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

A collection of classic "Archie" comic books from the 1940's, when the series was first introduced in PEP Comics #22, December 1941. Firsts included in the book are the initial appearances of Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, Miss Grundy, Archie's jalopy, Veronica Lodge, Pop Tate, Mr. Weatherbee, Reggie Mantle, Mr. Lodge, and Moose McGee (later Moose Mason). The stories here are more uneven in art and writing than would be the case in later years, but there is a charm and innocence that has stayed with the series for the most part, and accounts for its attraction to me.