Hostess ads in comics

Over at Booksteve's Library he has a post talking about the Hostess ads from the 1970's that ran in First comics. I have read alot of comic books and I liked some of those that First Comics put out but I don't remember seeing those ads in their books. I do remember those from Marvel, DC and Archie. The one above with the Hulk is from 1978. They were one page adventures where the solutions always involved a Hostess product. Not too long ago Marvel did a mini-series called Spider-Man/Human Torch. Each issued showed them teaming up to fight someone but the series was really to show the progress these two have made in their friendship. One issue the problem was solved when Spider-man distracted the villians with pre-packaged fruit pies. Later he is shown on the phone calling an advertising company telling them about this great idea he has for an ad campagin for snack cakes. Very funny. My cousin showed a website to see more of these ads so I don't think he will mind if I direct you to these Hostess Comic Book Ads. 

The Jughead Jones Interview Part 2

Earlier today I got a call from Jughead. He said that he wanted to tell me how Archie’s
concert went last night.

OMM: Thanks for calling you know you didn’t really have to.

JJ: That’s all right I’m happy to do it.

OMM: You don’t mind if I put this on my website do you?

JJ: Nope! I don’t mind at all.

OMM: OK! So what happened?

JJ: Well my family arrived early at Kleats Stadium so we could wish Arch good luck.

OMM: Wasn’t it cold this time of year to have a concert at a stadium?

JJ: Most places it would be but this is a dome stadium. We kept pretty warm. Anyway Cricket, the kids and I wished Arch good luck and took our seats.

OMM: Cricket? You married Cricket O’Dell?

JJ: Yeah! You remember her?

OMM: Sure do. She was one of the people in Riverdale that they interviewed once the Archies hit it big. Why are you surprised?

JJ: Because they interviewed our teachers, parents and friends like Moose, Dilton, Ethel and a few others hundreds of times. Cricket was only in the papers 2 or 3 times.

OMM: Well she left an impression. I don’t mean to offend you but she came off like a gold digger in those interviews. All she talked about was how you guys must be raking it in and she didn’t care for you or Archie before but now she did.

There is a long pause. Then Jughead speaks.

JJ: You have not hurt my feelings cause that is the way she can come off. Yes, we all knew that she was like that back then. She always hung around Veronica and Reggie because they had more money. When I came back to Riverdale she started dating me because she thought I had a lot of money. When I figured that out I told her the truth. I spent most of it on drugs but I was off of them now. That must have really touched her. She showed me caring and compassion that I thought was beyond her. We started seeing each other more and more. She got me going back to church. We both accepted Christ and got baptized on the same day. Not too long after that we were married. Later we gave birth to Archie and Cricket.

OMM: Oh that’s nice. You named your kids after your best friend and your wife.

JJ: Well they are two of the most important people in my life. Anyway Betty, Tracy and Fred sat with us.

OMM: Who’s Fred?

JJ: Didn’t I mention him last time? Fred is Archie’s boy. Archie named him after his Dad. Anyway Archie was introduced by Principal Doiley.

OMM: Dilton?

JJ: Yeah Dilton is the principal of the high school. Arch started out playing old 50’s tunes. After that he played some Beatles, Beach Boys and the Monkees. He stopped and explained that he played those instead of his tunes because those were the ones he grew up on and gave him the idea to start The Archies.

OMM: Something I’ve always wondered. Archie didn’t seem like a vain type of person. Why did he name the group after himself?

JJ: He didn’t the majority of the group said it should be called The Archies. Now I don’t mean to sound conceited but we were the most popular students in school. We wanted to play at the school dances and said it should be named after the most popular one in our group. Betty, Veronica and I said it should be The Archies. Arch was the most popular and his name sounds friendly and upbeat. Reggie freaked out. He thought we were going to name us The Reggies. To this day if he brings up a reunion he calls us The Reggies.

OMM: Did he play any Archies tunes?

JJ: Reggie? I don't know if he still plays them or not. (He laughs)

OMM: Come on you know I mean Archie.

