Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jul 11, 2024 | 6 comments

EXCLUSIVE: The Halloween classic Archie’s Pal Jughead #78, from 1961….

As promised, Archie Comics is expanding the scope of its new Facsimile Edition line, with a classic Halloween ish from 1961 — Archie’s Pal Jughead #78.

“Archie has a longstanding tradition of great Halloween comics; you know spooky season is nigh when you see the first Archie Halloween covers on the stands!” sez Archie Comics Editor-in-Chief Mike Pellerito. “To me, it all goes back to this one – if not the first, certainly one of the most memorable monster-iffic Archie covers and one that collectors love to hunt down if they can find an affordable copy. Halloween should be a little scary, a little silly, and lots of fun, and Samm Schwartz captures it all in this piece: the core monster squad of Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, and the Wolfman, plus a few more ghouls all looking their scary best, lightened up with a Jughead joke. This will look great next to your trick-or-treat candy bowl.”

Dig the official solicitation info, which will be officially released later in July:

ARCHIE’S PAL JUGHEAD #78: FACSIMILE EDITION

You’ll be a winner once you get your hands on this beloved issue of ARCHIE’S PAL JUGHEAD #78 faithfully reprinted in a full-facsimile edition!

Script: Sy Reit, Joe Edwards, Various
Art: Samm Schwartz, Joe Edwards, Various
Cover: Samm Schwartz

32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.
On Sale Date: 10/23

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A few thoughts:

— Archie came out of the gate with two famously suggestive covers — Betty and Me #16 and Veronica #28. Here, they trade off their reputation as a line that plays strongly into the seasons. Love it.

— Dig the Mad riff on the cover. The ish includes six stories, including a Li’l Jinx one-pager. According to the indispensable Grand Comics Database, two of the Jughead stories — Cool Ghoul and Lazily Yours — and the Jinx story have not been reprinted before. There’s also an ad for an upcoming Archie’s Christmas Stocking and a one-page text piece on how to keep your hair looking glamorous — which, of course, is completely out of place in a Jughead comic!

— Obligatory Price Comparison: Recent sale info isn’t readily available but the asking prices for an unslabbed, mid-grade original Jughead #78 range from $40 to $87 on eBay.

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MORE

— 13 Historic ARCHIE COMICS Facsimile Editions We’d Like to See. Click here.

— 13 Risque ARCHIE COMICS Facsimile Editions We’d Like to See. Click here.