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The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.
THE MAN FROM R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. is the first of a chronological collection of titles featuring the adventurous take on Archie Andrews and friends. This is presented in the new higher-end format of Archie Comics Presents, which offers 200+ pages at a value while taking a design cue from successful all-ages graphic novels.
The villainous Mad Doctor Doom and his organization C.R.U.S.H. have targeted the students of Riverdale High with a devious plan to turn them into the Walking Dazed! Now it's up to special agent Archie Andrews and his team at R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. to stop them!
The villainous Mad Doctor Doom and his organization C.R.U.S.H. have targeted the students of Riverdale High with a devious plan to turn them into the Walking Dazed! Now it's up to special agent Archie Andrews and his team at R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. to stop them!
- GenresGraphic NovelsComics
224 pages, Paperback
Published April 9, 2019
6 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
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Archie Superstars
1,475 books48 followersTHE ARCHIE SUPERSTARS are the impressive line-up of talented writers and artists who have brought Archie, his friends and his world to life for more than 70 years, from legends such as Dan DeCarlo, Frank Doyle, Harry Lucey, and Bob Montana to recent greats like Dan Parent and Fernando Ruiz, and many more!
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 9, 2020
The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. contains all the Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. strips from Life of Archie in 1966 and 1967.
Yeah, I'm not going to spend much time reviewing this. It's okay for what it is: spy stories featuring the Archie characters. It's not nearly as good as Explorers of the Unknown or Jughead's Time Police. The jokes started wearing thing pretty early into the run. The art was good. Dan DeCarlo had a story and Bob White is always good. Bill Vigoda, brother of actor Abe Vigoda, did a few stories.
This was undoubtedly an attempt to cash in on the spy craze of the 1960s. I have to think the guys at Archie knew the fad wouldn't last so they didn't put a ton of effort into it. "Fuck it, let's just put the Archie gang into some spy stories until this thing peters out."
Yeah, I'm not going to spend much time reviewing this. It's okay for what it is: spy stories featuring the Archie characters. It's not nearly as good as Explorers of the Unknown or Jughead's Time Police. The jokes started wearing thing pretty early into the run. The art was good. Dan DeCarlo had a story and Bob White is always good. Bill Vigoda, brother of actor Abe Vigoda, did a few stories.
This was undoubtedly an attempt to cash in on the spy craze of the 1960s. I have to think the guys at Archie knew the fad wouldn't last so they didn't put a ton of effort into it. "Fuck it, let's just put the Archie gang into some spy stories until this thing peters out."
March 29, 2020
The 1960s was the decade of free love, hippies, Vietnam and super spies! President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 recommendation of Ian Fleming’s From Russia, With Love sparked the world’s interest in smooth secret agents, fast cars and even faster femme fatales. With America in the midst of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the public turned to the likes of James Bond, Our Man Flynn and a host of others to provide some heroic insight into some otherwise very private dealings between the East and West. One unlikely hero during this time of international strife was a red-headed high schooler named Archie Andrews; The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.!
From 1966-1967, Archie and his pals were agents of P.O.P. (Protect Our Planet) in the pages of Life With Archie. Almost two dozen stories starring The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. were written by Frank Doyle with art by Archie fan favs such as Bob White and Dan DeCarlo. The P.O.P. agents secret headquarters was operated out of Pop Chocklit’ Shoppe. Though it seemed that all of the enemy agents of C.R.U.S.H. knew this as Pop’s was often bombed, ransacked or vandalized. And if the bad guys weren’t attacking the malt shop, they were doing their best to infiltrate Lodge Enterprises.
The artwork of Archie and his friends was pretty standard for 1960s Archie Comics. But the designs of those C.R.U.S.H. baddies was pretty darn sleek. Most of these villains were illustrated like a costumed villain from the pages of Marvel or DC. But they were so very good. The fire-tressed Flametrower was positioned to take over the world in some of the most dynamic poses this side of Jack Kirby. Whereas, the Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.’s Sandman screamed the influence of EC’s Jack Davis and Wally Wood.
The title of the Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. was clearly a parody of the popular spy TV series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. Other than the extensive use of acronyms and being about spies, that pretty much was the only real comparison between the comic book and the TV series. That is until the popularity of both properties began to wane.
By the Fall of 1966, the Archie lead series began to focus on one of his girlfriends. Betty Cooper became the Girl from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. This was in response to a Stefanie Powers led spin-off called The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., that had debuted just a few months prior. Both female led series were revolutionary for their time. But the effects of a glut of spy lead franchises was beginning to take its toll on the populace. By the Spring of ‘67, Life with Archie would move on to the awakenings of the Summer of Love and The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. was unemployed. It’s parent series would be promptly cancelled mid season the following year.