JJ: Yes he did. Of course played Sugar, Sugar. Then he sang Bang Shang A Lang. Circle of Blue was neat because they showed a promo film that we did for it that had Arch chasing Veronica and she was after Reg and he was after Betty. They were all running in a circle.

OMM: I remember seeing that one. Today that would be called a music video.

JJ: Yes the Beatles, Elvis, The Monkees and The Archies. We were the parents of MTV. Other songs he did were We’re One Big Family, Seventeen Ain’t Young, Sunshine, and Sugar and Spice. He dedicated Tracy to his daughter. I’m just glad that he didn’t do Waldo P. Emerson Jones.

OMM: Why not?

JJ: Because the song was written about me.

OMM: Really? I never knew that.

JJ: Yeah! If you remember the character of the song said he thought he looked like Rock Hudson. He thought he was a superman and said he knows the Beatles and Jimmy Page. Then they would say but he’s just Waldo P. Emerson Jones. Well that was how I acted when I was on drugs. I thought I was better looking then I was and I name dropped like crazy. They wanted me to get the message but didn’t want to say but he’s Jughead Jones so they changed everything but the last name.

OMM: Well you both live in Riverdale so he probably left it out in case you came.

JJ: I think you’re right. The last song was to be Scooby Doo. During that song I looked around and way in the back I see Reggie and Ronnie. I had an idea. I told Betty and we went to see Reg and Ron. We told them our idea and they loved it. After the last song the crowd called for an encore. Betty said lets do this now because Archie doesn’t have an encore. I think Archie was about to do the Star Spangled Banner when he notice his back up band leaving. He looked puzzled till he saw the four of us coming on stage. We huddled together all with big smiles on our faces. Suddenly we all took our places. I got behind the drums. Reg got a guitar. Betty took a tambourine and Veronica the keyboards. When Betty stood behind the mike the crowd went wild and we played Jingle, Jangle.

OMM: Did you do anymore?

JJ: We did one more it was Who’s Your Baby. After that we left the stage.

OMM: So now are you guys going to reunite?

JJ: Reggie still says we should but I don’t think so. Maybe when they put us in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Archies were just kids having fun in a garage and we got lucky. Special moments like last night should be shared with those near and dear. Not exploited to make money. Reggie finally did tell us why he wanted a reunion. The Banana Splits reunion fell through and unless he comes in with a winner he might be sued for not delivering on his promise. Veronica told him maybe our old pals Josie and the Pussycats could help. She was talking to Josie last week and she was trying to get a reunion together. If that doesn’t pan out who knows maybe we will get back together.

OMM: In true Archie style, it’s to help out an old friend.

JJ: Well old friends are hard to find. Sometimes with Reg I think we should still be looking.

Jug laughs at his joke. He had to go. I thank him for the call. He says I can call anytime.
If I do I’ll let you dear readers know.

My Dad,Top Cat and Ray Dirgo

My Dad liked comic books, or as he called them funny books, too. I went through the few that he kept and I inherited from him today. Most of them were his favorite Classics Illustrated. However, I forgot that he had some Top Cat comic books in there too. My Dad was from the generation that only thought of comic books as light entertainment for little kids. Funny animals like the Fox and Crow and Heckel and Jeckel. So they called them funny books. I guess that is why Dad liked the Top Cat comic books. It reminded him of the days when he was a kid. Now I like Top Cat too. However, the writer of this book clearly was not a fan of T.C. In the story "Gotta Have Class" T.C. can't get a classy female cat to notice him. Brain seems like the smartest one in the gang and gives Top Cat pretty good advice. Brain was actually the slowest in the brain department on the tv show. He was named Brain because they were being sarcastic. I am surprised that Ray Dirgo didn't catch this if he did the inside artwork. Mr. Dirgo lived in Connecticut. He did advertising art for GE and PT Barnum's circus. I read he didn't watch much tv but he liked the Hanna Barbera cartoons and praticed their style. He considered animation but when Charlton comics that was located in Connecticut obtained the rights to do comic book versions of the Hanna Barbera cartoons Mr. Dirgo applied. As you can see he did this cover and was very faithful to the characters. If you want to read more on Mr. Dirgo you can click here.

