Minor characters in Archie Comics
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of minor recurring characters who have appeared in the Archie Comics universe. Most have interacted with Archie and his friends in the "mainstream" universe, but a few appeared only in "alternate universes" or the Little Archie universe (which is counted as the same universe as mainstream stories, only a decade in the past). Characters who have only ever appeared in a single story are not listed here. Characters who have their own Wikipedia entry are not considered minor, and are not listed here. (A complete list of all Archie Comics characters is also on Wikipedia.)
It is often unclear if or when a minor character has stopped appearing permanently, as they appear irregularly and tend to disappear inexplicably. Some characters return after being on hiatus for years. Therefore, characters have been categorized by the time of their first appearance (meaning the original printing, not digest reprints) and not by current relevance.
[edit] Teenaged characters
[edit] Teenaged introduced prior to the late 1960s
[edit] Debbie and Dilly Dalton
In the early years, identical blonde twins Debbie and Dilly Dalton appeared. Both pursued Jughead, but enjoyed sharing him.
[edit] Eye-da
One of the stranger characters to appear at Riverdale High, Eye-da was a student with 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. She 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.
However, she became a significant character many years later in one of the many incarnations of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. When Sabrina and her aunts moved to Gravestone Heights, a city inhabited by witches, ghosts and monsters, Eye-da (who seemed less out of place there) and an invisible girl named Cleara became Sabrina’s best friends.
[edit] Ophelia Gluetenschnable
This tall stringy girl evolved into Ethel Muggs, but was even less attractive than Ethel. Her boy-chasing tendencies, particularly toward Jughead, made her seem a bit crazy. In one story, she had unattractive friends Minnie Muenster and Sophie Schlitz who were interested in Archie and Reggie.
[edit] Lottie Little
This petite blonde girl was actually an early concept of Midge because she dated Moose, and he beat up anyone who talked to her. She showed some romantic interest in Jughead.
[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. Archie and his friends are often victims of the misfortune he spreads. Stories featuring him tend to be about the characters trying to protect themselves from the bad luck he causes. Sometimes, Archie and the gang use his bad luck to influence their enemies. He usually appears slightly shorter than most of the gang, and has sandy hair and a prominent, angular nose.
When he causes trouble, he doesn’t seem to know it’s happening, so he doesn’t know why people avoid him or call him "Jinx". This implies that Jinx is not his real first name. Although he appeared at least as early as the 1960s (possibly longer) and has continued to make appearances since, he still only appears occasionally and randomly. This makes him and Cricket O’Dell the longest-lasting minor teenaged characters in Archie Comics. Briefly, Jinx had a girlfriend know as Lucky Penny because of her constant good luck. She was the only one who could be around him without becoming victim to his because extremely good luck came to her whatever she did. Her good luck did not work on anyone else, so Jinx would cause as much bad luck as ever. However, Penny did not prove to be an interesting character, and appeared only in a couple of stories.
The 2007 story "Civil Chore", featured in Tales of Riverdale #22-24 was perhaps the largest milestone ever for minor Archie characters. Besides Jinx and Cricket, it featured cameos of Frankie Valdez, Maria Rodriguez, Wendy Weatherbee, the Blossom twins, all four of the Bingoes (plus Uncle Herman), Josie and the Pussycats (plus the Cabot twins and Pepper), Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Adam Chisholm, Brigitte Reilly, Ambrose Pipps, Spotty the dog, Li'l Jinx and her friend Charley Hawse, Marcy, Raj Patel, Trula Twyst, Leroy, Nick St. Clair, Alison Adams, Debbie and Joani, and January McAndrews (artist Fernando Ruiz and his then-fiancée Carrie also appeared).
[edit] Streaky Shore
In the 1940s, he was a jock at Riverdale High. His nickname came from his ability to run fast. He was apparently conceived as a friend of Reggie, but didn’t last beyond the first few years.
[edit] Theodosius Tadpole
Theodosius (Theo for short) was an early concept of Dilton Doiley in the 1940s. After a few appearances, he was later renamed Dilbert, and finally Dilton. Interestingly, as Theodosius, he had a sister named May (a shy, bespectacled brunette, also a Riverdale High Student), but Dilton appears to be an only child.
[edit] U.G.A.J.
United Girls Against Jughead. This group of girls is a union dedicated to making Jughead start liking girls, lest other boys follow his lead. Although Archie Comics abandoned the concept in the 1960s, Trula Twyst’s introduction brought J.U.S.T. (Jughead Under Surveillance Team), a similar group that also targets Jughead’s eating and sleeping habits as well as his dislike of girls. J.U.S.T. disappeared after Trula Twyst became a permanent character, but the saga’s popularity spawned a reintroduction of U.G.A.J. (though, unlike J.U.S.T., they still only target Jughead’s dislike of girls).
