During the Golden Age of comic books, back when Superman, Batman and Captain America were keeping the world safe for democracy, there was another comic book just about being a goofy teenager. Archie Andrews hit the pages of Pep Comics in 1941, as an attempt by the publisher to tap into the same crowd that liked the Mickey Rooney film character, Andy Hardy.

Archie hung out with his homies, Veronica, Betty and of course, Jughead. His real first name is ‘Forsythe’, so it’s no wonder he prefered going by Jughead. Best known for being Archie’s best friend, and for his ability to eat huge quantities of food and yet never gain weight, and wearing his trademark crown.

Diamond Select is doing a set of busts based on the Archie Comics, including Archie, Veronica, Betty, Reggie, and of course, Juggs. Each retails for around $40 – $45, and you should check your local comic shop or my suggestions at the end of the review for a retailer.

“Archie Comics – Jughead Jones mini-bust”

These mini-busts are considered ‘modern’ versions of the characters. I’m not sure what the modern moniker is supposed to mean, but the style does appear to have a slightly more recent feel.

Packaging – ***
As you might guess, he comes in a box. Like some of the recent Marvel Icons mini’s, he is packed in a plastic tray inside the box, rather than a styrofoam insert. The plastic tray seems to work well, and does allow for a clear view of the bust through the window in the box.

There’s also a nicely done large scale Certificate of Authenticity, noting the edition number. The edition number is also on the bottom of the box, and on the back of the bust itself. Jughead was a limited run of just 600.

Sculpting/Design – ***1/2
The sculpt captures the look and feel of the books, with enough retro style to make fans happy. Old needle nose looks like his goofy self, although I’m more accostumed to seeing the crown sit off to one side of his head, rather than straight.

Archie is wearing his usual turtleneck, and the bust reaches only to his waist. He has his hands stuffed into his pockets, another common trait of Jughead. The base itself is a drum with the Riverdale school flag. The drum base is used for all the busts, but is particularly good for Jughead, since he was the drummer in their band, The Archies.

Of particular note is the DA he’s sporting in back. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a DA, but I think it’s just about time for a comeback.

Paint – ***
The general quality of the paint is good, with very little in the way of poor definition, bleed or stray marks. Coverage over the large areas – like the skin or sweater – is even and consistent in coverage, and the colors themselves are also nice and consistent. I am thrown a bit by the blue sweater, as I remember him wearing orange most often, but he was a man of many styles. As long as the style involved a crown and a sweater with a big “s” on the front.

One of the odd features here is that because the base of the bust under the drum is a) small and b) round, they’ve elected to print the relevant info (edition size, etc.) on the back of the drum. It looks good though, if unusual.

Value – **1/2
Most mini-busts in this scale – Jugs clocks in at about 6 1/4″ tall – run in this same $40 – $45 range. Of course, the small run size also tends to drive the price up, but it’s unlikely that anyone will get trampled in their efforts to snag one off the shelf. Archie fans are devoted, but outside that circle, poor Jughead is probably lost to antiquity.

Things to Watch Out For –
Zippo. Odds of anything breaking under normal use is pretty remote, and there’s nothing about this guy that isn’t self explanatory. Except why he didn’t like women. But I’m sure there’s been books written about what that REALLY means.

Overall – ***
One of the beautiful things about the current high end pop culture collectibles market is that just about any property or license is fair game. Things are getting made in bust, sixth scale, and statue formats that you never would have anticipated. Good old Jughead (along with Archie and the rest of the gang) are a wonderful example. If you’re not a lifetime fan of the old comics and radio show, then you’re probably not going to have any interest in the mini-busts. But if you are, your ship just came in.

Where to buy –
Your local comic shop might have these guys, or you can try:

– The Diamond Select Toys site itself has them available for sale at $45 each.

– If you’re in the U.K., Forbidden Planet has him available at 35 pounds.

Related Links –
Honestly, I don’t have a single review to link to of any other Archie product. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

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