Phyllis Coates site

Here is a site dedicated to Superman. It is called the Supermansupersite. The link is directly to a bio on the best actress to play Lois Lane ...Phyllis Coates. It even has a more recent photo the the one above. The above photo I got off of e-bay. You can click here to buy the photo from them.

The Jughead Jones Interview

After seeing the Reggie Mantle interview on Peter Pan's Lemonade Stand I decided
to try and see if any of the other members of the Archies would care to comment.
I got to talk to all of them but nothing but a few polite answers. Veronica avoided saying anything about Jughead or Reggie. Just said she has kept in touch with them. The surprise was when I got Jughead on the phone. He may not have wanted to talk about the group in the past but he seems to have over come his shyness. Jughead is married with two kids. He accepted Jesus Christ and moved back to Riverdale.

On My Mind: Have you seen the interview that Reggie gave?

Jughead Jones: Yes and it was fairly accurate. He did leave out some things.

OMM: Really! Like what?

JJ: I’m sure that he left them out for good reasons. Next question please.

OMM: You haven’t been open to interviews, at least not after the break up. Why do an interview now?

JJ: I don’t know really. Nostalgia I guess.

OMM: Well first I have to ask why did you always wear a beanie?

JJ: I didn’t always wear it. I had it as a kid and kept it as sort of a good luck charm. I usually kept it in my back pocket. When Mr. Lodge set up an audition with Don Kirshner for the group I had it in my pocket. Before we went in Reggie bet me a plate of hamburgers I wouldn’t wear it at the audition. Well my love of burgers is well known so you know I wore it at the audition. Don loved it and said he didn’t ever want to see me with out that beanie.

OMM: You didn’t mind wearing it all the time?

JJ: Not at first but it killed me when they made a cartoon out of us for Saturday morning. I now understand why Mike got rid of his wool hat.

OMM: You mean Nesmith of the Monkees?

JJ: Yeah! He got rid of his hat because he was afraid they were making a cartoon character out of him. Well they really did with me. I talked to Mike not long after our first album came out. He told me I need to get rid of the beanie. I told him I didn’t mind wearing it. Besides Don had me sign a special contract that said I would always wear it in publicity photos and in concert. I guess he wanted to make sure he wouldn’t have the problems with me that he had with Mike.

OMM: So what caused the break up of the Archies?

JJ: Well we were just 5 kids from a small town. Just barely able to drive. Fame and money came too fast. Almost all of us spent the money as fast as we made it. Betty actually kept most of her share. Archie wouldn’t have kept much. But when he and Betty got married she took control of the finances.

OMM: Exactly when did Archie and Betty get married?

JJ: A few months before the break up of the group. A year later they gave birth to their little girl. Not long after that they had a little boy.

OMM: I remember reading somewhere that when the group started that you played guitar and Reggie played the drums. Why did you two change?

JJ: That happened at the recording session for “Sugar, Sugar.” First you have to understand that we played different instruments in the Andrews garage. We all took turns at each instrument till we found the ones that we liked and felt was our strongest contribution to the group. During “Sugar, Sugar” Reggie had trouble with the beat and I had problems with a couple of cords. So we switched just to help each other out. Jeff Berry the writer and producer of the song heard us and said to record it that way. There was also a photographer there taking pictures for a fan magazine. I think it was Tiger Beat. Anyway, once the pictures got published I was officially the drummer.

OMM: How did Reggie take the change?

JJ: Not well at first. Then, when we were in concert, he saw that no one could see me from behind the drums. Suddenly he was glad his face wasn’t hid behind the guitar.

OMM: Which Archies song is you favorite?

JJ: “Jingle, Jangle” Archie has a great voice but Betty took the lead on that song. She has a great voice. Reggie did the deep echo in the background.

