Writer: Dan Parent

Pencils: Bill Golliher

Inking: Bob Smith

Colors: Glenn Whitmore

Letters: Jack Morelli

Original Publication: World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest, No. 81

On-Sale Date: August 22, 2018

Length: 5 pages

I’m sorry that this is so late. I’d been busy with another Archie-related post that I’d been working on for well over a year. If you have a hell of a lot of time on your hands, you can read it here. The post in question is actually the few most recent posts (dated August 31, 2018) at the end of the thread.

Betty, Archie, and Jughead are in a store. Betty proclaims her love for back-to-school season and looks to Archie for agreement. Archie wishes it came later in the summer. Jughead runs over and tells them to run for their lives, because Mr. Weatherbee and Ms. Grundy are in the store. Archie guesses they’re buying school supplies. Jughead’s worried about getting detention, because he’s a fucking idiot. Betty is sad to see they’ve run out of money. Archie and Betty talk about faculty having to buy school supplies and teachers not getting paid much. Certain it gets expensive, Betty wants to help them out.

A few days later, Veronica storms into Pop’s, screaming for Archie. This startles Reggie, causing him to drop his drink. Even Dilton’s startled.

It turns out that Archie forgot about their date. He was supposed to pick her up an hour ago. She’s not pleased with finding him here with Betty. Paraphrasing Jughead’s response from the opening skit of the old radio show, Betty tells her that this isn’t “some torrid affair”. She certainly needed to make that clear, what with Betty and Archie having their laptops with them. They might have been about to have face-to-face cybersex! Wait, that doesn’t make any sense. Anyway, moving on…

Betty explains they’re planning a bake sale, a walk-a-thon, and a charity car wash and tells her why. Archie apologizes to Veronica for forgetting their date and decides to just leave Betty. Betty tries to guilt-trip him (during which we learn they’re also planning a pot luck dinner). He stays, pissing off Veronica.

Veronica leaves Pop’s, pissed at “that manipulative little she-snake” (who talks like that?). She believes Betty’s doing this just for alone time with Archie and decides to “show her”.

A few weeks later, Betty, Archie, Jughead, Kevin, Dilton, and…someone (not quite Nancy, not quite Ginger) deliver the supplies to Riverdale High School. Mr. Weatherbee, Ms. Grundy, and Professor Flutesnoot are pleased. Mr. Weatherbee praises the students. Archie calls Jughead out on eating “half the bake sale”. Betty adds Jughead took a nap after one block of the walk-a-thon.

Just then, Veronica arrives with a Lodge Industries truck (but not actually driving it) full of school supplies. Everyone’s intimidated by the “ton” of supplies. Mr. Weatherbee asks how she amassed them, but Veronica’s vague about it.

The truth is soon revealed. Veronica worked out numerous corporate sponsorship deals (with her father’s company and others), and they put their logos over all of the supplies. Betty’s like “What the fuck?” Veronica explains. Veronica wants to take Archie on the date that he missed. However, Mr. Weatherbee wants her to talk to the school superintendent and threatens teases her with the possibility of speaking to the other schools in the district, a different one on each night. Realizing she’ll have Archie to herself, Betty vows they’ll be “busy”.

This story’s pretty good. It’s nice that they’re doing something that’s timely and relevant to the current school climate.

Tune in next Wednesday!

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