[edit] Teenaged characters introduced in the late 1960s and 1970s
[edit] Angel Angelino
First appearance: Life with Archie #80
Even stronger than Moose and a bigger ladies man than Reggie, this character first appeared in the more serious "adventure" stories in Life With Archie. In stories about him, he often seemed infallible when compared another boy…until the end when it is revealed that he’s not perfect. However, Reggie and Moose would have worked as well in his role, so he had no reason to stay in the comics.
[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] 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] Cheryl and Lori
Two girls who were apparently the forerunners of Debbie and Joani. After Jughead got a strange new hatpin, he began dating girls. Supposedly, the hatpin was like a love magnet: It made girls, particularly Cheryl and Lori, find him attractive. However, fans preferred the old Jughead, so his ladies-man tendencies disappeared quickly. Any later attempts to give Jughead girlfriends did not last long either. Cheryl, who was blonde, is not the same character as red-haired Cheryl Blossom, who first appeared years later.
[edit] Frankie
A black-haired boy with who was very briefly in the comics in the early 1970s. In the adventures he shared with Archie, he filled the role of Chuck Clayton, who replaced Frankie. Not to be confused with Frankie Valdez who first appeared a few years later.
[edit] Geri
A girl who appeared a few times in single-page gags in the 1960s. She can be recognized by her long golden hair worn in a flip.
[edit] Maria Rodriguez
Frankie Valdez' girlfriend, a Hispanic girl who started out as shy but friendly, and a bit of a “plain Jane”. Despite this, she eventually evolved into a more forceful and fiery character. In the past, she was seldom seen except in conjunction with Frankie. She was introduced as the daughter of the new vice-principal Mr. Rodriguez. While Maria continued to appear, her father did not. Frankie and Maria were added for ethnic diversity, following the success of Chuck and Nancy. The four of them became good friends.
For a time, she had black hair and usually wore it in a bun. However, it wasn’t long before her hair became brown and she would tend to wear it down. Maria is well-liked among Archie's gang. Initially, when Frankie and Brigitte became a musical duet, Maria got jealous. She was worried that he was going to leave her for Brigitte, but thankfully came to realize that the two are just friends. Along with Chuck and Nancy, and Moose and Midge, Frankie and Maria are one of the few definite couples in Archie Comics. She is also a friend of Betty and Veronica.
[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. At first, many considered him to be simply another Reggie, although he is nowhere near the exaggerated narcissist/ladies man that Reggie is. However, this comparison not prevented him from joining the cast permanently. He is good friends with Archie Andrews and Chuck Clayton.
Maria is his long-suffering girlfriend, although their relationship has gone through many ups and downs through the years. The two had small roles in the first issue each of Tales From Riverdale Digest and Jughead and Friends Digest. Frankie sings and plays the guitar. He once won an American Idol-style competition, singing an original song he co-wrote with Maria. The Archies and Brigitte Reilly (Riverdale’s token "chubby" girl) were among his competition. Frankie also is in a singing duet group with Brigitte. They are very popular in the Riverdale scene. Their partnership opened up the possibility of a new love triangle between Brigitte, Frankie and Maria, but it did not last.
[edit] Teenaged characters introduced in the 1980s and early 1990s
[edit] Adam the Alien
While he appeared 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. Not to be confused with Adam Chisholm.
[edit] Aerobic Liz
Aerobics Liz, or "Liz" for short, is the local Riverdale aerobics instructor who appeared in a few stories in the early 1990s. She appears occasionally in Jughead and is fascinated by Jughead's metabolism but encourages him to be healthy. She has also taught Veronica an aerobics class when Veronica panicked over gaining some weight. She threw Veronica out of her place, but later Veronica said she admired Liz for standing up to her. She had red hair and freckles, but there was nothing to suggest a connection between her and Archie.
[edit] Bunny and Cedric
Two students at Pembrooke Academy and sometime friends and co-conspirators of Cheryl and Jason Blossom. Cedric, who sports blonde curly hair, is Jason’s best friend and occasionally accompanies him in his schemes as his sidekick, while black-haired Bunny is closer to Cheryl. As members of the Snob Hill Society, Bunny and Cedric disdain Cheryl and Jason's pursuit of Archie, Betty 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] Anita Chavita
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. However, she is worthy of note because she was a love interest for both Jughead Jones and Dilton Doiley, making her the first instance, in an Archie comic, of interracial or interethnic romance.