OMM: What did you all think when Archie started his new group?

JJ: You mean the Cuff Links? I can’t speak for Reg and Ronnie but I was happy that he kept himself busy. Betty was actually behind that. She said he sat around feeling down in the dumps over the break up. She told him to start a new group. So he did.

OMM: What did you do after the Archies?

JJ: For awhile I was a studio musician. I really loved playing the guitar and wanted to be hired for that skill. But no one is going to hire a drummer to play the guitar. I was about to give up when I finally got my first job.

OMM: Who hired you?

JJ: Archie.

OMM: He wasn’t mad that you took Ronnie from him.

JJ: No! He was happily married to Betty with little Tracy. Ronnie and I didn’t last anyway. When we both quit the drugs the relationship was over.

OMM: Archie named his girl Tracy?

JJ: Yep! He wrote the song “Tracy” about his love for his daughter.

OMM: Is that the song you play on?

JJ: Sadly no. I am playing on “When Julie Comes Around.” I actually think that is a better song but “Tracy” is the one that still turns up on radio stations.

OMM: Did you ever play drums for anyone else?

JJ: Well I had to eat and as you know I have a big appetite. I played them for Vanity Fare on the song “Hitchin A Ride.”

OMM: I heard a rumor that the Archies almost got back together in the 80’s but Reggie almost overdosed before the first concert.

JJ: Actually we almost did twice in the 80’s. The time you are talking about was in 1981. We had a summer tour set up and the day before the concert I found Reggie passed out in the back of the tour bus. We canceled the tour and sent him to Betty Ford. The media had a field day with it. When the cameras weren’t anywhere near us, it was Veronica who said “I can’t believe these people. The health of a friend is more important then making money from a reunion tour.” She sure has changed for the better over the years. That is one of the things Reggie left out of his interview.

OMM: What else did he leave out?

At this point Jughead grows silent. It is along wait until he finally blurts out some shocking news.

JJ: Reggie is who I was getting my drugs from. There that’s off my chest now.

OMM: No one else knew this?

JJ: No I never even told Ronnie. I was afraid she would dump me and take up with Reg if she knew.

OMM: I hear that you have all kept in touch. Don’t you think this news coming out will hurt your friendships?

JJ: No that was us at our worst. We have all come along way since then.

OMM: You said the Archies almost reunited twice in the 80’s. When was the second time?

JJ: It was 1986. Archie said if the Monkees can do it then we can too. Sad to say I stopped the reunion then. I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind for a tour. Reggie pointed out that it wasn’t all of the Monkees that got back together so the Archies could do it with out me. Archie wanted the whole gang. He said it was all of us or none of us.
So that stopped the 1986 reunion.

OMM: So what are you guys up to now?

JJ: Well you know Reggie is a record producer. He said that he’s producing the Banana Splits reunion CD. Veronica is running Lodge Enterprises. Hey did you know that, after the Archies and before the Cuff Links, Betty and Veronica tried to make it as a duo? They did a small tour and called themselves “The Cooper Lodge.”

OMM: You’re kidding right?

JJ: Nope it’s true. They toured only two months. Ticket sales were poor and they kept getting questions about the Archies that they didn’t want to answer at the time. So Betty stayed home to raise the kids and Veronica ran Lodge Enterprises. I moved back to Riverdale and bought Pop Tate’s. My wife actually runs the shop. She’s afraid we’ll go broke if I’m left alone with the food. Archie went to work for his Dad’s company. He did make occasional records and on weekends did a solo act. He didn’t want to do the group thing anymore. After the first album with the Cuff Links he was kicked out of the group.

OMM: Why was he kicked out of the Cuff Links?

JJ: I don’t know. He just said he came into the studio one day and was told he was out and some guy named Holmes was in. After that he said he didn’t want to be part of any groups.

OMM: Where can we get Archie’s music and see him on tour?