Instead of U.N.C.L.E., it could be said that much of the Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. was based off of James Bond. All of the agents of P.O.P. utilized gadgets from drugged lollipops to gas filled lipsticks. But sometimes, the team managed to get the job done with everyday household objects, such as the common vacuum cleaner. And yes- Archie and his cohorts carried guns. But they had about as much accuracy as an entire squadron of Storm Troopers!
Just as James Bond was keen to use tricked out automobiles to save the day, the Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. had a vehicle filled with gadgets. Archie’s jalopy, Betsy, was the vehicle of choice for P.O.P. Though the car was much more reliable in this fantasy series than in Archie’s everyday life. In this series, Betsy could do an assortment of neat tricks, like fly, float and even split right down the middle to avoid guided missiles.
The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. was a great way for Archie Comics to kick off it’s Archie Comics Presents life of reprints. These stories might have been silly at times. But they were fun and thrilling. Plus, it was a great distraction in this time of social distancing and self isolation.
If you are a fan of classic Archie and you in need of a pick-me-up that combines espionage and humor, order yourself a copy now! Along with print copies, Amazon and Comixology have this book available in digital formats. Or help out your struggling LCS and arrange for a copy via curbside pick-up or possible delivery! Now is the time to help out struggling small businesses while keeping yourself healthy and sane. I think any of these actions would make any of the agents of P.O.P. and the Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. proud that you are doing your part to help in times of crisis!
From 1966-1967, Archie and his pals were agents of P.O.P. (Protect Our Planet) in the pages of Life With Archie. Almost two dozen stories starring The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. were written by Frank Doyle with art by Archie fan favs such as Bob White and Dan DeCarlo. The P.O.P. agents secret headquarters was operated out of Pop Chocklit’ Shoppe. Though it seemed that all of the enemy agents of C.R.U.S.H. knew this as Pop’s was often bombed, ransacked or vandalized. And if the bad guys weren’t attacking the malt shop, they were doing their best to infiltrate Lodge Enterprises.
The artwork of Archie and his friends was pretty standard for 1960s Archie Comics. But the designs of those C.R.U.S.H. baddies was pretty darn sleek. Most of these villains were illustrated like a costumed villain from the pages of Marvel or DC. But they were so very good. The fire-tressed Flametrower was positioned to take over the world in some of the most dynamic poses this side of Jack Kirby. Whereas, the Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.’s Sandman screamed the influence of EC’s Jack Davis and Wally Wood.
The title of the Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. was clearly a parody of the popular spy TV series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. Other than the extensive use of acronyms and being about spies, that pretty much was the only real comparison between the comic book and the TV series. That is until the popularity of both properties began to wane.
By the Fall of 1966, the Archie lead series began to focus on one of his girlfriends. Betty Cooper became the Girl from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. This was in response to a Stefanie Powers led spin-off called The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., that had debuted just a few months prior. Both female led series were revolutionary for their time. But the effects of a glut of spy lead franchises was beginning to take its toll on the populace. By the Spring of ‘67, Life with Archie would move on to the awakenings of the Summer of Love and The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. was unemployed. It’s parent series would be promptly cancelled mid season the following year.
Instead of U.N.C.L.E., it could be said that much of the Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. was based off of James Bond. All of the agents of P.O.P. utilized gadgets from drugged lollipops to gas filled lipsticks. But sometimes, the team managed to get the job done with everyday household objects, such as the common vacuum cleaner. And yes- Archie and his cohorts carried guns. But they had about as much accuracy as an entire squadron of Storm Troopers!
Just as James Bond was keen to use tricked out automobiles to save the day, the Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. had a vehicle filled with gadgets. Archie’s jalopy, Betsy, was the vehicle of choice for P.O.P. Though the car was much more reliable in this fantasy series than in Archie’s everyday life. In this series, Betsy could do an assortment of neat tricks, like fly, float and even split right down the middle to avoid guided missiles.
The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. was a great way for Archie Comics to kick off it’s Archie Comics Presents life of reprints. These stories might have been silly at times. But they were fun and thrilling. Plus, it was a great distraction in this time of social distancing and self isolation.
If you are a fan of classic Archie and you in need of a pick-me-up that combines espionage and humor, order yourself a copy now! Along with print copies, Amazon and Comixology have this book available in digital formats. Or help out your struggling LCS and arrange for a copy via curbside pick-up or possible delivery! Now is the time to help out struggling small businesses while keeping yourself healthy and sane. I think any of these actions would make any of the agents of P.O.P. and the Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. proud that you are doing your part to help in times of crisis!
May 29, 2019
Back in the sixties my circle of friends were all avid comic readers. However we mostly stuck to DC Comics and Gold Key, with the occasional Marvel tossed in. We seldom read Archie comics, with the only exceptions being the Archie's Madhouse title and stories featuring The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. which of course was a spoof of the popular Man from U.N.C.L.E. television series.The stories collected here are presented in chronological order. It is interesting to see that in the first story Veronica and Reggie were the bad guys and Betty had no clue what was going on. A cute touch in this story was that Archie and Jughead operated out of a dry cleaning business. In the rest of the stories all five of them were among the good guys. Another thing to note is that most of the CRUSH agents would not look out of place in a superhero story.
