| This article is about a fictional comic book company in Riverdale. You may be looking for Archie Comics, originally called Pep Comics. |
Pep Comics Publishing is a comic book company based in Riverdale. They specialize in horror comics.
Throughout Riverdale[]
Riverdale 7[]
Ethel and Jughead reading Pep Comics
Jughead Jones discovers that one of his stories rejected by Pep Comics has been published. Once he arrives at the local headquarters for a complaint, Jughead discovers that many of the rejected ideas are often reworked by ghostwriters. Al Fieldstone, the editor-in-chief, shows him folders of stories, ideas, and drafts that should be reviewed and written. Jughead accepts the writing gig and includes Ethel Muggs in the gig – she will be penciling his zombie story.[1]
Ethel becomes the primary suspect in the murder of her parents. The girl claims the culprit is Willie, the milkman - or someone dressed as a milkman – and asks Jughead for help. He retrieves a compromising drawing from Ethel's home. However, Jughead also finds one of the first issues of Pep Comics, "Pit of the Perverse," whose plot is about a murderous milkman and remembers how everyone read that story when it got released. Sheriff Keller is informed of the break-in, and after finding the graphic drawings and horror comics in Jughead's train car, he questions Ethel and Jughead.[2]
Homeroom of Horrors[]
Jughead presents the Key-Keeper
Jughead is commissioned to write an entire issue; four stories of 7 pages each. Jughead tells them to Veronica as he writes them. The first is titled "Keep Your Head in the Game," in which Dilton Doiley is bullied by basketball teammates for not being good at the game and goes on a killing spree using teammates' heads as basketballs. The second story, "Love You to Pieces" features horny teenager Archie getting his comeuppance when his lover turns out to be afflicted by leprosy and her Nana in the scheme to lure unaware men into their mansion. The third story deals with the downside of beauty; Betty is killed by her new "Beehive" hairdo when a black widow lays eggs in it. The fourth and last story has Archie divided between Betty and Veronica. When the girls get tired of sharing him, they cut him in two halves.
Werthers vs Jugular
Veronica isn't impressed by Jughead's depiction of violence and, in particular, his representation of girls. He retorts that it is just a comic book, a sentiment echoed by Mr. Fieldstone who decides to give Jughead a byline inside the issue with his pen-name Jughead "Jugular" Jones. Jughead also comes up with the idea of the issues being introduced by a creepy host. The first ideas were about a witchy lunch lady or a creepy janitor, settling for the Key-Keeper. Meanwhile, Dr. Werthers publishes an editorial on the front page of The Register, titled "Comic Books: Slaughter of the Innocent!" accusing Pep Comics of corrupting the youth of America.[3]
Plagiarism[]
A deal with Brad Rayberry
Jughead's discovery that Al Fieldstone allowed the plagiarism of at least eight Brad Rayberry stories does not sit right with the editor-in-chief, who denies such allegations. He explains that Rayberry's book is titled November County while their story is November Country. As this does not convince Jughead, Al admits trying to reach the writer to no avail. However, when Brad Rayberry threatens to sue the company, Al accepts Jughead's suggestion to credit the writer in future reprints. Additionally, Al agrees to pay $2 for each story adapted, including those already adapted.[4]
Madhouse of Mystery[]
On Halloween night, the office holds a party that Bernie Burstein refers to as the Madhouse of Mystery. Jughead and Ethel wait in order to discover the identity of the author of the first comic featuring the Milkman. Jughead has a disturbing interaction with one of the authors. After revealing that Ted Sullivan hanged himself shortly after writing the comic, claiming he couldn't write anything better in the suicide note, Jonah tells Jughead that 'The Milkman' is a critique of American society, identifying it as the real enemy due to its homologation instead of any Communist scare.[5]
Staff[]
Employees[]
- Al Fieldstone (editor-in-chief)
- Bernie Burstein (assistant; writer)
- Jughead Jones (writer)
- Ethel Muggs (illustrator)
- Jonah [5]
- Randall [5]
- Marty [5]
Former Employees[]
- Ted Sullivan † [5]
- Brad Rayberry †
Issues[]
- Volume 01 Issue 08 "Pit of the Perverse - The Milkman Cometh"
- Volume 13 "Horror from the Marsh"
- Volume 18 "Things in the Darkness"
- Volume 39 "Pit of Tyranny"
- Unknown - "November Country"
- "Homeroom of Horrors - Keep Your Head in the Game"
- "Homeroom of Horrors - Love You to Pieces"
- "Homeroom of Horrors - Beehive"
- "Homeroom of Horrors - My Better Half"
Appearances[]
Season 7[]
- "Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen: Skip, Hop, and Thump!"
- "Chapter One Hundred and Twenty: Sex Education"
- "Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Two: Tales in a Jugular Vein"
- "Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Three: Peep Show"
- "Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Four: Dirty Dancing"
- "Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Seven: American Graffiti"
- "Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Eight: Halloween II"
- "Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Nine: After the Fall"
- "Chapter One Hundred and Thirty: The Crucible"
- "Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Three: Stag"
- "Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Four: A Different Kind of Cat"
- "Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Six: The Golden Age of Television"
Trivia[]
- Pep Comics is an American comic book anthology series published by the Archie Comics predecessor MLJ Magazines Inc. MLJ was a fictional comic bookstore in "Chapter Fifty-Two: The Raid".
- Payment for writers is $1 each page.
- The suggested retail price is ¢10.
- The volume titled "Pit of the Perverse" is a nod to "Chapter Thirty-Two: The Imp of the Perverse", an episode of Part 4 of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
- The springboards in "Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Two: Tales in a Jugular Vein" reference The Farm.
- Jughead's idea to make teenagers the main characters reflects Archie Comics.
- Pep Comics storylines parallel those of real-life EC Comics.
- Al Fieldstone and Bernie Burstein are based on Al Feldstein and Robert Bernstein.
- Jughead's ideas for Key-Keeper, Witchy Lunch Lady and Creepy Janitor are references to Crypt-Keeper, Old Witch, and the Vault-Keeper, EC Comics horror hosts.
- Dr. Werthers' editorial against Pep Comics is based on Dr. Wertham's essay against EC Comics publications of Tales from the Crypt by Al Feldstein.
- The writer of 'The Milkman Cometh' is named after Riverdale's writer Ted Sullivan.
- The set of Pep Comics’ office is the same set used for the Riverdale FBI Headquarters in seasons 4-6.
- In Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Seven: Goodbye, Riverdale, the set was re-used for the office of Jughead’s Madhouse Magazine.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Jackson, Ariana (writer) & Richard, Ronald Paul (director) (April 5, 2023). "Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen: Skip, Hop, and Thump!". Riverdale. Season 7. Episode 2. The CW.
- ↑ Salinas Schoenberg, Janine (writer) & James DeWille (director) (April 12, 2023). "Chapter One Hundred and Twenty: Sex Education". Riverdale. Season 7. Episode 3. The CW.
- ↑ Murray, Greg (writer) & Woolnough, Jeff (director). (April 26, 2023). "Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Two: Tales in a Jugular Vein". Riverdale. Season 7. Episode 5. The CW.
- ↑ Sullivan, Ted (writer) & Myrold, Amy (director). (May 3 2023). "Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Three: Peep Show". Riverdale. Season 7. Episode 6. The CW.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Ho, Felicia (writer) & Richard, Ronald Paul (director) (June 7, 2023). "Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Eight: Halloween II". Riverdale. Season 7. Episode 11. The CW.