JJ: Well Arch is going to be at Kleats Stadium right here in Riverdale this Friday night. It’s a benefit for the Weatherbee Education fund. We’re going to go see him play. Maybe I can give you a call and tell you about it? If you want to buy his CD’s you can get them on line. Archie stayed friends with a guy who sang back up on our albums. Maybe you have heard of him. Ron Dante? You can go to his site at Ron Dante.com

OMM: That would be great.

With that Jughead had to go. It was great talking to a living legend. 

Happy Birthday Dad!

Tomorrow is Feburary 8th. It would have been my Dad's 76th birthday. There aren't too many men like my Dad around anymore. Not to me anyway. He was a good hard working Christian man. Devoted and loyal to my Mom and I. My Dad always had a job. He worked a full time job and had one or two part time jobs. Even when he retired he even had a part time job and helped around the chruch by visiting the shut ins. He passed away 12 years ago. He was a good husband and dad. In keeping with the Archie theme that I seem to be in I have a nice memory related to Archie. It was my Dad's rare day off and he was lying on the bed reading the paper. I went in and lay next to him. I was maybe 7 or 8 at the time and in the mood to ask questions that a boy thinks his Dad would know the answers to. Like why is the sky blue? You know what I mean. I was always asking why. I saw Dad was reading the funny papers and saw the Archie cartoon. I asked him something about Archie that puzzles me to this day. Why does Archie have a tic-tac-toe sign on the side of his head? Dad was finally tired of all the questions and gave the same answer that he gave to the other questions. "I don't know." Then he added something that he hadn't before. I think I hear your Mom calling you. I didn't hear her but I thought if Dad said so I guess she did. I found Mom in the kitchen and she said she didn't call me. I started to ask her some of the same questions. Finally Mom reached her point and said "I think I hear your Dad calling you." I went in and the living room and sat down. I wondered "What is going on here? I know Dad didn't call me." At least it is funny to me. I mentioned my Dad alot on this weblog. It is because I really miss him. But if you wonder why I don't have any photos of my Mom it is because Mom doesn't like her picture taken. So any photos of her are only for our family. Mom is just as hard a worker as my Dad. Every part time job Dad had he did with Mom. I am so glad that I still have her. My wife is jsut as hard a worker as my Mom. My wife never met my Dad but I have told her enough about him that I hope she knows the good and kind man he was. One day I will introuduce them face to face in Heaven. Happy Birthday Dad. The strawberry shortcake is on me. 

Archie as The Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.!

Another pop culture fad of the 60's were secret Agents. Think about how many there were. We had James Bond, Matt Helm, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Get Smart just to name a few. Archie was an outright spoof of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. In a recent interview with Robert Vaughn for his new series, Hustle on AMC, he said that they were so popular that when the Beatles came to America the Beatles asked to meet the stars of that show. This spoof is further proof of their popularity. After all no one spoofs a flop. Unless your talking about something like "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" but that's another story.
Archie and the gang fought crime as secret agents and superheroes. Who knew Riverdale was a hot bed of crime. All of them were on the side of good this time. Unless Reggie was a double agent but that story never came out. Unlike the Pureheart stories Veronica knew they were agents as she was one herself. The main villians in this story line were the agents of the evil C.R.U.S.H. organization. When you see them as they are drawn in this issue they look like Reggie and Veronica but with different style hair. Maybe they were double agents! The one thing that all secret agent spoofs had fun with were the weapons. Taking ordinary devices and using them in the war on crime. For example the CRUSH agents used a transmitter disguised as a sugar cube. Their radio receiber blows up when the Riverdale agents send a rumbling nose through it. Did they discover the device in time? No it was just that Jughead ate the cube and it disagreed with him. In another story CRUSH uses an agent to act like a little boy. Betty is undercover and offers him a lollypop before he can finish his mission. After she leaves the boy grabs his throat and says "Everythings turning gray. I'm...I'm...the lolly pop...pop...pop..." He passes out in front of another CRUSH agent. He looks at the boy and says "P.O.P. agents! A rigged Lollypop! No time to lose. I must take control immediately!" Maybe you would have to see the artwork with the dialogue or have grown up in the 60's and 70's but to this day I find it funny.
If you have noticed on some of these issues the name Kenny has been written on the front covers. I bought these issues from a dollar bin. I have no idea who Kenny is but really do like his taste in comics. This looks like we may be coming to the end of my Archie phase. I have perhaps one or two things left to share with you. One I am saving for tomorrow Feb 8th. Today is Feb 7th as I write this post. I hope you have all enjoyed this look back at the different phases of Archie. 

