Just like it says on the title, this comprehensive compedium is perfect for new fans and old. Not only does it deliver all the characters you love as well as many one-offs like Toño Diaz, Juanita and others that I was sure they’d miss. It also features favorite places and other timelines of Archie. For example, Little Archie, Archie 1, Archie 3000, Explorers of the Unknown and more. Jughead has quite a lengthy section himself as he had several series just for him particularly in the 80s-90s.

But if you don’t know what I’m talking about, that’s why you gotta get the book because it means it when it says it tries to get every Archie property.

For instance if you want to know a bit more about Greendale and its resident teenage witch, there’s a section for that. A rocking section about Josie and the Pussycats and their variations through the decades and on television. A cool meta-wink at Katy Keene’s devotion to her fans that send her outfit designs which was a long-running feature of her comic. Plus all the other MLJ teens that pre-dated Archie’s love triangle like Wilbur Wilkins, Bingo Wilkins (no relation to each other. Bingo is related to Jughead though!), Ginger, Suzie and so much more. Some are just out of this world (you’ll get it if you read the book or already know the Archie comic property that’s referencing).

However, there are quite a few errors, gramatically and factually that I just want to clear some things up.

1. First off, it said that Brandon won Cheryl’s hand in the 5-part series, “And the Winner is. . .?” in Betty and Veronica Double Digest #161. Completely inaccurate. George won! And you can easily check it with #165 and see the results in such stories as The Seventh Month Itch and him being Cheryl’s prom date in Betty #180 when the townies crash Pembrooke. So George won, not Brandon. Check your facts.

2. Next up, the Encyclopedia said that The New Archies was created in the early 90s. Also inaccurate. If you check the internet as well as Archie’s 75 Years, 75 Stories, the tv show or just the New Archies issues themselves, they started in 1987. That’s the late 80s, and it ended in 1990. So it’s more firmly an 80s property which certainly explains the clothing and the mullet.

3. Now I might be looking too into it, but the Sabrina character Rosalind or Roz first appeared in Chilling Adventures in 2014. But in the early Sabrina appearances, there is also a Rosalind. Maybe it’s just a coincidence but since it’s another redhead who has a perchent for stealing Sabrina’s crushes and making fun of her, it might be the same. If that’s the case, her first appearance may have been in Archie’s Madhouse #48, 1966.

4. Ethel’s short bio says that no one really knows why she chases after Jughead obssessively. According to the Battle of the BFFs character guide, Dilton had created a matchmaking machine to find who’s their perfect match. Her’s said Jughead and she had been chasing him ever since.

This is not much of a mistake but. . . . Sis’ real name is stated to be Mackenzie thoug I remember some earlier stories or at least in the 80s, her real name was given as Melissa. Maybe it’s a retcon or maybe her full name is Mackenzie Melissa Keene and she prefers one or the other. Just a little note rather than a mistake.

Now gramatically, there are quite a few glaring mispellings littered throughout.

1. “. . . will put everything on the line to protect his amily and friends,” (28)

2. In the section about Agent Veronica, it says “While it may be thanks to her father’s hi-tech facility and Dilton’s fancy gadgetry that Agent B gets buisness done,” (52). Yes, it helps Agent B, but the focus is on Agent V now.

3. This little paragraph about Riverdale’s Reggie and Veronica’s relationship is a bit repetitive, “Their passionate affairs burned bright and brief as Veronica was repeatedly drawn back to Archie. Reggie and Veronica’s business ventures and rendezvous were frequent, impassioned and brief,” (85).

The sections about the New Kids on the Block seem to just have been copied from the character guide, particularly the Twitters, Rob, and Ms. Ganesh, which honestly I can’t blame them since some of these characters haven’t reappeared since then. Though it is Native American History Month, I’d say give Rob Montaukett some page-time!

“Danny Transferred to Riverdale,” (141) Unnecessary capitalization

4. “Luke Simon hangs out with Soapy Waters and Max Marcus, bringing up the read,” (158). It also has “He’s a member of the band Riverdale HS band Cheerleader,” which is repeated in the Max, Soapy, Lulu and Georgia bios. Someone didn’t check what they were copying and pasting.

