Minor characters in Archie Comics
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This is a list of minor recurring characters who have appeared in the Archie Comics universe, and have interacted with Archie and friends either in the "mainstream" universe, or the "Little Archie" universe (which is counted as the same universe, only a decade in the past).
[edit] Adam the Alien
While he appears to be a white-haired human teenager with angular eyes, Adam is in reality an extraterrestrial being. Born on a prison-like orphanage asteroid, Adam escaped and now makes his way through the universe trying to discover his home planet. Among Adam's talents are shapeshifting, teleportation and levitation. Adam spent some time at Riverdale looking for clues about his past, but ultimately moved on to other planets.
[edit] Adam Chisholm
A young guy who recently moved to Riverdale. He is lanky, with brown hair, a thin face, and a medium-built frame. He enjoys playing sports such as surfing. He then became one of Betty's date partners.
[edit] Anita
A character that briefly appeared in the 1990s, who was both African-American and paraplegic. Rather than handling her disabilities naturally, Anita kept bringing them to the surface with comments like "my legs may not work, but at least my brain does". Ultimately she was jettisoned due to lack of reader interest. She was a love interest for both Jughead Jones and Dilton Doiley.
[edit] Aquarius
A hippie student with a laid-back outlook on life. A strict vegetarian ("I don't dig zappin' animals for food and rags, man"), he polarized the Archie gang with his views (so far as was allowed within Archie Comics, of course), but hasn't been seen since the 1970s.
[edit] Berdie
A student from England, Berdie was a carefree character whose main humorous function was misunderstandings arising from his thick Cockney accent. (For example, Miss Grundy once thought that Berdie was transferring to a private high school, when in reality he was going to a private eye school.) Presumably Berdie eventually did change schools, as he hasn't been seen since the 1970s.
[edit] Bunny and Cedric
Two students at Pembrooke Academy and sometime friends and co-conspirators of Cheryl and Jason Blossom. As members of the Snob Hill Society, Bunny and Cedric disdain Cheryl and Jason's pursuit of Archie and Veronica (the "townies") and take steps towards sabotaging the relationships. Both Bunny and Cedric are perpetually suave and emotionally distant, and speak in very clipped and haughty tones.
[edit] Central High Students
Riverdale's biggest scholastic and athletic rival, Central High seems to consist of nothing but villainous types. The males are generally thuggish, conniving brutes, and the females are usually lecherous, scheming vamps. In most of their encounters, Central students seldom compete without using unsportsmanlike conduct, if not out-and-out cheating. Often the coaches and teachers are not only aware of this skullduggery, but encourage it. In most cases, Central's team colors are bright red, contrasting Riverdale's blue.
[edit] Crystal the New Age Girl
A character briefly brought in to capitalize on the New Age movement, who endorsed transcendental meditation and the like. As the fad died out, Crystal made a quiet exit.
[edit] Debbie & Joanie
Two characters introduced when the writers were experimenting with giving Jughead not one, but two romantic interests. Debbie was a new girl at Riverdale High who Jughead developed a crush on, and Joanie was an old flame of Jughead's past who had moved to Riverdale and hoped to resume their relationship. While both Debbie and Joanie dated Jughead for a time, neither of them proved to be very interesting characters, even after Jughead ceased dating the both of them and the two became friends. Gradually both girls faded from view.
[edit] Mad Doctor Doom & Chester
Not to be confused with Marvel Comics' Doctor Doom, Mad Doctor Doom is a green-skinned mad scientist who has terrorized Archie and the gang since they were children, as they constantly foiled his plans of gaining great wealth and conquering the world. Doom was assisted by Chester, his nitwitted slacker nephew.
[edit] Evelyn Evernever
A young girl who was acquainted with Archie and friends when they were young. Evelyn was a shy girl with a bit of an inferiority complex, with tenuous relations to the rest of the gang. Her only real friend was her doll, Minerva. Evelyn Evernever likes to think of herself as a "bou'tiful" gal.
[edit] Eye-da
Perhaps the strangest character to ever grace the halls of Riverdale High, Eye-da was a fellow student of Archie and the gang and had the distinction of having one enormous eye where a head should be. Her appearance is all the more jarring considering she was depicted with the same trim, shapely figure as most of the teenage girls in Archie comics. The hideously grotesque Eye-da appeared at least twice in Archie comics of the late 1950s. The incongruity of her appearance to the more typical teenagers of Riverdale may have precluded her from appearing more often, as she usually appeared as nothing more than a sort of unexpected visual punchline at the end of a typical story featuring Betty and Veronica.
[edit] Mr. Fluteweed
Originally an orchestra teacher, he might be the origin of Professor Flutesnoot.
[edit] Freddie "Fangs" Fogarty
A fat, snaggle-toothed bully who tormented Archie, Jughead and Reggie in their younger years. Fangs was an unreasonable thug who brutally battered his classmates, either because they looked at his self-appointed girlfriend Penny, they insulted him behind his back, or for no reason at all. Presumably, he moved away at around the time Moose Mason arrived in Riverdale.
Fangs eventually showed up in the mainstream comics in a story titled "Blast from the Past", first printed in Archie's Double Digest #117 (August 2000). Now nicknamed Smiley, he had returned to Riverdale to apologize to his those he had formerly antagonized, now a tall, muscular, handsome young man.
[edit] Mayor Glibb
The mayor of Riverdale for a time. Apparently from Texas, Glibb always spoke grandiosely and wore a ten-gallon hat. He seemed to be more interested in publicity and fame than governing Riverdale properly.
[edit] Mr. Grimley
The guidance counselor at Riverdale High. Mr. Grimley often suffered severe ulcers after hearing the Riverdale students' outlandish career plans. He did not stay at Riverdale very long, for obvious reasons.
[edit] Claude and Raoul Hopper
Two acquaintances of Archie and the gang who were skilled in breakdancing. They had a rather bizarre role, often showing up out of the blue to provide sage advice to Archie, based on their inner-city background. Despite their mutual last name, Claude is black and Raoul is white. The Hoppers have not been seen since the 1990s.
[edit] Patton Howitzer
A former Marine and Riverdale's vice-principal, Howitzer temporarily filled in for Mr. Weatherbee as principal, turning Riverdale High into a virtual boot camp. After Mr. Weatherbee returned, Howitzer stayed on as vice-principal, although he has toned down his disciplinary manner somewhat. He has disappeared from view in recent years except for an appearance in Tales from Riverdale #1. It indicated that he was still tough on the students.
[edit] Jingles
A magical elf in the employ of Santa Claus, who often shows up in Riverdale during the Christmas season. While Jingles can be a bit clumsy and hot-tempered, he often manages to use his magical powers to create a happy ending. Adults cannot see Jingles, and it is implied that Archie and the gang's interactions with Jingles will someday come to an end. Jingles will make an appearance in Betty and Veronica Spectacular #76 [1].
[edit] Jinx Malloy
A gloomy, scrawny fellow who causes horrible calamity wherever he goes, and thus has earned the scorn of Riverdale's citizens, who often take great lengths to avoid him. Finally Jinx appeared cured of his affliction due to the influence of his new girlfriend, Lucky Penny. However, she seems to have disappeared. Also, some recent stories have shown that Jinx is unlucky again.
[edit] January McAndrews
She is the 29th century descendant of Archie, and is one of the characters in the short-lived Jughead's Time Police. One of the few girls that Jughead truly loves, she is also his superior in the Time Police squad.
[edit] Malcolm Meeks
A timid substitute teacher at Riverdale, Malcolm Meeks eventually revealed that his timorous nature was the result of his frustration of being unable to save a comrade when he served in the Vietnam War. Finally Meeks found peace with himself when he saved the victims of a helicopter crash, and took a full-time teaching job at the nearby Tri-City College Preparatory High School. He was just minutes away from the local airport where he would spend his after school hours investigating the wonders of flight. Someday, he mused, he would fly with the local Blue Eagles Team and touch the sky and go beyond the limits of the clouds. Like a lot of the characters on this page, he has disappeared from view in recent years.
[edit] Marcie
Veronica's nerdy cousin who comes to visit her pretty often. She is a total sci-fi lover who enjoys comic book conventions. Veronica is a bit indifferent towards her lifestyle, but Marcie still hangs around and sometimes works as Ron's assistant whenever needed.
[edit] Cricket O'Dell
A pert, freckled girl with the unusual ability to smell money. Cricket O'Dell could even tell exactly how much cash a person had on him or her, and detect counterfeit money. This character proved to have extremely limited use, and faded from view in short order. However, she recently appeared in Archie and Friends #91.
[edit] Ambrose Pipps
A small, shy boy with a large nose and an outsized baseball cap pulled over his face. Ambrose was the tagalong of Archie's gang when they were young. Although Ambrose's loyalty was unflagging, Little Archie took pride in bullying and exploiting him, without ever letting him join the "good ol' gang". Although a teenage Archie was apprehensive when Ambrose returned to Riverdale after several years' absence, Ambrose held no grudges, and the two became good friends.
[edit] The Potholes
A heavy metal band and friends of Jughead when he was infatuated with the skateboarding culture. While the four band members - Scum, Slime, Scud and Slug - differed visually, they had no real personalities to speak of. Ultimately, Jughead quit hanging out with them, and they vanished.
[edit] Randolph "Randy"
This cosmopolitan character is another young guy who recently moved into Riverdale. He's built almost like Adam Chisholm, but with shoulder-length brown hair (done in a ponytail), and glasses. He always wears a black top hat (with a red band); he may be seen also wearing a black cape with red lining. Randolph enjoys his Japanese anime cartoon Captain Tuxedo: he's often found dressing like this superhero, and wants to emulate him. Randy even watches every cartoon episode of Captain Tuxedo he can come across. Despite his anime urges for the superhero Captain Tuxedo, Randy may also be found dating Veronica.
[edit] Maria Rodriguez
Frankie Valdez' girlfriend, a Hispanic girl who, while shy and friendly, eventually evolved into a more forceful and fiery character. Maria is well-liked among Archie's gang. In the past, she was seldom seen except in conjunction with Frankie. In today's Archie comics. Maria works as teen editor for "Sparkle Magazine". She works with many models and Betty and Veronica often help her create new fashion lines. "Sparkle" is located in New York City and Maria spends half of her time there and the other half in Riverdale.
[edit] Ramon Rodriguez
Maria's father, and for a time the vice-principal of Riverdale High. His initials earned him the affectionate nickname of "Choo-Choo".
[edit] Samm
A thin, bespectacled man who often appeared in crowd scenes, or on posters (most of which read "Vote for Samm"). He was a self-portrait of his creator, Samm Schwartz.
[edit] "Slimy" Sal Monella
Sal Monella was the villain of the short-lived "Jughead's Diner" comic book. He has been attempting domination on Dinersville with his fast food chain, but is unable to take over the independent restaurant that Jughead owns. His name is a pun on the disease salmonella.
[edit] Sue Stringly
A poor little girl who knew Archie and the gang when they were young. Sue's family didn't have much money, and they lived in a shack near the railway tracks. Despite this, Sue was an upbeat, cheerful girl who never complained or despaired over her predicament. While most of the school students didn't want anything to do with her, eventually Sue became good friends with Little Archie and Veronica. Her father was sometimes said to be working in a pickle plant. Sue also lived next to a coal mine. In one story she was called a cousin of Veronica Lodge.
[edit] Sundance
A transfer student from California, Sundance is similar to Aquarius in that he is a "hippie" as well as a vegetarian. His Californian way of speaking (using terms like "bummed out") captured Betty and Veronica, but they began racing back when Sundance introduced his sister Moondance, who Archie and Reggie found extremely attractive.
[edit] Trula Twyst
A femme fatale who made it her personal mission to reverse Jughead's woman-hating. The resulting battle of the sexes was ultimately a draw. Despite this, she still occasionally appears, most recently in Jughead and Friends #13.
[edit] Frankie Valdez
A student of Puerto Rican ancestry, Frankie is flamboyant, romantic, quick-witted, and a bit of a show-off, which has earned him the rivalry of Reggie Mantle. Maria is his long-suffering girlfriend, although their relationship has gone through many ups and downs through the years. Recently Frankie won an American Idol-style competition, singing an original song he co-wrote with Maria. Frankie also is in a duet group with Brigitte, Riverdale's token "chubby" girl. They are very popular in the Riverdale scene.
[edit] Wendy "Double W" Weatherbee
She first appeared in Tales of Riverdale #10. Veronica thought she was too quirky but Betty liked her. Archie and Reggie tried to hit on her but once they found out she was Mr. Weatherbee's niece, they avoided her like the plague. She appeared a few months later in Jughead and Friends #12. She still wasn't able to meet any boys because of her connection to Mr. Weatherbee. Jughead met W.W(as she likes to call herself) and W.W tried to start a relationship with him but Jughead balked once he realized that she was Mr. Weatherbee's niece. He ran away and went back to Ethel. She has her own website and has weird fashion sense. Her website had a major role in a story in Betty and Veronica Double Digest #144 (although she didn't actually appear in the story herself except as pictures on the website). She has a pet tarantula named Tara. She belongs to an entomology club. As of August 2006, she is the newest secondary character in Archie Comics. Time will tell if this character has staying power.
[edit] O. O. Wellenmellen and Bruce Baby
A rotund, pompous movie director, Wellenmellen is known for filming spectacular, if patently ridiculous art films. His catchphrase is "Nobody but nobody says 'no' to O. O. Wellenmellen!" Bruce Baby is his overeager, effeminate, sandal-clad assistant.
[edit] Mr. Wood
The surly, sarcastic shop teacher at Riverdale High, with a perpetual scowl on his chiseled face. He hasn't been seen since the 1980s. He was also occasionally referred to as "Mr. Kroskut".
[edit] Brigitte
She is an exchange student from Waynesboro High. Betty was the first one to meet her and introduced to Veronica and others. She is in a group consisting of herself and Frankie Valdez. She does not always appear in the story.