Captain Sprocket

I have vague memories of Captain Sproket. He is the one reason I picked up this issue. He was a goofy type of hero who couldn't do anything right but he always got his man. This type of hero was popular in the 60's as the "Pink Panther" movies and "Get Smart" were based on that type of character then. Archie's Mad House also had stories based on a rock group called the Mad House Glads. The book itself as Scott Shaw! over at Comic Book Resources points out was at it's best as a comic book version of Mad Magazine. One or two panel jokes. Like a bad guy saying "There's a nasty rumor going around that we Mad house villains fight dirty. It's not true we always take a shower befoer we fight." That would crack up a 5 or 6 year old. Too bad that isn't around anymore. You need stuff like this to help a child develop a sense of humor.

Beth Donovan update

A few weeks ago I asked for prayer for my old high school friend Beth Donovan who has cancer. I wanted to let anyone know who prayed for her that she is better. I heard that she was a deaths door in December and now just last week she was well enough to go out to dinner with her Mother. God is good. Keep praying. She isn't out of the woods yet. Thanks for the prayers. 

Archie Pep 176

In honor of todays Super Bowl and in keeping with the current theme of Archie I am posting this cover of Pep #176 from 1964. It is the only football cover that I have from the Archie series of books. If you look closer you can see that Bob Hastings signed this issue. I met him at the Old Time Radio Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. I was also the announcer for the recreation of the Archie episode that weekend. Jughead and Betty were played by my cousin Steve and his wife Rene. It was a family affair.
Mr. Hastings is more famous for being on "McHale's Navy" and later had a role on "All In The Family." However, in radio he was the voice of Archie Andrews. There have been a many tries at making Archie a live television series but none have worked so far. Mr. Hastings is at present the most famous Archie Andrews. He has done other voice and acting work. Too many to mention here. However, he is almost equally famous as the voice of Comissioner Gordon from the Batman animated series. Anyway this is my Super Bowl post for today. 

Reggie Mantle interview

Here is something fun to read. Over at Peter Pan's Lemonade Stand Reggie Mantle gives an interview. He doesn't do that very often. 

Ron Dante Comments

Those good folks at Forgotten Hits The60sShop@aol.com got Mr. Dante to answer some readers questions. There was a question about his Cuff Links album and his first solo album. Since this was of interest to me I thought someone who reads this site might be interested too. Here is his answer.
FH: Was there more than one LP cover issued for the TRACY album by THE CUFF LINKS? Someone on the list seems to remember it being a couple of GUYS sitting under a tree and wondered if one of them was you ... or perhaps the dynamic duo of VANCE and POCKRISS ... or (shudder ... even worse) MALE MODELS?!?!? (A quick check of the LP cover listed on EBAY shows two girls on the front ... I guess I always just figured that this was "TRACY" ... or might that perhaps be TRACY AND JULIE??? LOL) Was this the ONLY version of that cover that was ever issued???)
RD: The album with the girls pictured on the front cover was the only one. Her picture was done twice and it looked like twins but it was just a teen model the label photographer knew. I've never even knew her name.
FH: Regarding the RON DANTE BRINGS YOU UP LP ... was THIS the album (and series of ads) that you mentioned that DON KIRSHNER took out, promoting the fact that you were the voice of THE ARCHIES? I noticed that this album was released on KIRSHNER RECORDS and figured it probably was ... can you confirm?
RD: I recorded under my own name for Kirshner right after all the Archies success. He took out ads for over a month teasing with things like "Do You Know This Face? You Know His Voice. He Was The Voice Of The Biggest Record Of The Year And Numerous Hit Commercials." Then, after a month, he put in my name under the picture. My album was produced by Jeff Barry and I wrote most of the songs.
FH: Sounds like a pretty good marketing strategy (or, at the very least, an attention grabber.) Unfortunately, the album never made the Billboard Charts. Apparently the public preferred the illusion of THE CUFF LINKS and THE ARCHIES ... between them, they scored six LPs on Billboard's Album Chart! Going back to THE CUFF LINKS for a minute ... after the first album (the one with the hits on it), you walked away from THE CUFF LINKS to concentrate on more jingles work ... and RUPERT HOLMES stepped in to keep the "band" alive for another album ... were you involved in his selection? What were your reasons for abandoning THE CUFF LINKS after one album, especially after a couple of hit singles?
RD: Rupert Holmes was already involved with The Cuff Links since he had arranged the horn and strings on thefirst one. The producers liked him and kept him on when I left.