5. Another bit of someone forgetting to delete words in Alice Cooper’s bio, “[S]he does hope that Betty will outgrow will outgrow her schoolgirl crush on Archie,” (164).

6. “Ms. McCone (of if you ask Archie, Ms. McDrone) was the new science teacher at Riverdale High Schoolr,” (181).

7. “Mama B is Bic Vic Johnson’s mother,” (184).

8. “On her 16th birthday Sabrina needs to decide if she wants to be baptized into the Church of Nigh,” (206). Particularly noticable as the spelling is correct right on the next page.

9. “Ambrose was sent to the Spellmans because he revelated his magic,” (210). Again noticable as it was correct in the previous page.

10. In Ginger’s bio, this had contrasting tenses, “She doesn’t like to wear the same outfit twice, and instead thinks of new ways to repeating wearing a piece with something new,” (272)

11. Another bio where Shrimpy’s name gets switched with someone else’s, “Peggy has a crush on Pipsqueak, but he’s too oblivious to notice,” (278).

12. “Wealthy playboy Tommy Townsend becomes Captain Flag after he watchesThe Black Hand murder his father and almost himelf,” (294)

13. Another bit that is missing a few words, “He seems not to be afraid of anything but fears Chester has are hidden behind his sunglasses,” (298).

14. “Betty’s kindhearted ways have endeared her to everyone in Riverdale. She’s always ready to help those in need. . . She never lets this get her down though, and her kindhearted ways have endeared her to everyone in Riverdale,” (33). Unnecessary repetition.

15. Jenna Jackson is a founding member of The Nerd Girls at Riverdale HighSchool. She’s a fan of studying and getting good grades, but that doesn’t let that get in the way of her being stylish! She friendly with Betty and invited her to become a member of The Nerd Girls, to Veronica’s dismay,” (156).

16. VP Howitzer is a former Marine and can’t stop acting like one, even down to still wearing his military uniform, hat and all, and making the kids to pushups when they’re “insubordinate.” (179)

17. “Fortunately his invasion was defeated by team Cosmo and he hasn’t tired it again. . . yet! (261)

18. “Bingo plays football for his school, and is the lead guitarist and singer for His band “The Bingoes,” which he started with Samantha and their friends Teddy and Buddy,” (266). Unnecessary capitalization.

19. “She is the only one who can attempt to get her grouchy husband to see things from the point of view,” (268). Probably means “her point of view.”

20. And then there were times they neglected to italicize tv shows/comic series such as Explorers of the Unknown (52/83), Riverdale (75), Chilling Adventures (209), The Web (243) and I’m sure others that I missed. Point is, it’s left uneven, sometimes choosing to do italics and sometimes not.

They are minor things but I just feel that the book should have gone through another proofread. One or two mistakes, I understand, but over 10? It looks sloppy. Especially as a fact check of some of these things can be easily disproven if you read the comics or just check the internet.

It also didn’t quite get all the characters and since they said to write about the ones they missed, I’m going to do just that. Am I showing my nerdiness? Yes. I’m I showing my age as early 2000s Archie reader? Yes. But it’s my blog, so let’s get to it!

Austin: First appearing in Betty and Veronica Double Digest #162. Austin was a contestant on Lonely Hearts as a potential boyfriend for Cheryl. A real athlete, his date with Cheryl involved hiking, a lot of jogging and some surfing. It also allowed him to show his sweet side and his muscles when he helped a couple’s car that got stuck in the mud. By lifting it all himself. Yes, he’s buff. He did not win the poll but returned in Betty #180 when the townies crashed Pembrooke’s prom and once again compeated with Brandon for Ethel’s attention.

Ophelia Glutenschnable: Ophelia was the prototype for Big Ethel as a comely, bespectaled young lady who was besotted with Jughead in particular.

Lottie Little: Another early concept who would transform into what we now know as Midge Klmp. Though she was also a petite girl dwarfed by her boyfriend, Big Moose, her bob was blonde. However, the expectant results ensued when Jughead tried to help Lottie with her math homework and despite his best disguise, Jughead still earned black eyes for his trouble. She returned in the 2010 Battle of the BFFs as Marcy’s best friend whose intense love for Star Trip was the flip side to her intense debate with Marcy over their sci-fi favorites.

Seymour Flopsy: First appears in the 1995 Cheryl Blossom Annual Special. Seymor is one of the few boys who doesn’t fall under Cheryl’s alluring spell and his constant dismissal sends Cheryl head over heels for him despite his uncharming personality and less appealing looks. Although he has no interest in getting entangled in Cheryl’s web, he has appeared from time to time as blackmail or when Veronica wants to distract Cheryl from targeting Archie.

 Dr. Beaumont: Appears in Archie’s Weird Mysteries #2. A reoccurring character in Archie’s Weird Mysteries (in comics and in the animated series), Beaumont owns the Emporium of Curios, Novelties, Anqtiquities, & Hard Lessons that serves as home base when Archie needs time to regroup to defeat the latest supernatural oddity. Wirth mysterious origins as hinted in “The Many Origins of Dr. Beaumont!” Beaumont is a scholar of occult and Archie’s best consultant for how to save the day.

When the gang asks about his past, his origins range from an apprentice to the wizard, Merlon in the medieval era, a human born in a vampire colony or from a distant planet. To this day no one knows which is true.

 Scarlet Night: A popular character from Archie’s Weird Mysteries animated series as an evil vampire turned good, she made her comic appearance in Archie’s Weird Mysteries #10 in abridged version of the cartoon’s story. She returned in a comic exclusive tale in Archie’s Weird Mysteries #12 with The Return of Scarlet Night where she has been resurrected back to her evil ways before sacrificing herself. Instead of dying, she achieved rare immunity from sunlight and turns her talent to hunting evil vamps around the world. She has made sparse appearances since with her Guide to Hunting Vampires.

Becky: First appears in Betty and Veronica Double Digest #169. Becky’s another of Cheryl’s snobbish Pembrook friends and is particularly known for digging her claws into Archie when he visits their side of town while Cheryl is occupied with her then-boyfriend George.

Brandi: A friend of Betty’s known for her DIY dye jobs, she is often who Betty turns to when needing a new look. (I don’t have my collection with me so I can’t find the right digest but it’s the cover with Betty having big piled up hair like a big blonde bush. It’s recognizable, trust me)

Lady Smitty: First appearance in Veronica #4. Her full name is Lady Winchester Huntington-Smythe Jones and initially butted heads with Veronica during their safari trip in Africa. However, she came to Veronica’s aid when the teen was caught in the crosshairs of a poacher. She is a frequent guest on Veronica’s Passport series as a fellow traveler with expensive taste and even introduced Veronica to her nephew-French Archie!

Gladys Lodge: Veronica’s truck driving aunt and Hiram’s sister is about as grounded and friendly as the Lodges are rich and blue-blooded. Unlike her brother’s family, she lives on the road as a trucker with her more common manners embarrassing Veronica to no end. But they love each other and Veronica grows to respect her aunt’s practical knowledge with automobiles though she still doesn’t enjoy camping.

Mayor Glibb: The Mayor of Riverdale can range from the friendliest man in town or fleeing when his schemes for publicity go awry. He is most noted for his ten gallon hat.

General Pickens: A civil war soldier, General Pickens lends his name to various sites like Pickens Park and statues in Riverdale. But if he looks familiar to you, Jughead’s Time Police would reveal that Jughead is the famous hometown hero when he is sent to the past and enlists under a false name.

Dr. Sara Bellum: The good doctor was psychatrist to Jughead during his skater phase. She hoped to use her sessions with him to create a self-help book though his problems may have been to specific to apply to the general public. With her red hair, youth, and her name she brings to mind another Sara Bellum in popular culture, only this time we see her face.

