Groove's Faves: "Keep It Under Your Hat" by Doyle, Lucey, and Stone

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! It's been way too long since we got some yuks and chuckles from Archie and the Gang! Here's a good'un from Archie #228 (May, 1973) by Frank Doyle, Harry Lucey, and Chic Stone: "Keep It Under Your Hat"!

Random Reads: "The Outcast" by Doyle, Lucey, and Stone

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Y'know, in this day of multiverse Archies, zombie-fighting Archies*, and soon-do-bite-the-big-one Archies, it's nice to travel back to the Groovy Age when our favorite teen's biggest problem was being too well-loved! From Archie #236 (April 1974), here's "The Outcast" by Frank Doyle, Harry Lucey, and Chic Stone!

(*Ol' Groove'll come clean here--Afterlife With Archie is at the top of my modern must-read list! Robert Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla are incredible!)

Groove's Faves: "Temptation" by Doyle, Lucey, and Stone

Season's Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Today we're going back to Archie #232 (November 1973) for the lead feature by Frank Doyle, Harry Lucey, and Chic Stone. "Temptation" is a perfect example of how well the folks at Archie Comics were able to uplift and inspire the best in us during the Christmas Season year after year. 'Tis always better to give than receive--even when your Reggie Mantle. Read on!

Random Reads: "Shopper Comes a Cropper" by Gladir, Lucey, and Stone

Merry Christmas, Groove-ophiles! Are you finished with your holiday shopping? Me neither! The closer it gets, the more...fun..it gets, right? Riiiiiight! Times like this, Ol' Groove can sure empathize with with our favorite teen, Archie Andrews! Check out how he handles the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping in this classic George Gladir/Harry Lucey/Chic Stone short from Archie #232 (November 1974), "Shopper Comes a Cropper"!

Random Reads: "This Unchanging World" by Doyle and Lucey

Here ya go, Groove-ophiles! Only the fine folks at Archie Comics could give you a social studies lesson and a couple'a giggles all in the span of five pages! From Archie #215 (November 1971), here's a chapter on male/female dynamics called "This Unchanging World" by Frank Doyle and Harry Lucey. Dig it!

Random Reads: "It's a Gift" by Doyle, Lucey, and Stone

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! We're gonna start our week off with a knee-slapper from the "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" Department, courtesy Frank Doyle, Harry Lucey, and Chic Stone. From Archie #217 (January 1972), here's "It's a Gift"...

Groove's Faves: "Mental Block" by Doyle and Lucey

The Generation Gap! Television! The Arts. Rock and Roll! What's Ol' Groove blabbering about? Why the trials and tribulations of Archie Andrews, of course! From Archie #236 (April 1974) here's "Mental Block" by Frank Doyle, Harry Lucey, and Chic Stone!

Now That's Heavy, Man: "The Tangled Web" by Malmgren and Bolling

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! If you know much about comics of the early 1970s, you know that comicbooks got pretty heavy into dealing with "issues of the day". We called the trend "relevance". Some of the most famous were the Spider-Man "drug issues", Captain America dealing with corrupt government, and, of course, the legendary (and that overused adjective honestly fits here) Green Lantern/Green Arrow series. We also had lots of mags with the JLA dealing with pollution, the Teen Titans battling the Generation Gap, Wonder Woman doing her thing for Women's Lib, and of course The Batman taking down dope dealers and muggers.

One publisher, though, did more than their fair share to bring relevance to their readers. They, too, dealt with things like pollution, the Generation Gap, Women's Lib, and yes, even muggers. That company, believe it or don't, was Archie Comics. All the mags in the Archie line touched on real issues of the day at one time or another, but a few, especially Betty and Me and Life with Archie, found ways to deal with the human condition (yes, even religion) in a gentle, semi-humorous, sincere way.

Dick Malmgren and Bob Bolling's "The Tangled Web" (Life With Archie #112) is a story that has stuck with me ever since I brought that mag home from the local King Kwik back in May, 1971. In one ten page story that angered, saddened, and, yes, educated Young Groove, I learned lessons about honesty, responsiblity, friendship, and citizenship that have remained part of me to this day.

Now THAT'S heavy, man!