[edit] Debbie & Joanie
The two characters were introduced when the writers experimented with giving Jughead not one, but two romantic interests. This gave Jughead his own Betty-Archie-Veronica-style love triangle. Debbie was a new girl at Riverdale High whom Jughead developed a crush on, and Joanie Jumpp was an old flame from Jughead's past who had moved to Riverdale and hoped to resume their relationship. While both Debbie and Joanie dated Jughead for a time (Joanie even got on at least one Digest cover), neither of them proved to be very long-lasting characters. After Jughead ceased dating the both of them, the two became friends and both girls faded from view.
[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 tall and black and Raoul (sometimes spelled Raul) is short and white. As a dancing duo, they dubbed themselves the Hip Hoppers, and have been known to work with the Archies. The Hoppers have not been seen since the 1990s.
[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. She ran a store of New Age products in the mall in the early 1990s. During this time, she made friends with Aerobic Liz, who ran the fitness centre next door. In her first appearance, she, Liz, and Veronica did a lively rap-style dance in her shop. Although she appears to be a hippie, she is not from the hippie era; mainstream popularity of the New Age came in the 1980s and 1990s. As the fad died out, Crystal made a quiet exit.
[edit] Jeffrey
This blind boy, constantly seen with his guide dog Spike, was a love interest for Ethel Muggs. The idea for his character was based on the fact that the blind cannot judge people by appearance, so Jeff would find Ethel attractive in ways that most boys fail to notice. He was around at the same time as Anita (see above), and was dropped for the same reason.
[edit] Lucky Penny
Penny was Jinx Malloy’s short-lived girlfriend. Nicknamed "Lucky Penny", she had the ability to ward off Jinx's bad luck with her good luck. In her first appearance, everyone warned her about Jinx, but she still managed to find gold coins hidden under a tree and then got a job as a model for an advertising company, proving her immunity to Jinx’s bad luck. She appeared at least twice.
[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] Glenn Scarpelli
It is rare for Archie Comics to feature actual celebrities in their comics rather than parodies of celebrities. However, in the 1980s, actor-singer Glenn Scarpelli, the son of Archie Comics artist Henry Scarpelli, made a few appearances, when his career was at its height.
[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] Sassy Thrasher
During the late-1980s and early 1990s, Jughead got a "skater punk" makeover. At this time, Sassy, like Anita, Jeff, and the Potholes, was added as a member of the Jughead cast. She was very rebellious and fond of skateboarding, but proved no more interesting than the others. She, like the other characters in the makeover, didn’t last very long, nor did the makeover itself.
[edit] Teenaged characters introduced in the late 1990s
[edit] Googie Gilmore
In the late 1990s, Jughead and his family moved to a different house in Riverdale. The next-door neighbours were the Gilmores. Their daughter Googie was obsessed with health food, and always tried to get Jughead to change his eating habits and give up junk food. However, before she stopped appearing, she and Jughead ended with a truce and a compromise.
[edit] Brigitte Reilly
A brown haired, “chubby” girl who was introduced in the late-1990s and who is close to Betty and Veronica. She is an exchange student from Waynesboro High, Centerville. Betty was the first one to meet her and introduced to Veronica and others. Brigitte is one of the few female teenagers in the Archie Comics universe without an hourglass figure. Although she lacks the sexy appearance of most of Riverdale’s girls, she is not portrayed in a comical or ugly fashion (as she might have in the early years of Archie), but has been made as attractive as possible. Briefly, Maria was actually jealous of Brigitte’s friendship with Frankie.
When she was introduced, she joined the school show, and turned out to be good at singing. She’s also a guitarist, and has a record deal in Central City. In a few stories, she is in a musical duet consisting of herself and Frankie Valdez--she sings and Frankie plays the guitar--but in other stories, she is often a solo artist. When the Spice Girls were popular, she, Betty and Veronica formed a group called the Sassy Girls. However, Brigitte outshined the others, so Betty and Veronica returned to the Archies and let Brigitte go solo. Brigitte is known to date Dilton Doiley. Generally peaceful and friendly, Brigitte is on good terms with everyone in Riverdale. For a minor character, she has been featured prominently on the Archie Comics website [1].
[edit] Trula Twyst
First appearance: Jughead #89, Vol. 2
A femme fatale who made it her personal mission to reverse Jughead's woman-hating tendency. A three-part miniseries introduced her. She formed an organization of girls called J.U.S.T. (Jughead Under Surveillance Team) to help make Jughead forget about food, television, and oversleeping in favour of girls. The resulting battle of the sexes was ultimately a draw. Jughead retained his old ways.