Jeffrey: Another member of J-H Brigade, Jeffrey may be blind but that allows him to see the real beauty in others that some might not notice. He was particularly smitten by Ethel with her big heart and positive attitude.

The Elevenaire: First appeared in Archie #545. This mysterious benefactor, Gosford Wobbledon drops one of a kind eleven-dollar bills to the Riverdale teens, not knowing the mishaps they get into with their unexpected windfall.

Andy Andrews: Archie’s cousin is an elite superspy working for P.O.P. who intially hides his occupation from his klutzy cousin until he falls under Doctor Doom’s capture and must enlist Archie’s help to stop the man’s plans to take over the world with his zombie-inducing chicken stew.

Sherry the Spy Girl: This master of disguise uses her talent to turn into anyone to help aid the evil organization C.R.U.S.H. take over the world. As well as freak out Reggie. But even she had to set aside her rivalry with archnemesis, Andy Andrews when Doctor Doom doublecrosses C.R.U.S.H. and tries to turn her into a mindless zombie.

Now onto some Sabrina characters! I’ll admit, I only remember these because I just read 60 Magical Stories.

Prof. Pither: A criminal from Planet Pluto, this rotund Mad Professor was often foiled by our resident teenage witch though he’d return again with kooky plans. One time he teamed up with Doctor Doom to get rid of Sabrina with the scientist’s time taxi.

Lilith: Enchantra’s teenage daughter would often use her status and advanced powers to throw her weight around to get what she wants including Sabrina’s crush, Shinji as well as Harvey!

Francine: Another one of Sabrina’s Gravestone friends, Frankie was a relative to the Frankensteins though she never lost her stiches or her head when it came to romantic drama.

Dr. Frankenstern: With his flowing hair and wise-cracking personality, it definately brings to mind a certain famous celebrity in the real world. But in Gravestone Heights he is a eccentric teacher at Sabrina’s school who the gang often has to help when one of his mad experiments go out of control.

Nocturna: First appearance is Sabrina the Teenage Witch #93. A treasure-hungy pirate with limited mind-reading abilities, Nocturna fell hard for Salem when they teamed up to find a fabled unicorn horn of immense power. She eventually turned against him when she saw him disrespect the dead and that his desire for world domination and destruction was greater than anything else, including her. She stopped him from getting the horn and turned him to the authorities. She later became the adoptive mom of Queen Seles, future ruler of the Magic Realm. She’s one of Salem’s few romantic regrets.

Hemlock: The biological daughter of Nocturna, she was jealous of her older sister and all her gifts so she infiltrated the revived Four Blades for the evil Vosblanc. She eventually realizes her mistake and joins the Four Blades in the final battle, sacrificing herself to save the world and atone for her misdeeds. She inherited her mother’s ability to turn into a bat.

Ren and Radka Ransom: First appears in Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1, 2019. The alpha siblings at Greendale High have their own mysterious origins that has apparently cursed them to become a wendigo. Sabrina has complicated relationships with bost as Radka’s callous mean girl personality rubs Sabrina the wrong way while Ren’s handsome looks and spark of connection leaves her in crossroads in regards to her feelings between Ren and Harvey.

Jessa Chiang: First appears in Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1, 2019. A mortal girl, Jessa is a bit anxious and shy but her spunky personality makes her one of Sabrina’s first friends at Greendale High.

Katy Keene characters!!! Now I can’t blame them for losing track of Katy’s boyfriends so I took the liberty of doing so myself.

Ramon Ramirez: This suave airline pilot often offered to take Katy around the world for her dates and often scored extra time with her by taking her to her international shoots and sometimes get caught up in her adventures with mummies and eccentric tycoons.

Click Lenz: Katy bonded with photographer Click as he is often one of her favorites to work with. Though Click admires Katy as a model, he also appreciates her friendship as she often uses her influence and style to get his compositions in the best magazines.

Baron John Van Laren: The auto tycoon is another paramour of Katy though she isn’t attracted to his wealth. Which only makes him more enamored. He was a fierce rival to Katy’s main squeeze, KO Kelly.

Rock Enroe: The musician, Rock Enroe lived a wild life with many sleepless nights so they couldn’t date often as her modelling and his concerts often took them far apart. But Katy does appreciate how he could make her let loose and have fun. Sis also appreciates the tickets to awesome shows like the New Years ball drop.

Arnold Horsenlegger: While extremely good to look at, Katy’s date with this body builder often left her exhausted due to his commitment to fitness. Once she fell asleep on a bed of lettuce after their five hour workout dates.

“Lucki” Lorelei: A fellow model, Lucki is one of Katy’s close friends whom she enjoys working with and stands united when Gloria schemes to take the spotlight. She’s a professional and kind person, but some of her success comes from the luck she inherited from her famous relative’s magician’s hat.

Prof. Nebula: Katy can’t have all the adventures with her modelling. Though Sis’ experiences tends to get weird as she assists the scatterbrained professor. She never knows wha she will deal with when Nebula calls her to his office whether it be sussing out an alien for a student or getting stuck in an underwater submarine.

This was a weird one where they’d mention this character multiple times in the Addional Character section but didn’t have an actual bio so I decided to provide one.

Bunny Clarke: The Veronica to Ginger’s. . . well Ginger is technically the Archie in her comic so. . Anyway, Bunny is a popular brunette who can’t stand to let Ginger have all the guys or fashion style and often compeats with the bubbly redhead.

Sebastian: I felt that since Salem got a mini bio, so too should Sebastian. Sebastian is a mischevious cat who is almost never seen without his owner, Alexandra Cabot. For a specific reason as he may be the source of her witchy powers as the reincarnation of a colonial Cabot ancestor of the same name who was suspected of being a warlock.

There are several Mighty Crusaders but the Encyclopedia only mentioned two so I took the liberty of filling in the rest. You’re welcome. They are old properties but have been making a comback, most notably in the 2019 Mighty Crusader/Superteens crossover.

The Shield: The unofficial leader, or at least the face of the Mighty Avengers, the Shield’s real name is John Higgins. Gaining powers through a superserum, the Shield aided the allies’ fights against the Axis powers, his father’s killers and works as an FBI agent when he isn’t superheroing.

The Comet: This super-scientist, Jack Cole, gained his powers when he realized that gas is fifty times lighter than hydrogen and inserted small doses in his blood stream. This gave him disintegration rays and the powers to fight on the side of good. He was one of the first heroes to be killed by his criminal enemies, inspring. . .

The Hangman: After his brother, The Comet, died in his arms, Robert set out to take up the mantle as the grimm Hangman once more fighting the good fight during WWII.

The Web: John Raymond is a professor of criminology and mystery writer whose expertise in sussing out motivations and the next step of his criminals aids him in luring them to his web of justice. He was subject of the popular superher movie of the same name where he was played by Topher McWire and Katy Keene played his girlfriend, Rose Wayne.

The Wizard: Blane Whitney is descended from soldiers who fought in almost every war, some in the bright costume of the Wizard. With his great intellect, Whitney creates amazing inventions like the vibra-ray gun and ways to fly as well as his natural photgraphic memory.

The Fly: Tommy Troy was an orphan adopted by the Marches, living a happy life until he went to the attic and dound a mysterious fly ring. Turns out the Marches were wizards (of not the Harry Potter kind) and this ring contacted the fly people who used to rule Earth. By the rubbing the ring, Tommy becomes the adult superhero the Fly with all its powers of speed, flight and strength to fight evil.

Fly Girl: Kim Brand was a famous actress inspired to join the fight for good after The Fly rescued her, becoming his counterpart, Fly Girl with her own ring.

Black Hood: Trained by a hermit to battle evil, Matthew Burland was an ex-cop who was framed for grand larceny until he brought his nemesis, the Skull to justice. He didn’t return to the force but took his skills to the work of a private detective and continues to battle evil in costume.

The Jaguar: Zoologist, Ralph Harding became the Jaguar after finding an jaguar belt buckle in the ruins of a hidden Mayan temple, transforming him into a superhero with all the fierceness and fight of the mighty jungle cat.

Fireball: Ted Tyler was supposed to die in a labortory fire thanks to the villainous arsonist, the Bg but this hardy fireman gained fire absorbtion powers instead and dedicated his life to bring criminals to justice.

The Fox: Paul patten is a newspaper reporter by day but by night, he is the elusive fox who beats up such criminals as the KKK while also getting exclusive shots to further his career.

Bob Phantom: Another newspaper reporter, he often derided the law enforcement for not catching criminals so he decided to do the job hiself with his magician skill-set allowing him to disappear and reappear to apprehend the befuddled bad guys.

Steel Sterling: After his father is killed by the mob, he trained until he reached peak physical condition and created a formula that gave him steel resistance against evildoers.

Firefly: The etmologist was long driven to the idea of fighting crime and combined his knowledge of the firefly’s superstrength to create a formula that would give him the same powers to break through chains and leap long distances to get the criminals in the act.

Blackjack: The detective got his superhero alias from his favorite game but his powers from the cards’ mysticism enabling to deal criminals painful blows and master hand to hand combat.

Mr. Justice This ghostly hero was originally Prince James of England (yep from the history books) whose untimely murder at the hands of the Scots left his spirit to wander for 200 years until his fortress-grave was torn down and sent by submarine to America. When the Nazis sank the sub, his spirit was freed and decided to spend his time to utilizing his unique skillset to stop the Axis. Hey, what else can he lose, he’s already dead.

Plus so many more which you could find in fan blogs and wikipedia and other forums. I chose ones I personally read and saw more than once. Now I understand why some of these may have been left out. After all, the book is already 300 pages and the shorter bios near the end may have been their way of pushing as many characters as they could within a page limit. Perhaps they’ll have a second edition to include all these extra characters and more.

But to leave this on a more positive note, here are some interesting facts I learned.

Jughead’s famous cap is actually a popular style for kids and mechanics from the 20s-30s. It’s called a “whoopie cap” where you cut up the brim of a fedora ad fold it upward.

Dilton’s father is actually his step-father! Only Chuck knows this secret.

Salem’s last name is Saberhagen.

Kevin hates strawberries because they look sweet but are more sour to his taste.

Reggie has a younger brother, Oliver. Though that might be specific to the Life with Archie storyline as he hasn’t appeared elsewhere.

Hal Cooper is a pharmacist, Fred Andrews is a mid-level manager for auto sales, Mary Andrews works in real estate, and Forsythe Pendelton Jones Jr. works in city maintenance.

And a bunch more interesting stuff that you have to go out and read for yourself! If you’re an Archie fan or want to get your kids into this lifelong craze, buy the Encyclopedia.

Now I’ll add a few facts I’ve my own to this cuz why not.

In the 50s comics, Gloria Gold was KO’s manager where she’d use the excuse that KO needed to train in order to steal him away from Katy.

Dilton had a huge infatuation with Betty and often had stories of his lovelorn attempts to spend time with her. She was still devoted to Archie but lucky for him, he has grown to be quite a casanova with girls like Lottie, Bridgette, Cheryl and others dating him.

Marcy will do anything for cousin, which includes being the manager of The Archies against the shrewd shark that is Alexander Cabot while the two bands are touring together.

While Agents B and V may be saving the world, Cheryl and her friend, Ginger sought to put the world under Cheryl’s control. It all devolved into a fight around Archie which Ginger turned her back on Cheryl and asked the police to take her away so she wouldn’t have to listen to the three arguing about him anymore.

Though Moose is already a tank of a man, one time he gained a big brain. A big evil brain which took the Mighty Crusaders and Archie and his friends to stop and return him back to normal.

Jughead may be a slacker but he has participated in several sports teams, including basketball, football and hockey. He’s less of a star player but a steady support and cushion for when Archie messes up on the field.

Moose’s last name in early stories was Moose McGee.

Well that’s all folks, hope you enjoyed!