Archie Archives: Prom Pranks and Other Stories - Softcover

Montana, Bob

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1616559365 ISBN 13: 9781616559366

Publisher: Dark Horse Books, 2015

Synopsis

Seventy years ago, a small independent comics publisher introduced a new kind of character to comics fans. He wasn't a superhero, warrior, or spaceman--he was Archie Andrews, a typical American teenager! Dark Horse and Archie Comics Publications present the archive library series everyone's talking about--now in bargain-priced trade paperback! The earliest, hardest-to-find stories in the history of Archie comics can now be read and enjoyed in full color. From Archie's budding romances with Betty and Veronica to his antics at Riverdale High, this collection contains more than 200 pages of hilarious humor and deft cartooning from the great talents who originally brought Archie to life, including Bob Montana!

Featuring dozens of stories by revered Archie artist, Bob Montana!he first volume of Archie Archives collects Pep Comics
#22-#38, Jackpot Comics #4-#8, and Archie Comics #1-#2!

"These anthologies are time capsules in themselves, good guides for seeing the difference between comics published before and after the Comics Code was put in place in the 1950s." -nyjournalofbooks.com

"Dark Horse's dedication to restoring these issues to full color and clarity preserves the Archie world for all of us to enjoy."-CraveOnline.com

About this title

About the Author:

Bob Montana is an American comic book artist, known as the creator of the characters from Archie Comics. He began drawing caricatures of the customers in his father's restaurant while still a kid. After high school, Montana attended art schools in Boston, Manchester and New York City and eventually graduated in 1940. From there, he entered the work field of the free lance illustrator, drawing for different comic houses and illustrating covers for comic books such as Batman, and serving as the assistant of Bob Wood. He shared a studio on Union Square in New York with Harry Lucey, with whom he worked on the early Archie comics. Montana's early credits for MLJ include features like Danny in Wonderland, The Fox and Inspector Bentley. He also made illustrations for Crime Does Not Pay and contributed Lunar and Spark Stevens to Victor Fox's publications. MLJ then assigned Montana to work up the story line and characters for the Archie comic, based on a radioplay by Henry Aldrich. Montana"s puckish red-headed 1940s version of Tom Sawyer was a big hit and Montana continued to draw stories with the character until his death in 1975.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 8 Up—A compendium of selections from the Archie Comics archives best suited for collectors. In this volume, readers meet the beloved gang from Riverdale for the first time. Archibald "Archie" Andrews, or Chick, as he prefers to be called, in his first appearance is a high school student up to the same tricks that made him a beloved character decades ago—trying to win the love of both Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge, forming his friendship with Jughead and his rivalry with Reggie, and crafting schemes that inevitably backfire yet always put him on top. The tales in this entry, published through a partnership with Dark Horse and Archie Comics Publications, are the original stories as they appeared in Pep Comics, Jackpot Comics, and, eventually, Archie Comics. All of the offerings were originally published between 1941 and 1943 and are truly reflections of the era, complete with depictions of minority characters that, while a reflection of the times, will be considered inappropriate and offensive by modern audiences. The illustrations really make this collection worthy of attention, as the original artwork of Bob Montana is prominently featured. VERDICT A time capsule of a collection for fans of these classic characters and for those interested in comics history.—Kevin McGuire, Woodland Hills School District, PA

About this edition

• Publisher: Dark Horse Books
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1616559365
• ISBN 13: 9781616559366
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224