You can view the Cuff Links album mentioned in this post by clicking here.

Jughead as Captain Hero

Ok I was going to wait till tomorrow but I may not be able to post it then so I will do it today. Above is issue 7 of Jughead as Captain Hero. He is saving Veronica, Betty and Archie from the Dirty Demon. Saving Betty and Archie? Why would Pureheart and Superteen need to be saved? When I first read these stories I always wondered that. Since they were superheroes too why wait to be saved by someone else. Since Veronica forgot after every adventure they didn't have to worry about giving away their identies. This leads into how I think the books could have lasted longer and maybe helped the other Archie books. For each of their superhero books they should have a different supporting cast of characters. Then even if the books were canceled they could have been used in the other books. Also, like Pureheart, Captain Hero changed his costume. When he first appeared he had an almost all yellow uniform with a red cape. Now it is blue with a yellow cape and around the boots and gloves is his trademark beanie.
I have to go but just wanted to say that I read on the Archie comics site that when they did a mini-series on these characters Veronica finally got superpowers and was called...Miss Vanity.

More Pureheart covers

Hey if you want to see more covers of Archie as Pureheart then go to Dial B for blog. They have 3 more covers in their archives. You will have to scroll down to see them. 

Here is how to ask Jesus Christ into your heart

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever, believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16 and 17 king james version
If you know in your heart that you need Jesus Christ in your life. Then pray this simple prayer.
Dear God,
I know that I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ shed His precious blood and died for my sin. I am willing to turn from sin. I invite Christ into my heart and life as my personal Saviour.
If you have done this then you now need to find a Bible believing and preaching church. The links section at the right or below depending on your browser has links to some local churches in my area. You can e-mail them if they are not in your area. They may be able to help you find one in your area. 

Captain Pureheart

It is a little over a year since Pureheart the Powerful or as he is now called, Captain Pureheart, and his friends have shown up on the Riverdale scene. He now has his own book. Not much faith must have been put into the book. Back them most books were published monthly. Some were published bi-monthly. This one was published quarterly. Only 4 per year!!! I don't think any of them lasted past issue 8. Again look at the costume. It has changed alot since Life With Archie #46. Now it is redder then Archie's hair. He also has boots, gloves and a cape. Come to think of it his suit looks alot like Betty's Superteen outfit did in Life With Archie #50. Maybe Betty made the suit for him. Take a look at the top of the comic book and you will see a Archie changing into Pureheart in each phase of the change. I don't know why but I have always loved seeing things like that. Lots of characters were shown this way. Hawk and the Dove, The Hulk, The Creeper etc. Even in the movies when Lon Chaney Jr. became the Wolf Man. That did an awful lot to make him my favorite movie monster. However, as Peter David would say...but I digress.
Anyway I think the Archie version of superheroes could have had alot longer run. They were treated as a passing fad. As you can see to some comic book fans they were not a fad. Perhaps I will get into that on my next posting of them.