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When cartoonist Hank Ketcham’s syndicated comic panel/strip DENNIS THE MENACE became a huge multimedia hit in newspapers, reprint collections in book form and comic books, Archie Comics followed suit with LITTLE ARCHIE. (The series’ title expanded to THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE ARCHIE with its13th issue.) Created by the great Bob Bolling, a wonderful cartoonist (born in 1928) whose work resembles a synthesis of the styles of Bob Montana, Dan DeCarlo and Will Eisner (!), LITTLE ARCHIE No. 1 was published in July, 1956. Bolling re-imagined Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and most of the other Riverdale gang as young kids, adding such characters as the runty Little Ambrose, brutish Fangs Fogarty, Evelyn Evernever, Spotty the dog, Caramel the cat, Mad Doctor Doom and his juvenile delinquent assistant Chester to the book’s regular cast. According to journalist (and personal friend of Bob Bolling), Gary Brown: ”In the hardback Archie collection THE BEST OF ARCHIE, Michael Uslan and Jeffrey Mendel tell the story of John Goldwater playing cards with some owners of other comic book companies. They were kidding him about ‘big’ Archie and asked when a ‘little’ Archie was going to appear. Supposedly, that triggered something in Goldwater and he asked editor Harry Shorten for some ideas and character sketches. Shorten assigned Bob Bolling, who had been at Archie only a short time and was doing ‘Pat the Brat’ stories, to the task. Goldwater approved the sketches and Bob drew the first issue. Of course, Bob says he never heard that story and only knows that Shorten told him Goldwater wanted the ‘Little Archie’ ideas. The characterizations and ideas were all Bob’s. In fact, he said he never had a story conference for any ‘Little Archie’ stories. He wrote them, drew them and handed them in. At San Diego 2003, Victor Gorelick was asked about the origin story of ‘Little Archie’ and said he hadn't heard the card playing tale. Typical origin tale of a comic book character, eh? My best guess is that Goldwater received the idea from an outside source, possibly kidding at a poker or golf game, and brought it back to the office. But that's a guess.” When the series was expanded to an 84-page format, cartoonist Dexter Taylor was added to create “Little Archie” stories to pad out the book, but the success of THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE ARCHIE can be laid squarely at the feet of writer/cartoonist/creator Bob Bolling. It was he who gave the series its memorably unique (and utterly charming) tone, crafting stories set in middle America that evoke Hal Roach’s LITTLE RASCALS/OUR GANG series of theatrical shorts while incorporating Bolling’s rather obvious love of animals -- even occasionally employing elements of science fiction and fantasy! Although Bob Bolling has worked on many other stories starring the teenage versions of Archie’s pals ‘n’ gals, it’s his work on THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE ARCHIE that has attracted critical notice that favorably compares this multi-talented creator with the great Carl (UNCLE $CROOGE, DONALD DUCK) Barks, Sheldon (SUGAR & SPIKE, SCRIBBLY) Mayer and John (LITTLE LULU, GHOST STORIES, MELVIN MONSTER) Stanley. Bolling’s clever, sometimes surprisingly emotional writing, his imaginative storytelling and staging and his dramatic, Will Eisner-ish inking make THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE ARCHIE add up to a comic book series unlike any other ever published by Archie Comics. The series was published until its 180th issue in February, 1983. THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE ARCHIE also spawned the spin-off titles LITTLE ARCHIE IN ANIMAL LAND, LITTLE ARCHIE MYSTERY COMICS, LITTLE ARCHIE DIGEST MAGAZINE, LITTLE ARCHIE COMICS DIGEST ANNUAL and fifteen different issues of the ARCHIE GIANT SERIES MAGAZINE, one of which was titled LITTLE ARCHIE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. Y’know, that’s a lotta LITTLE ARCHIE!

An early spin-off of THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE ARCHIE, LITTLE ARCHIE IN ANIMAL LAND only lasted for a total of four issues (No. 1 and Nos. 17 through 19), and was a re-titled continuation of Archie Comic’s LI’L JINX! Obviously, this short-lived series was intended to appeal to children’s love of and interest in animals and natural history. What may not be so obvious is that cartoonist Bob Bolling has always been an avid animal lover and naturalist, using animal characters and themes in his “regular” stories for THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE ARCHIE to great effect. LITTLE ARCHIE IN ANIMAL LAND was not only a good (if unjustly ignored) concept for a comic book (a dinosaur on a comic’s cover is always a great way to encourage sales), but it was also one that it’s talented creator really enjoyed working on – and it shows it!

This issue’s 7-page “Little Archie” cover-story, “Dig That Fossil“, was written and drawn by Bob Bolling. It begins as Little Archie blows his top at his pet pup Spotty, who spoils his friends’ game of croquet by digging up a bone from the middle of the lawn. When Mr. Andrews comments that the bone could be a fossil, he finds himself in the position of having to explain about prehistoric animals to his son, Little Betty and Little Ronnie:

MR. ANDREWS:
There are many types of fossils, such as an animal buried in the ice! Huge mammoths have been found recently in perfect condition! Their meat is still edible, encased in ice where they were trapped many years ago! And many dinosaur track have been found in this country! Dinosaurs were reptile creatures living millions of years ago! Here’s a TRACHODON leaving racks in the mud! Some tracks will not be destroyed by the weather! The mud in time will turn to rock and these footprints will remain long after the TRACHODON has left the Earth! Plants and insects have become imbedded in soft mire which hardened to rock and left us traces of life from millions of years back!

Mr. Andrews goes on to describe the Allosaurus, the Brontosaurus, the Stegosaurus, the Triceratops, the Styracosaurus (mislettered here as “Styrasosaurus”), the Plesiosaur and “the most feared of all”, the “terrible tempered” Tyrannosaurus. Then, Little Archie’s father tells the kids about the living relatives of the dinosaurs, “real distant cousins and aunts” like the snapping turtle, the crocodile and the iguana lizard. When he informs them that he read a newspaper article that said the Riverdale Museum is offering money for any fossils found in the area, Little Archie, Little Betty and Little Ronnie go fossil hunting in Fuller’s Field. When his wife accuses Archie’s dad of manipulating the kids to undertake a task for which they’ll never see any return, guilty Mr. Andrews treks out to see how they’re doing – and is surprised to discover they’ve made a terrific discovery. They haven’t found a single fossil, but they did dig up a nice batch of fishing worms! (This story bears the dedication: “A story of dinosaurs asked by Tom Meyers, 212 Bogert St., Bogota, N.J. and Teddy Judson, Pavillion, Wyoming”.)

Also included in this ”Giant” issue of THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE ARCHIE are the stories and features:

• “The ARCHIE Line-Up”, a black-and-white, inside-front-cover house ad.

• “Fossil Facts”, a 1/3-page educational feature featuring the Rhamphorynchus, the Ichthyosaur and the Dimetrodon, written and drawn by Bob Bolling.

• A house ad for LITTLE ARCHIE No. 7, featuring artwork by Bob Bolling.

• “The Horse”, a two-page educational feature drawn (both in “cartoony” and “straight” styles) by Ken Hultgren, tracing the evolution of the horse from prehistoric Eohippus to modern equines.

• “Tropical Fish”, an installment of “Nature’s Notebook”, a text-page feature.