As to the quality of the material it is quite good, not surprising given the publisher. Stories are good and the art is also well done. There are a few inconsistencies. The evil organizations starts off as CRUSH but becomes C.R.U.S.H. Also Mr. Lodge sometimes seems to know what is going on and at other times doesn't. The same might be true for Pop Tate as well. However these are minor quibbles. On the whole this is a fun collection. Stories and are are both well done. In short a fun reminder of my youth. There are supposedly future volumes to come, and I for one shall look forward to them.
As to the quality of the material it is quite good, not surprising given the publisher. Stories are good and the art is also well done. There are a few inconsistencies. The evil organizations starts off as CRUSH but becomes C.R.U.S.H. Also Mr. Lodge sometimes seems to know what is going on and at other times doesn't. The same might be true for Pop Tate as well. However these are minor quibbles. On the whole this is a fun collection. Stories and are are both well done. In short a fun reminder of my youth. There are supposedly future volumes to come, and I for one shall look forward to them.
June 29, 2024
I read the shit out of this! Which is to say, I read these 19 collected stories from 1966 and 1967 over the course of 19 meditative bowel movements. I'd read many of these randomly in various period Archie titles and reprinted in Archie digest form over the years, but it's nice having these in one compact, manga-sized volume. The stories are, I think, almost entirely written by Archie workhorse Frank Doyle and mostly all drawn by signature artist Bob White, although there are a couple by Dan DeCarlo and Bill Vigoda thrown into the mix. The concept is a Man from U.N.C.L.E. parody mashed up with the superhero craze, with all of the villains having costumes and superpowers (the most grotesque of these is The Whistler, whose mouth and lips are permanently pursed and shaped like a bottle-sized whistle). In the first story, Veronica and Reggie are bad guys, Jughead and Archie are the good agents, and Betty and Pop are completely oblivious to the fact their best friends are engaged in a hot Cold War in the soda shoppe and elsewhere, but this soon changes and the whole gang (with the exception of Pop, whose store is their headquarters) are members of P.O.P. for the rest of the series. Goofy, gadget-crazy fun, enjoyable in small doses.
July 14, 2020
Once upon a time, our country was Super Spy crazy. The early James Bond movies were such a hit, they spawned TV shows, like The Man from U.N.C.L.E., I Spy, Mission Impossible, and Get Smart.
And it didnt stop there.
Even the Riverdale gang got into the Spy game.
They were Agents of P.O.P., and were The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.
And if you thought James Bond had gadgets....
(At one point, their P.O.P. buttons acted like radio transmitters. Sort of like another show where the badge on the chest connected you with a ship or fellow away team members).
This collection has some of those adventures from 1966.
It was interesting to see how the first adventure had Reggie and Veronica against Archie and Jughead, and Betty was clueless about the organization. Or how the C.R.U.S.H. villains went from simple enemies with plans for evil to over the top supervillians (Sandman. Whistler. Atom Man...)
I recognized a couple of stories from ones I read as a kid, when they were in the monthly Digests my grandmother would buy me. But most of the stories were new to me.
And it didnt stop there.
Even the Riverdale gang got into the Spy game.
They were Agents of P.O.P., and were The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E.
And if you thought James Bond had gadgets....
(At one point, their P.O.P. buttons acted like radio transmitters. Sort of like another show where the badge on the chest connected you with a ship or fellow away team members).
This collection has some of those adventures from 1966.
It was interesting to see how the first adventure had Reggie and Veronica against Archie and Jughead, and Betty was clueless about the organization. Or how the C.R.U.S.H. villains went from simple enemies with plans for evil to over the top supervillians (Sandman. Whistler. Atom Man...)
I recognized a couple of stories from ones I read as a kid, when they were in the monthly Digests my grandmother would buy me. But most of the stories were new to me.
March 1, 2021
No time to lose! I must take control immediately!
There are two agencies in Riverdale: C.R.U.S.H. and P.O.P. P.O.P. is the good agency, that includes A.R.C.H.I.E., J.U.G.H.E.A.D., R.E.G.G.I.E. and ....
April 11, 2025
Characteristically enjoyable story which has Archie fight against the enemy organization C.R.U.S.H., which is trying to kill him and his friends. I enjoy their holding weaponry and wish there was a newer version of this that would be in the classic Archie style. Great read!
September 10, 2020
Spies from the '60s! Archie and his friends! fun book! it's got action, explosions, Gadgets and villians in supervillian tights for some reason, just like every spy movie, I think.
December 4, 2020
Dated, silly, paper-thin stories incorporating well-known characters into spoofs of a long-gone cultural fad - so of course I enjoyed it.
August 9, 2024
Great book
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews