New Releases by Craig Boldman

Talk about a bad connection - it''s a ''Two Ring Circus'' when Veronica gives Archie one of her father''s prototype phones, even though the matching phone is Mr. Lodge''s! To get out of a jam with Veronica, Archie asks Jughead to take the blame, and ''The Blame Game'' begins when the deal is doomed to failure! Mr. Lodge has to think ''Outside the Box'' when he enters the toy business and discover kids almost always love the box the toys comes in best! Finally, Dilton tries to give Archie the ink blot test, but when his cards are replaced with photos of Veronica, he thinks Archie is certifiably obsessed!

"Beach Blanket Babysitters": A day at the beach is no picnic for Veronica - literally - when Betty brings along Jughead''s sister Jellybean! Then, tired of hearing about Veronica''s exclusive clubs, Betty and Nancy tout an elite (and totally fictitious) club of their own, which Veronica promptly insists on joining! Finally, Veronica never accepts the first apology - not when the second apology comes with so many gifts attached!

"The Sound and the Fury": Dilton invents a device to help Archie locate his car with an audio signal... and Jughead promptly swallows it, mistaking it for a mint! Worse, Reggie has made off with the remote that controls the audio signal, making sure Jughead "goes off" at the most inappropriate moments! "The House-Warming": A nice, quiet, comfy new doghouse for Hot Dog is tempting to Jughead as a new napping spot! "Jughead Stuck in the Doggie Door": With a title like that, need we say more... other than don''t miss one of the funniest Jughead stories yet!

We all know Jughead is known for one thing and one thing only, and that''s food! But in ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Jughead,'' we discover that the guys want other information from Jughead! Since moving in to a house with all women, the guys want to know everything about girls!

The Mud Flap: Archie is out to prove that chivalry is not dead, but before he''s through, his chances with Veronica just might be!

"On Demand": For his mother''s birthday, Jughead creates a coupon book filled with chores he''ll do for her; but when it falls into the wrong hands (namely, Reggie''s), Jughead finds himself toiling for everyone but his mother! "Knees Freeze": Shorts in the winter? It could only be Jughead! "The Hideaway": Jughead loves napping on sofas and sleeping on beds; wait until he discovers sofa beds!

"How to Survive High School": Archie''s got all the answers a teen needs to navigate through the tricky world of high school. It''s too bad his answers don''t match the teachers'' questions! "Feeling Fuelish": Archie and his friends imagine a world without fuel - and it''s a "gas"! "Come Blow Your Horn": Deciding a "new sound" is needed for the band, Archie takes up the Alpine shepherd''s Alphorn. One note is all it will take to determine if his choice was good or baaaaa-d!

"Disinterested Parties" and "Party Smarties" Two parties on the same day! In "Party Smarties", a lack of communication between Veronica and Mr. Lodge causes both to schedule parties on the same date and in the same place! How will high society mix with the common teenager? Then, in "Disinterested Parties," Dilton "scientifically" tells Betty the reason Veronica likes Archie so much! So why does this information cause Betty to ignore Archie?

Money''s tight, and Jughead is critical of the way his parents manage his allowance, but he''ll gain a new appreciation for money management after being put in charge of Veronica''s purse strings!

''Snug as a Jug in a Rug'' finds Jughead so comfortable in his new Snuggly Wuggly blanket he wants to sleep forever! Archie finally gets him out to help him on a job, but Jughead falls asleep in the mailroom and ends up being shipped out as bulk mail! Then in ''Information Please'', Jughead''s knowledge saves Ms. Beazly by knowing the secret ingredient in her special dish, Fiesta a la Beazly!

"The Right Moves": After breaking one of Mr. Lodge''s prized crystal chess pieces, Jughead goes on a quest to find a replacement, and ends up being used as a "pawn" himself! "The Expert": When a virus knocks out the school''s top competitors, Jughead is called upon to fill in ? with the promise of food, he can accomplish anything! "The Chip Whisperer": Jughead convinces Reggie that corn chips talk to him... after all, a free burger is at stake!

This End Up: The story of a boy, his dad, and all the blood that rushes to his dad''s head when Archie gets him a half-price inversion table!

Archie''s best pal Jughead continues his search for a place to call home (at least temporarily) in "Psyche-Out!" After yet another living situation goes awry, Jughead finds shelter with Riverdale High''s resident pop psychologist, Trula Twyst! Jughead hopes to use the opportunity for Trula to analyze him and sort out his family issues before he overstays his welcome! However, Jug may not be the only one taking advantage of his stay...

''The ELFth Day of Christmas'': Christmas is just around the corner and here comes ''Snowstorm'' Archie, unprepared as usual! With a mountain of last minute gifts, cards, and more, it will take a miracle for Archie to catch up or at least a magical elf named Jingles and a bit of time travel!

"Picture Perfect": When a local magazine does a photo feature on Pop Tate''s burgers, Pop hires a "food stylist" to make sure the pictures look good enough to eat! "Word-Play": Jughead comes up with the sound effect to end all sound effects. Now he just needs to figure out what makes that sound! "Sweets to the Sweet": Jughead figures out a new way to get eats: remind all the girls he knows how tough it is to keep their figures so they give their food to him!

"The Competition": Fed up with their feuding, rival restaurateurs Pop Tate and Segarini each take a break, and put Archie and Jughead respectively in charge! Will the teens bring new marketing strategies and less tension to the neighboring eateries, or will the fast food wars be as fierce as ever? "The Jughead Zone": Five years ago, Jughead agreed to spend one whole day with Ethel in exchange for a piece of her homemade pie. That one day is today! Will Jughead be able to go through with it, or did he bite off more pie than he can chew? "One Step Beyond": Jughead owes Reggie money, and it''s payback time. Only Jughead is broke! His solution: tail Reggie before Reggie can tail him!

"A Typical Day": In this issue-length epic, a documentary film crew follows Archie and his friends through "typical" day. But will the kids really act "typical" when they know they''re being filmed? Will their true colors come out, or will the crafty film crew conspire to conceive contrivances for the "candid" kids? Don''t miss this anything-but-typical issue!

Airhead: Mr. Lodge needs a hobby to get his mind off work, so Archie introduces him to model airplanes. Before you know, Mr. Lodge needs a hobby to get away from Archie! My Pal, The Hunk: Jughead''s diet won''t last long if he can''t keep his mind off food, so Archie enlists the girls to try to interest him in love! Personal Strainer: Archie''s dad needs to get in shape, so Archie becomes his personal trainer! With Archie as a trainer, can Mr. Andrews survive getting in shape?

Jughead doesn''t take well to the latest restaurant trend toward tiny-sized, slider-style hamburgers, and counters by launching his own new wave of designer burgers! Will his dreams of a sandwich supreme come true, or will they get ''ground'' to pieces like so much chopped meat?

"Chompin'' Champion": It''s a story so big, about a burger-eating contest so huge, and an appetite so humungous, that it takes half an issue to tell the titanic, tasty tale! Don''t miss a single bite of this delicious delicacy!

The Return of Cousin Alistair: Archie''s royal Cousin Alistair, who first visited him back in Archie #527, makes a return trip and makes Archie look bad with his proper grammar and manners. Will Archie get him to loosen up this time?

"Poor Little Rich Girl": Veronica decides to help Betty by donating her time to charity in this poignant tale. "Now for a Really Super Story": When Cheryl Blossom threatens to steal Archie away, Betty and Veronica become super-heroic protectors of their man in this costumed-crusader fable! "The Pampered Pet Set": High society is going to the dogs... literally... when Veronica hosts a masquerade party for country club pets!

"Running in the Fast Lane": Betty convinces Archie to do a marathon with her, but can Archie keep from "running on empty"?! "An Egg-Cellent Assignment": The "yolks" on Archie when Professor Flutesnoot has the students take care of eggs to learn about responsibility. "The Replacement": Don''t get him wrong - Archie''s not the paranoid type - he''s just absolutely certain Veronica has replaced him!

"One Click Away": Archie decides to date other girls while Veronica''s out of town, but while Archie flirts away, Veronica''s spies click away on their camera phones! "Teen Tycoon": Mr. Lodge has a dream... make that a nightmare... about Archie becoming a millionaire! "No Parking Zone": Archie finds the beach has gone to the dogs... especially when a little puppy follows him there. Trouble is, it''s a "no dogs allowed" beach!

"The Face in the Mirror": A poignant tale that asks the question, does Veronica have a conscience after all? "She Just Can''t Win": Veronica simply cannot... will not... believe her brand new designer dress was designed by... Betty! "Economizing": When it comes to saving money, it''s all a matter of perspective... and in Veronica''s case, the amount of "zeros" in the final figure! "It Takes a Thief": Mr. Lodge gives Veronica an ultimatum: improve her grades or kiss her social life and credit cards goodbye! Will Betty agree to tutor her even after Veronica''s stolen yet another date with Archie from her?

"A Not-So-Cool Yule": Archie is having a stress-free holiday season, until both Betty and Veronica give him “matching sweaters” that they expect him to wear – the only problem is, the designs the girls chose don’t match! "Cold Comfort": Veronica thinks Archie is being chivalrous about her onion breath, when he merely has a cold! "The Fix is In": When Mr. Lodge and Smithers see Archie with a tool kit, an unspeakable horror grips them – is hapless Archie somewhere in the mansion, trying to fix something? "You Never Listen": Veronica laments that Archie never listens, but since he’s not paying attention anyway, are her protests all for naught?

"The Opinion Maker": The balance of Riverdale High hangs on a string as a group of students decide that Betty and Veronica are fakers - no one can be as nice as Betty, and no one as conceited as Veronica! Can Jughead restore order to this upside-down dilemma? "Smooth Sale-ing": Jughead proves that if you use psychology to make your first sale, the other sales will sell themselves! "All Fall Down": It''s a gutter ball all the way when Jughead''s runaway bowling ball wrecks havoc and everything else in its path!

"Archie''s Choice": After reading some psychology books, Jughead feels qualified to answer Archie''s eternal question: should he choose Betty or Veronica? Is Jughead''s advice all it''s "quacked" up to be?

"Wreck-ommendation": To get Archie out of his hair... and his mansion... Mr. Lodge agrees to write him a letter of recommendation. "Changing Times": Feeling passed by, useless and "fossilized" by rapidly advancing technology, Mr. Weatherbee considers retiring. Will the students be able to convince him otherwise? "It''s Downhill from Here": When Jughead and Archie agree to move a piano for Betty, will they hit a high note or be horribly out-of-tune? "Dancing Lesson!": When the parents of Riverdale''s teens chaperone the dance, they wow their kids with dance moves from the past!

"The Great Debate": Riverdale High''s biggest fashion plate squares off against its most practical dresser in a debate on formal school attire versus casual wear... and you''ll never guess which sides Betty and Veronica take! "Timely Tales": Veronica grows very impatient with the service at a local restaurant, leading to the question, "should the customers be called ''waiters'' instead of the servers?" "Same Game": Veronica gets more than her "share" when she has to share a dorm with Betty and two other girls at a teen fellowship retreat designed to promote cooperation and team-work! "Technologically Challenged": A zapped battery in Veronica''s cell phone cuts off the lines of communication with Betty at a crucial moment: just when a new girl threatens to move in on their Archie!