• “Little Archie” in “The Birds And The Bee” written and drawn by Bob Bolling. – While out bird watching in his back yard , Mr. Weatherbee spots an unidentifiable species that he eventually discover – when it clobbers him in the noggin – is actually Little Archie’s balsa wood model airplane! As Little Archie, Little Betty, Little Ronnie and Little Ambrose (a runty character entirely created by Bob Bolling, one who’s made but one appearance in Archie’s many “teenage” stories!) enter his yard and gather ‘round, the portly principal explains how birds “first gave man the idea to build the airplane”. Using a variety of birds as examples, the “Bee” explains -- with visual examples -- the many similarities between the wings and tails of airplanes and those of birds. The discussion shifts to an examination of different types of birds’ wings and what types of flight for which they’re best suited. Next, we’re shown how the speedy duck-hawk -- “the real dive bomber of the bird family” -- hunts its prey. Moving on to gliders, Mr. Weatherbee discusses the albatross, the turkey vulture and even non-avian gliding critters such as the flying squirrel, the “flying dragon” lizard, the flying fish, and even human parachutists. While Mr. Weatherbee drones on, Little Archie sneaks away from the gathering “with a funny look in his eye”. Later, the kids discover him standing on the roof of the Andrews’ residence’s garage, about to “soar” into a pile of dead leaves on a pair of homemade cloth wings! Little Archie makes his friends promise not to tell his “pop”. But when Mr. Andrews shows up, looking for his red-haired-and-freckled son, Little Betty and Little Ronnie resort to a question-and-answer game to warn him of his son’s whereabouts. Just as Little Archie leaps from the garage roof, his fabric wings immediately tear. Fortunately, Mr. Andrews rushes forward to catch his son, but gets kicked right in the chin for his trouble. Later, girl reporter Loreli Gush visits Little Archie at home to interview him about his “flight” and how it feels to “soar”. Little Ambrose explains to her that, after the paddling his father gave him, Little Archie is much more of an expert on the subject of “being sore”! (This story bears the dedication: “For Benny Frown, 118 1/2 East 10th St., Los Angeles 21, Calif,, who writes he would like to know more about birds!”)

• “Animal Oddities”, an educational page about camels, illustrated by Ken Hultgren in both realistic and cartoon styles.

• “Parakeets”, an installment of “Nature’s Notebook”, a text-page feature.

• “Little Archie” in “Spotty On The Spot”, written and drawn by Bob Bolling. – Little Archie himself introduces this story by noting, “So many of you kids have written in asking for stories about all kinds of dogs that we could never put them all in one story – so we’ll tell about one class at a time. This time it’s the retrievers!” When Little Archie shows his father how he’s trained his dog Spotty to retrieve, Mr. Andrews tells his son about some one of the strongest and most rugged hunting dogs, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Displaying Bob Bolling’s impressive ability to switch drawing styles to a more realistic approach, Little Archie’s father’s narrative informs his son (and us) about a day in the life of this breed of pooch. Next, Mr. Andrews discusses the English Setter, another fine hunting dog which also makes a lovable, affectionate and tolerant family pet. When Little Archie offers to loan Spotty to his dad on his next hunting trip, Mr. Andrews laughs, claiming that “the only thing Spotty would bring back is fleas”. Feeling his father has hurt his pooch’s sensitive feelings, Little Archie takes Spotty indoors to watch some dog food commercials on TV. But when Mr. Andrews shows up to watch a ball game, he’s forced to eject Spotty from his favorite chair, again supposedly hurting his feelings. Later, while walking to the store to pick up a new pack of cigarettes (Mr. Andrews is depicted here as a smoker!), Little Archie’s dad absently tosses away the old pack (of “Ostrich” brand cancer sticks) – and is promptly stopped by a policeman for littering! Facing a $25.00 fine, Mr. Andrews tries to convince the patrolman that he’s merely using the cigarette pack to teach Spotty to retrieve (and whispers to Little Archie that he’ll let his son have “anything” if he and Spotty will just back him up.) Cooperating, Little Archie gives his pet the signal and Spotty obediently fetches the piece of litter. Off the hook, Mr. Andrews is good to his word, allowing Spotty to watch cartoons from his favorite chair and napping on his bed! (This story bears the dedication: “Something about dogs for Miss Johnnie Massey, General Delivery, Livingston, Texas.”)

• Black-and-white inside-back-cover ads for “A Real Mobile Tank” for “only $4.98” and a “Real 8mm Home Movie Projector”.

ODDBALL Factoid – An accomplished cartoonist working in the fields of animated cartoons and comic books, Ken Hultgren also authored an instructional drawing book, THE ART OF ANIMAL DRAWING – CONSTRUCTION, ACTION ANALYSIS, CARICATURE, originally published in 1951 by Sir Isaac Pitman And Sons, Ltd. and reprinted in 1993 by Dover Publications, Inc.!

**Many thanks to Gallant Gary Brown for his help with this week’s ODDBALL COMICS spotlight on LITTLE ARCHIE and salute to cartoonist Bob Bolling!**

For more from Scott Shaw!, visit his Web site at http://www.shawcartoons.com/.

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