PEP COMICS #300

PEP COMICS #300

Pep Comics was part of the Archie Comics family.  Each issue followed the general Archie format of showcasing a variety of stories featuring not only the traditional Riverdale regulars but also other short comics featuring characters like Randy and Lil Jinx.

NOTE: Credits have been listed as best as I can find them.

"Global Gourmet" starring Pop Tate
SCRIPT: Frank Doyle
PENCILS: Dan DeCarlo
INKS: Rudy Lapick









SUMMARY:  Pop Tate decides to try his hand at updating his menu and cooking traditional cuisine from around the world.  The Archie gang agrees to help taste test Pop's creations, especially since he says they will get free food.  As Pops give the kids dish after dish, they all quickly get stuffed (with the exception of Jughead Jones, of course).  The group tells Pop to stop.  When he asks if the food was tasting bad the kids tell him that everything was wonderful. It's just that it all tasted like hamburgers!

"Loan Runner" starring Archie
PENCILS:  Stan Goldberg
INKS: Jon D'Agostino










SUMMARY:  Archie, while out with Betty, notices Jughead approaching.  He quickly ducks and hides.  He's gotten wind that Jughead wants to talk to him about money, and as Jughead is notorious for asking to borrow money and Archie apparently can't tell him no.  Archie continues to hide throughout town wherever he sees Jughead.  Finally, Jughead catches up to Archie only to return the loan he got from Archie last week.

"Cast Off" starring Randy
SCRIPT AND ART: Joe Edwards











SUMMARY:  At a local soda shop, Randy's friend Lips comes in wearing a cast.  Feeling sympathetic, Randy offers to pay for Lips's drink.  Their other friend Immy comes in and tells Randy than Lips is pulling a prank for false sympathy.  However, Lips demonstrates that it works wonders with the ladies.  He tells the girl that he got hurt playing football.  As Randy leave in disgust, the girl's boyfriend comes in. He just so happens to be captain of the football team.  When Linda, the lady Lips is trying to romance, asks how he got injured the lie is found out.  The next day Randy sees Lips and he is again wearing a cast, only this time it's not fake.

"The Look of Love" starring Dilton
SCRIPT: Frank Doyle
PENCILS: Dan DeCarlo
INKS: Rudy Lapick









SUMMARY:  Betty and Veronica are discussing an upcoming dance at Riverdale High.  They want Archie to help them get Dilton, the local genius and supernerd, a date.  They all agree to set him up with ____, a girl they all agree is rather dumb.  Even though the new couple seem interested in being together, everybody else is concerned the two will have nothing to talk about.  When the night of the dance arrives, it turns out the two are getting along amazingly well.  Dilton hangs on her every word, even if they are no more intelligent than something Moose could string together.  Love truly is where you find it.


MY THOUGHTS:
Can I summarize my thoughts with an image?

This issue is tons of fun.  Or at least it is if you like Archie books.  This book came out in 1975, and it clearly shows through dialogue and art styles. However, this is not a detriment to the book's overall appeal.

The sumamries I listed above didn't include Lil Jinx, the Archie Double-Takes or the Archie Hostess ad.  Jinx is a single page comic with a quick punchline just as the double-takes are a pair of two-panel strips.  They are both great gags for a quick moment.

The art is all pretty standard for Archie books.  Call it all simplistic if you want, but that is as much a part of the charm.  I really can't say anything specific to point out one way or another.  If you've read one Archie story you've seen the Archie house style, so nothing here is new, but as I said earlier, it's all part of the charm.

My only real regret with this issue is the Randy segment.  Don't get me wrong.  I love the gag. It's equally as cute and endearing as the rest of the stories in this book.  I just don't find myself able to care for the Randy cast.  It's like they are a weird knock-off version of the Archies.  This could have easily been a story where you replace Randy with Archie, Lips with Reggie, Linda with Midge and the football captain with Moose and it would have made just as much sense and probably would have been twice as fun.  However, if that is the only fault I can find with the issue, then it seems to be easily worth reading.  In fact, I really enjoy this issue enough to give it a read most any time I need need a smile.

Overall, this issue was very fun.  Don't let the fact that it is 40+ years old turn you away.  The jokes are good clean fun and silly enough to make any reader smile in spite of themselves.  In fact, I highly encourage all Archie fans to snag this issue if you ever find it.  I leave you with something that will both tickle your fancy and wet your appetite--a Hostess ad featuring the Archies.