Bob Montana (1920–1975)

I confess to enjoying the "Archie" comic books as a kid. I knew even then that it wasn't fine art, but it was just the thing for an innocent naif from Westerville, Ohio in the 1960's. Plus, the good girl art of Bob Montana had a certain fascination for me even then. And you know, I still enjoy them; I have a strong nostalgic streak that even these Sunday pages from the 1940's and 1950's (before my time) can scratch. Maybe it appeals to a former life I lived. And most of the gags hold up show more pretty well; the full-page spread gave Bob Montana room to stretch his humor out a little. The artwork, of course, still appeals too. show less

The "Archie" newspaper strip from September 1960 to April 1963, this collection of Bob Montana's work exemplifies many of the qualities of the strip that hooked me as a kid, and shows a few of the blemishes that marked the times. We see here the essential charm and innocence of the strip's early years, Montana's "good girl" art (especially of Betty, who may have been my first media crush as a child), and some inventive humor, occasionally with multi-layered wit that built gag upon gag until show more the final panel's payoff. There were also a few unpleasant strips that showed a streak of Archie's cruel humor toward trusting Betty. But thankfully these disappeared over the years and can perhaps be chalked up to the tenor of the times. show less

I always had a guilty soft spot for the Archie comic books. Stories like cotton candy, with good girl art that was pretty stimulating in my early teens. This is the first few years of the daily newspaper strip, which introduced Archie to millions and made him an icon. The gags and stories vary a lot; there are some comic gems here, made more appealing by their unabashed corn. But there are also some pretty grievous lapses in intelligent story and continuity. The art is perfect for the times, show more yet Betty and Veronica are frequently garbed in outfits that would be deemed too revealing today for high-school juniors. Not that this is a bad thing. All in all, it's like watching an Andy Hardy movie on newsprint. show less

The second volume of the daily newspaper comic strip "Archie", this collection from April 1963 to December 1965. The style remains somewhat mired in the 1950's, although there is the occasional nod to the burgeoning popularity of Beatles-style music groups. This is a pretty consistently mildly funny collection of strips, and appeals to the nostalgic longing for simpler, more innocent times. But "Archie" comics really seem to work better in the more wide-open medium of the comic book.