By Mike LaBella
CNHI News Service
HAVERHILL, Mass. — For fans of the "Archie" comics serial, it has always been the great debate.
Betty Cooper or Veronica Lodge?
The blonde or the brunette?
The wholesome girl next door or the curvey socialite?
Who would Archie Andrews prefer to spend the rest of his life with?
Well, the answer is finally known after 70 years -- and the surprise choice is Veronica.
Archie Comic Publications of Mamaroneck, N. Y., has settled the qustion with a new, six-part series, "Archie Marries Veronica." The first part, "The Proposal," is now on newsstands.
Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the other characters of the fictional Riverdale High were created and drawn by the late artist Bob Montana. He based them roughly on his classmates at Haverhill, Mass., High School in the late 1930s.
The comic characters were popular during much of the 20th century in newspaper comic strips, in comic books and on radio.
But Archie's sweetheart preference was never disclosed. Until now.
On the cover of the latest comic book, Archie is on one knee proposing to Veronica, who responds, "Yes!" Looking on is a teary-eyed Betty and a surprised Jughead.
The decision to end the high school years and start Archie and Veronica on a life of marriage has caused a stir among classmates of the real-life "Archie" gang almost 70 years ago.
It is something Rita Walker, a member of the Haverhill High class of 1940, never thought would happen. She expected Archie to stay forever in high school and not get married.
"Keep the comic strip young and the comic book young," Walker said. "Archie should stay Archie. Why would we want him to get married?"
But if he has to get married, Walker agreed Veronica is the right choice.
"I think (Montana) fashioned her around his favorite actress of the time, which was Veronica Lake," she said.
Longtime local newspaper columnist Barney Gallagher, a member of the Haverhill High class of 1939, was an editor for the school newspaper, the Brown and Gold, for which Montana drew cartoons.
"If he's proposing to Veronica, I think he's got the right one," Gallagher said. "I think she had more color, more character and was more lively and fascinating than Betty."
Gallagher knew the "real" Veronica as Agatha Popoff, a member of his class and the daughter of a local doctor.
"She was a really good-looking brunette. You couldn't miss her," he said. "I think Betty was a composite of girls. Even Montana's wife always said that. But somehow, Betty captured the imagination of people as the girl next door. Veronica was far from being the girl next door."
Fred Malcolm Sr., another member of the Class of 1939, questioned Archie's final choice of mates.
"It probably should have been Betty," he said. "Someone I'd be pleased to be married to."
Charlie Hayden, also of the Class of 1939, remembers Montana walking around the school sketching images of students, especially female classmates. The first time he saw an Archie comic book was during World War II, when he was serving with the U.S. Army in Italy.
"If they want Archie to get married, that's fine," he said. "I have more things in life to worry about."
Still, Archie's impending marriage to Veronica, after seven decades of indecision, is sure to be a hot topic of discussion when the Haverhill High classes of 1939 and 1940 hold their reunions this fall.
Mike LaBella is a reporter for The Eagle-Tribune of North Andover, Mass. Contact him at mlabella@eagletribune.com.
CNHI News Service Originals
Related Photos
-
Roger Darrigrand
Discussion
September 14, 2009
Archie's 70 years of sweetheart choice indecision ends
- CNHI News Service Originals
-
-
It's not pleasant for the pheasants either
MADELIA, Minn. -- Life is never easy for a pheasant in Minnesota, but that is especially true during winters such as this one.
-
Cultural District anchors Calgary’s arts scene
CALGARY, Alberta -- Calgary’s oil men have been seen as risk takers when drilling for oil and natural gas.
The same trait seems to have rubbed off on the city’s creative community. -
Authorities seek owner, crew of abandoned fishing boat
The 87-foot scalloper "Nha Trang" has been abandoned at a fishing company's wharf here, with no sign of the captain or crew for weeks.
-
Civil War Sesquicentennial: Details beyond the battles
RICHMOND, Va. -- My way or the highway is not the attitude Virginia intends to bring to the Civil War’s 150th anniversary parties starting in 2010.
Your way gets the honors. That means many new perspectives gleaned from letters, diaries, historians and the land itself form the foundation for four upcoming years of Civil War sesquicentennial special events. -
New police search technology finds missing persons
Finding a lost person with Alzheimer's disease, autism or another disorder that causes forgetfulness could soon get a lot easier.
-
Restoring Model A Ford painstaking task
WOODWARD, Okla. -- “Bud” Rush no longer spends his retirement days fishing at a lake.
Emphysema has taken care of that. -
Broder says Obama must soon turn to foreign policy issues
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- President Barack Obama has a "heavy agenda" both inside the United States and abroad, said a veteran reporter who for decades covered and commented on top national stories.
-
Archie's 70 years of sweetheart choice indecision ends
HAVERHILL, Mass. — For fans of the "Archie" comics serial, it has always been the great debate.
Betty Cooper or Veronica Lodge? -
Woman left homeless after SWAT raid
ANDERSON, Ind. — A woman was left without a livable home Wednesday after the Anderson Police Department SWAT team used tear gas and other methods to try to coax out a fugitive who wasn’t there.
-
Turnpike bust: $1 million in heroin seized
- More CNHI News Service Originals Headlines
-
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
