forms always have severe format & layout problems when displaying panel art.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun vintage comics that look little like the Archie comics most of us enjoy from later decades. In the very first Archie, the kids look like they are in junior high while not that much later that seem to have aged two decades. The lines are rougher and so is the humor, but it is still fun to see the gang beginning to assemble even before the house style emerged.

[Joshlynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I certainly was not expecting the early Archie comics to have so many gags about suicide and murder. There's nothing genuinely subversive or sophisticated in here, but occasionally genuinely funny moments come through the classic Archie insipidity.

[Gabby · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a very funny edition as usual

[Marissa Elera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, Archie Andrews, I love you.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I would have liked it better if I was part of the target audience. The stories are really simple and pretty dated. The jokes only occasionally work.

[Arianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's amazing how the drawings of Archie, Betty, and Veronica looked so different before. Funny as always :)

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun book featuring some of the earliest Archie comics.