June Laugh

To me, there's something about Summer and Comic Books that just seem to go together.  I'm sure it's my own memories of laying around in our basement (the only cool place in the house as we didn't have air conditioning) reading comics and playing "comic book store", a game I made up where I would display my comics and friends would come and "buy" them.   I was always a Marvel Comics reader, mainly the various Spider-man titles, but I had a few Archie comics, and though I would never admit it as a child, I secretly liked them.

I bought this "Laugh" comic book from a sale a few weekends ago.  It's number 159 from June of 1964.  It features Archie and the usual Riverdale gang. 

Archie still sporting that 40's look in 1964 (what's the male equivalent of a Bobby-soxer?).  Where's his Beatles wig?

Brother, can you spare a dime?  And not just any dime.  A Mercury head.  Numismatic fact: that's actually Lady Liberty, not Mercury.

I'm digging the Andrews' modern pole lamp, although it appears they've converted one of the shades into a planter.

In this storyline, Archie and Jughead have "borrowed" resident nerdlinger Dilton Doily's Hi Fi equipment. My gut tells me Dilton may have needed a little "persuading".

Not sure what rock song from 1964 went "Bong Bong Bong Bong".  It would have made more sense if the sound effects were, "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah..." 

I question Mr. Andrews' dubious electrical engineering skills.  Seems a little excessive that he would risk electrocuting his son and Jughead or at a minimum starting a fire just to teach them a lesson.

Serves Mr. Andrews right.  I hope there will be a full investigation conducted by the Riverdale Police Department.  Looks like Mr. Andrews will  be getting plenty of quiet...in solitary.

Aside from the fact the kid in the Bendix ad has some serious psychological issues, he speaks like no kid ever has in the history of man...er..kid-kind.

Seriously, what is wrong with Archie?  Betty or Veronica?  No competition -- Betty any day (or decade).

I wonder what part of the pin-up was suggested.  The arrangement of Archie and Veronica watching TV on the couch?  Mr. Lodge's anger at the situation? The opportunistic sideways glance Archie is taking to stare at Veronica's..um..attributes.

Apparently, it's a bit of a mystery who "Mike Marvel" really was, but you can view what you would receive for $1.98 here.  Make this the last summer someone kicks sand in your face at the beach!

Apparently, you can hypnotize someone by pointing at a sheet of paper.  Why buy the book?

You don't see many kids of this generation taking up taxidermy.  Frankly, after the "First Prize" submission, the essays degrade eventually to a Sicilian donkey and some kid's trip to Florida.

"It took us three days and three nights to get there.  Sooner than I thought we were in Florida."  Something doesn't add up here.  I'm thinking mom slipped Ann something to hasten the trip.

This device was essentially just an angled mirror that used ambient light to redirect an image from the forward-facing lens onto a sheet below.  You then attempted to trace the faint image.  You can see what this really looks like here.

I can find no evidence of the a Keewanee tribe of Native Americans.  Indeed, Kewanee, Illinois was home to the Pottawatomi, Winnebago, Sauk and Fox tribes.  If they're going to lie right out of the gate about this, how can I trust their lucky piece's mystical qualities???

I suspect this "Jet Rocket Space Ship" was very similar to the "Polaris Nuclear Sub".  Similar in the fact they were both made of cardboard, never looked that good and fell apart immediately. Eventually, Dad burned it in the barrel out back.

The ad fibs a little.  The Sting-ray was brand new for 1963.  It quickly became one of Schwinn's top sellers and its banana seat, "sissy" bar and butterfly handlebars would dominate bike design for the next decade before BMX-styled bikes took over. The earliest BMX bikes were actually stripped down and modified Sting-rays.