She still occasionally appears and causes trouble for him. She is a student of psychology, and studies the behaviour of her peers, especially Jughead’s. She has a strange ability to predict Jughead’s every move. While Reggie’s schemes against Jughead tend to backfire, Jughead can’t escape Trula. Her mother is Krista Twyst, a well-known writer.
[edit] Teenaged characters introduced in the early 2000s
[edit] Alison Adams
A spectacled brown-haired girl who appeared a few times in the 2000s. She belonged to the same science club as Dilton. The two were very friendly, but did not seem to become more than "just friends".
[edit] Alistair Andrews
Archie’s rich cousin who appeared in a couple of multipart stories. He looks exactly like Archie.
[edit] Adam Chisholm
First appearance: Betty #87
A young guy who recently moved to Riverdale. He is lanky, with brown hair, a thin face, and a medium-built frame. He is slightly taller than Archie or Reggie. He enjoys playing sports such as surfing and football. As soon as he arrived, he became one of Betty's date partners. He is Archie’s main rival for Betty’s affections. Archie thinks very lowly of him, but he’s only prejudiced against Adam because he doesn’t want him to steal Betty from him. One of the few times when Archie gives Betty his undivided attentions is when there’s a chance of Adam getting a date with her. Adam shows little interest in any other girl. In Jughead & Friends #1, his date for a dance was Ginger Lopez, but that was mainly because Betty was already going to the dance with Archie.
In Betty #87, Adam was introduced, and was deeply in love with Betty. She started falling for him, which gave her a dilemma: should she stay with Archie who frequently neglected her, or leave him for Adam? Readers were asked what she should do. This was followed up in Betty #99 and #100, where Betty appeared to be leaving Archie for good, but the two-part story ended with Betty doing what readers voted for: date both. She continues to do so to this day. Like the Blossom twins, Adam has proven a successful addition to the infamous love triangle (though, with Reggie, Adam and the Blossom twins involved, it is not really a triangle anymore).
[edit] Ginger Lopez
A Spanish-American girl who lives in Riverdale with her parents and her younger twin sisters Eliza and Teresa. To keeps her from being confused with Maria Rodriguez, she has blonde bangs and a single mole on her cheek. Ginger 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 Ginger spends half of her time there and the other half in Riverdale. She has no permanent boyfriend, and frequently dates outside of her ethnicity, unlike Maria and Nancy.
Her introduction was a bit different from other characters. In the early 2000s, she was originally intended to replace Cheryl Blossom, whom the creators of Archie Comics thought was not popular enough to keep in the comics. In some story reprints, Cheryl’s hair was re-colored and the text was changed to have her be replaced by Ginger in the story. Many fans were not happy with this, so Cheryl was brought back once again, and Ginger was given stories of her own as a separate character. Initially, Ginger had Cheryl’s personality, and so appeared to be a rival of Veronica. But with Cheryl’s return, there was no need for this, so Ginger’s mean streak was dropped and she became a much nicer character.
[edit] Marcy
Veronica's nerdy cousin who comes to visit her now and then. She is a devoted sci-fi lover who enjoys comic book conventions and Space Trek (a parody of Star Trek). Veronica is a bit indifferent towards her lifestyle, but Marcy still hangs around and sometimes works as Veronica's assistant whenever needed. She has auburn hair and is a freshman at Riverdale High. Her glasses’ oddly-shaped frames reflect her fondness for science fiction.
[edit] Randy (Randolph)
This cosmopolitan character is another young guy who moved to Riverdale for a while. He is built almost like Adam Chisholm, with a shoulder-length ponytail of brown hair, glasses, a black top hat with a red band, and sometimes a black cape with red lining. Randy enjoys the Japanese anime Captain Tuxedo (a parody of the character Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon), and watches every episode he can. He often dresses like this superhero, and wants to emulate him. Despite his anime urges for Captain Tuxedo, Randy has been known to date Veronica.
[edit] Kim Wong
A Chinese teenager who moved to Riverdale after her father opened a branch of Wong Enterprises in Riverdale. She is good at martial arts, and is a friend of Betty and Veronica. Though she does not appear as often as Tomoko Yoshida, both are recurring characters. In this way, there are different characters to represent different regions of East Asia, rather than a single token character.
[edit] Tomoko Yoshida
A new Japanese student who hangs around with Betty. She is yet another member of the cast added in the early 2000s. She is an excellent writer and works on the school paper. Like Betty, her dream is to be a professional writer. Before her introduction, Asian people had been seen in the comics, but never as recurring characters. Other Asian teenagers may still appear, but Tomoko is the most frequently-seen. Her surname has also been occasionally given as Morizawa. She has a brother named Akira.
[edit] Teenaged characters introduced in the late 2000s
[edit] Raj Patel
Yet another new student at Riverdale High. Raj is of Indian descent and lives with his father Ravi, his mother Mona and his sister Tina. He befriended Archie after moving to town. Raj’s favorite hobby is filmmaking. He is an expert on no budget special effects, and builds his own models for science fiction movies. He is well-liked at school, but sometimes his filmmaking gets on people's nerves. Ravi Patel is a doctor who wishes his son would take up more serious issues. Tina is a year younger than Raj, but she is such a good student that she was moved up a grade so that both she and Raj are in the same year as Archie and the gang. After Raj's introduction, he often appeared in daily newspaper strips as well.
[edit] Nick St. Clair
First appearance: Betty & Veronica Double Digest #151
A character introduced for the four-part “Bad Boy Trouble” when Archie Comics was experimenting with a more realistic style. He also had a small cameo in Part 3 of “Civil Chore”. Nick is a teenaged delinquent. He moved to town to live with his aunt and uncle. After sneaking into a movie, he fell for Veronica, and vice-versa. Betty and Midge tried hopelessly to convince her that dating him was a bad idea. Mr. Lodge forbid Veronica to date Nick, but she secretly disobeyed. Nick also kept trying to hit on Betty, but she wanted nothing to do with him. He began picking fights, stealing, cutting classes, breaking school rules, bullying the boys, and was proud of his lifestyle.
Everyone but Veronica saw through him. He was not, however, as tough as he pretended to be, as Archie easily beat him in a boxing match. Veronica accused Betty of being jealous, and Betty decided that the only way to make Veronica see the truth was to go on a date with Nick. This resulted in Veronica breaking off with both of them. Nick couldn’t beat anyone up, as now, the gang was confronting him together. The next day, Nick is not seen, as he has been sent to a military school, but he is glad that he is being straightened out (or at least he claims to be). Veronica learned why Betty went out with Nick, and forgave her immediately.
[edit] The Veronicas
When Jess and Lisa Origliasso became a pop duet called The Veronicas after Veronica Lodge, a lawsuit from Archie Comics followed. It was soon settled, and, as a promotion for both parties, Jess and Lisa appeared in some stories in the 2000s, often alongside either their namesake or The Archies band. They even appear against Puffy AmiYumi in Celebrity Deathmatch, reading Archie Comics
[edit] Adult characters
[edit] Faculty members
[edit] Mr. Adams
First appearance: Archie & Friends #117
A humanities teacher at Riverdale High. He is an internationalist, and believes travel abroad is educational. In his first year at Riverdale High, he was able to organize a five-city European & African trip for Riverdale students (including Archie and the gang). Mr. Adams is African-American.
[edit] Mr. Philo Fluteweed
Originally an orchestra teacher, he might be the origin of Professor Flutesnoot.
[edit] Mr. Putnam Grimley
The guidance counselor at Riverdale High. Mr. Grimley often suffered severe ulcers after hearing the Riverdale students' outlandish career plans. At some point, he apparently switched to teaching Driver’s Education, hoping it would be less stressful, but found the reverse to be true.
[edit] Miss Haggly
An old, portly woman with white hair and a shrivelled face. She usually teaches history. For a time, she appeared to be one of the main members of the faculty, being around since the early days, but, as of the 1990s, she began appearing less and less frequently. She has not, however, been officially dropped from the comics.
[edit] Superintendent Herkimer Hassle
The superintendent of the Riverdale school board, who is often not impressed with Mr. Weatherbee. In some stories, when he comes to inspect the school, he is impressed with some of the things Archie and the gang does, despite Mr. Weatherbee thinking their antics will ruin the inspection.
[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 all but disappeared from view in recent years (a recent appearance in Tales from Riverdale #1 indicated that he was still tough on the students.)
[edit] Malcolm Meeks
A timid substitute teacher at Riverdale in the 1980s, 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 many characters, he disappeared from view.
[edit] Ms. Phlips
Mr. Weatherbee’s secretary who still appears occasionally in new stories. She has not been around as long as many other well-known faculty members have. Ms. Phlips is portrayed as an attractive young woman, unlike Ms. Grundy, Ms. Beazley and the other aging faculty members who have looked old since the early years of Archie Comics. Notably, her name is spelled "Phlips" with one "i", instead of her having the common last name "Philips".
[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". He is apparently a famous artist, as dictated in one Archie story that he is "the" Ramon Rodriguez.
[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] Other Minor Recurring Faculty Members
- Ms. Harriet Burble: Guidance Councillor
- Ms. Crouton: Home Economics Teacher
- Mr. Flores: Computers/Mathematics Teacher
- Mr. Johnson: Janitor (may have evolved into Mr. Svenson)
- Ms. Kandinsky: Art Teacher
- Mr. Monet: Art Teacher
- Ms. Patti Pacer: Physical Education Teacher
- Prof. Samantha Lovett: Drama Teacher
[edit] Families of Archie characters
[edit] Artie Andrews
Archie's paternal grandfather who appeared sporadically for years before actually receiving his first name. Sometimes his hair is white, sometimes it is orange, and sometimes it has only partly lost its color. However, his hair almost always has the same criss-cross pattern as Archie (which Archie's father oddly lacks). He got his name in Archie Digest #239 in October 2007. Mr. Lodge showed him and Archie a classic car that looked like Archie’s original jalopy. It was the car Artie had as a teenager, when he looked and dressed like Archie from the 1940s. His girlfriend (and eventual wife) Bernice was nearly identical to Betty as a teenager, so when Artie said he married her, Veronica was displeased. His best friend as a teenager was Curly, who looked a lot like Jughead.
[edit] Clifford and Penelope Blossom
The parents of Cheryl Blossom and her twin brother Jason. Penelope is an attractive woman with the same bright red hair as Cheryl, while Clifford's hair is somewhat darker like Jason's and he has a goatee. Created in the age of yuppies, the Blossoms are a wealthy family, due to the fortune Clifford Blossom made as a software designer.
[edit] Polly and Chic Cooper
Betty’s older sister and brother were introduced in Little Archie in the 1960s as teenagers. For years, they were not canonical characters. However, by the 1990s, Archie Comics began to tie Little Archie into the main continuity with characters that originally only appeared in Little Archie. Both have strawberry-blonde hair, are currently in their twenties and are close to each other in age, but are significantly older than Betty (Polly still affectionately calls her "baby sister" on occasion). Polly works as a news reporter in San Francisco, and Chic works as a secret agent for the government. Both occasionally visit their family, though Polly has made more appearances.
[edit] Mrs. Doiley
Dilton’s mother has made a few appearances. She appears similar to Mrs. Andrews or Mrs. Cooper, except for being a bespectacled brunette woman.
[edit] The Lopez Family
Ginger Lopez's parents are Eduardo and Gloria Lopez. She also has younger twin sisters named Teresa and Eliza. Little is known about Ginger’s family. Eduardo is a well-known chef.
[edit] Ricky Mantle
Unlike the parents of Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead, who are featured quite prominently, Reggie’s parents are rarely even used in the comics. However, Reggie's father Ricky Mantle has made rare appearances as the owner of the local newspaper. Nothing is known of Reggie’s mother other than her existence.
[edit] Mr. Lodge’s employees
[edit] Gaston
The Lodge Mansion’s French chef. He speaks with a bad French accent, and is very temperamental, especially when the subject is his cooking. Along with Ms. Beazley and Pop Tate, he is one of Jughead’s favorite cooks. Occasionally, the family chef’s name is given as Pierre.
[edit] Saranda Yates Jones and Harry S. Fulmonovich
Saranda is the daughter of yuppies Michael Jack "Mike" and Sophia Victoria "Summer" Jones (née Thomas), who both died when she was young. She was raised by relatives of Jughead Jones' family, and attended local schools. At Riverdale University, she majored in secretarial studies and computer applications. She briefly worked as a secretary for the elderly Judge Jack Bookum at Riverdale Court House. They were seen working on a case involving Reggie's father being jailed for something that he didn't do (he was released). Shortly thereafter, Saranda took a similar position at RSI, where she was assigned to Harry (whom Mr. Lodge hired as a programmer). They then got acquainted, and started dating steadily. The couple now live at Fulmonovich Estates (a mansion on the northwest corner of Riverdale).
Saranda is mellow, bubbly and very smart. She wears long ladylike skirts and dresses with matching tops, and well-coiffed light blonde hair (sometimes with lime green highlights). Harry (born Arrishtotolo Suleymanokh Fulmonovich) is from Fosnia, where he learned immaculate English, and a member of the Fosnian Royal Family Fulmonovich. Harry acquired the designation Esq. after immigrating to America. The couple appeared in the 1980s, and were the main characters of a proposed series that never got off the ground.
[edit] The Lodge Family Maids
The maids at the Lodge Mansion have been referred to by many names, and it may be that the Lodges have been through many maids. However, they never had any character development, so all maids are treated as if the same character with no consistent names. Several stories give their names as Fifi, Marie or Celeste.
[edit] Hubert Smithers
The portly butler to the Lodge Mansion and the servant who appears most often. Archie annoys Smithers as much as he annoys Mr. Lodge, and Smithers takes great pleasure in throwing Archie out of the house. Despite his frustration with Archie’s clumsiness, he remains faithful to the Lodges. Sometimes he calls Veronica’s friends “Master Archie,” “Miss Betty,” etc, while other times he calls them simply by their first names and applies the formality only to the Lodges. Once, when his nephew visited him, his first name was revealed to be Hubert.
In one Little Archie story, Mr. Lodge told how he and Smithers were childhood friends, and Smithers Sr. was the family butler. Back then, Mr. Lodge called him by the nickname Smitty.
[edit] Other adult characters
[edit] Betty’s Auto Racing Rivals
In 2006, Betty began racing cars for Mr. Lodge. Some recurring racing rivals appeared. Mr. Lodge had been the sponsor to driver Dale Jonas, but Dale had been bribed to join C.C. Carp’s outfit (a rival to Mr. Lodge). So Betty became the new Lodge auto racer. A frequent theme mentioned is the sexism in auto racing: it is not easy for women to become professional race car drivers. This was why she took a co-ed pit crew (including Archie, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, Chuck and Nancy). Besides the arrogant Dale Jonas, Betty raced against her friendly rival Speedy Spencer (real first name Marty). C.C. Carp later replaced Dale with a female driver C.B. (Carla Bonita) Quick.
[edit] Abbey Finn
Abbey is a middle-aged woman who thinks of Archie as a pest and is very protective of her pet schnauzer.
[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. Pansky
Mr. Pansky owns a costume shop in Riverdale. Most of the gang goes to his store whenever they need an outfit for a themed party. In some stories, Mr. Pansky has hired Archie, Jughead, or Reggie.
[edit] General Pickens
An army general from the American Civil War who served on a battlefield, part of which is now Riverdale. He only appears in references to the local history. The park in Riverdale is named Pickens Park in his honor.
In one "Jughead's Time Police" story, it is revealed that in the future, Jughead will clone himself, and the clone (who is an old man by the time we meet him) only comes out of hibernation when needed. He went with Jughead and January McAndrews to the Civil War and became a hero under the alias Pickens. The army assumed Pickens dead, but he simply returned to his own time and went back in hibernation. Oddly, in this story, he is referred to as a colonel instead of a general. However, he was promised a promotion if he succeeded, and may have received a posthumous promotion.
[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. He was also a good friend of Jughead Jones.
[edit] Segarini
A pizza parlor owner and Pop Tate’s biggest rival. However, while Jughead enjoys the food of both, he and the gang stay loyal to Pop, and the Chocklit Shoppe remains their hangout.
[edit] Dr. Soonpoon
Dr. Soonpoon is an importer/exporter who possesses mystical powers like time travel, and has appeared in at least two issues. He is shown wearing a turban.
[edit] Ms. Stonewall
The head counsellor at a girl's summer camp where Betty and Veronica occasionally worked in the 1980s. In her job, Ms. Stonewall dressed in Native American attire, and may have been the first recurring Native American in Archie Comics. One of her campers was a girl named Tessie.
[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. They mainly appeared in the early stories.
[edit] Lydia Wyndham
Betty's elderly neighbour. They first met when Betty discovered a love letter between her and the man she loved, and tracked her down. Betty also found out that Lydia’s lover, a World War I soldier, died in battle. Betty often asked her for advice and did favours for her. Lydia is passionate about her writing, which is one reason Betty looked up to her. Unfortunately, Lydia passed away (something rare for an Archie character). Betty inherited Lydia’s diaries and everything else she had written.
[edit] Other characters
[edit] Characters in Little Archie
[edit] Bubbles McBounce
Bubbles McBounce was an obese girl from Little Archie. Being heavier than the other kids, she is known for such moments as the time she saved the day by holding down an air balloon that risked taking Archie and the gang on a magical voyage.
[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, teenaged slacker of an assistant (occasionally said to be his nephew). Chester looks and acts like a stereotypical 1950s juvenile delinquent. They both made at least one appearance in the mainstream comics.
[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] 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 after getting his orthodontic work, he had returned to Riverdale to apologize to his those he had formerly antagonized, now a tall, muscular, handsome young man.
[edit] Penny Peabody
Fangs Fogarty’s girlfriend. Their relationship is exactly like Moose and Midge’s: Fangs will hurt any boy who even talks to Penny.
[edit] The Perilous Pike
A pike that lives in Logger’s Pond, a large pond near Riverdale. No one has ever caught the Perilous Pike, though people almost caught him. In some stories, he comes close to attacking one of Little Archie’s gang.
