Dan DeCarlo (1919–2001)

The second volume of collected "Archie" stories illustrated by Dan DeCarlo, one of the best "Archie" artists. Most of these were written by Frank Doyle. The stories range from the late '50s to the early '70s, and while most of them are enjoyable fluff, a few atypically show less frivolous sides of the gang -- not always to the benefit of the story. For example, one story has Archie sticking up for Betty when Veronica is playing a cruel practical joke on her. Another has Archie turning Veronica down for the faithful Betty, when he sees that while he is a prize in Betty's eyes, to Veronica and Mr. Lodge he is something of a patsy. The final story, from the early '70s, is a serious one in which the Archies band is drafted, and makes it clear to a young draft-dodger that while they oppose the war in Viet Nam, they also reject the anarchic views of those who would defy the government by resisting the draft by any but peaceful means. It's a disturbing story that makes it clear that "Archie", at least during this era, was produced by Establishment types who failed to understand the ideals of the day's young people, and only saw "Archie" as a means to convincing them that while it was OK to oppose the government's decisions, it was not OK to defy them.… (mais)