[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. In the story "The Great Quiz Whiz Contest" reprinted in Archie's Pals 'n' Gals #108, Archie pulls a his lucky double sided penny from his pocket that his pal Ambrose gave him.
[edit] The Southside Serpents
A gang of kids who were the rivals of Little Archie’s gang and lived in the southern district of Riverdale. They filled the role of Central High Students when a rival group was needed.
[edit] Sue Stringly
Sue was 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. Although her hair is blonde, she bears a resemblance to Big Ethel.
[edit] Child characters (not in Little Archie)
[edit] The Feebly Twins
Identical twin brothers Glenn and Benn Feebly who played the bass fiddle (it took both little guys to do it). They occasionally appeared in the 1980s, but never had any character development, and faded from view.
[edit] Souphead Jones
Jughead’s young cousin who, except for being much shorter, looks (and often dresses) exactly like him. He is apparently the same age as Leroy and has been around as long, but doesn’t appear as often. Both still appear in the occasional new story to this day.
[edit] Leroy
Veronica’s young cousin who is apparently in Elementary School. He is something of a troublemaker and prankster, making him resemble a younger version of Reggie. He has been a minor but consistently recurring character since the 1940s. It is unknown whether he and Veronica share a last name. One significant role was in Archie’s R/C Racers, where he was mainly added to give Reggie’s team a sixth member and even up the teams. In that series, he often gave the reader tips on how to operate and maintain a remote-controlled vehicle.
[edit] Tessie McGuire
A girl with short red hair and glasses who sometimes attended the summer camp where Betty and Veronica worked as counsellors. Originally a troublemaker at camp, she was known as Terrible Tessie, but the girls helped turn her around, and she became a lot nicer. She looked up to Betty and Veronica. Ms. Stonewall was her head counsellor.
[edit] Non-human characters
[edit] Caramel
Caramel is Betty’s golden-haired cat. She originally appeared in Little Archie, but would later become a frequent character in the main continuity. She continues to make occasional appearances. Betty has owned many cats (Max, Susie, Buddy, Samantha, etc.), but Caramel is the best known and the most frequently appearing.
[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.
[edit] Spotty
Little Archie’s brown dog with black spots. He appeared primarily in "Little Archie", as an honorary member of the gang, so he has been known to tag along with them on their adventures. He has a close relationship with his master, and Little Archie often worries about him being in danger.
Spotty has made a few appearances in the main continuity, usually shown as an older, less active dog. His most recent appearance in mainstream continuity was Tales from Riverdale Digest #24 in 2007
[edit] Sugar
Cheryl Blossom’s purebred Pomeranian dog. Although Cheryl may seem snobby and antagonistic at times, Sugar proves that she has a soft sentimental side. She also proves that Cheryl prefers top-breed dogs to mixed breeds like Hot Dog.
[edit] Sugarplum
A sugarplum fairy who appears at Christmas time to help spread Christmas cheer. She thus has a similar role to Jingles (see above); however, while Jingles is a friend to all of the main teenagers, Sugarplum mainly interacts with Betty and Veronica.
[edit] Characters in alternate universes
[edit] Amani
She is Eugene’s girlfriend, and only appeared in The New Archies. She bears some resemblance to Nancy. She is a close friend of Betty and Veronica.
[edit] Babette
The main villain in Archie’s R/C Racers. She and her bungling henchmen trailed Archie and the gang on their cross-country race to cause trouble for them. She owned a company that made radio-controlled vehicles. She was apparently a madwoman because her main motive in ruining the race was that the gang chose to endorse another company instead of her own.
[edit] C.R.U.S.H.
A parody of T.H.R.U.S.H., this evil spy organization was the main antagonist in The Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. It was never revealed what it stood for. The evil agents from C.R.U.S.H. often had bizarre arsenals and abilities.
[edit] Eugene
This character, although African-American, was really a re-imagining of Dilton. He appeared only "The New Archies" when Archie and the gang were Junior High Students. As he filled the role of both Chuck and Dilton, neither of those characters appeared in the series.
[edit] Danni Malloy
This redhaired teenaged girl appeared only in Dilton’s Strange Science. She served as Dilton’s best friend, love interest, and partner in their science-related adventures. Her shared last name with Jinx Malloy is probably a coincidence.
[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] "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] Lady Smitty
Full name Lady Winchester Huntington-Smythe Jones, but she goes by her nickname Lady Smitty. This rich woman appeared frequently in Veronica’s Passport, serving as a foil to Veronica Lodge. Veronica often ran into her on her travels. Lady Smitty had a husband named David and a teenaged son named Jared.
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