Ask the Archivist - Mr. Weatherbee

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ASK THE ARCHIVIST
October

Hey, all you Archie-information seekers out there -- you've come to the right place! It's another installment of "Ask the Archivist" with Archie Comics' resident archivist, Paul Castiglia.

Today's question comes from willserver who asks:

"When did Mr. Weatherbee make his first appearance?"

Great question, Will. Mr. Weatherbee became a part of Archie's world early in the strip's history. In fact, he made his first official appearance in JACKPOT COMICS #5(Spring, 1942), about three months after Archie's first appearance. The interesting thing is that he actually evolved out of a character that appeared almost simultaneously. While PEP COMICS #25 (March, 1942) is famous as the first appearance of Archie's jalopy, it is already "dilapidated" and described by Archie's dad in the past tense ("It's costing too much," Mr. Andrews says), suggesting comic characters have a life beyond the pages of their comic books. Not wanting to part with his clunker of a car, Archie turns it into a "taxi," hoping it will pay for itself. His first And ultimately last) customer is an unnamed man he picks up at the train station. After a series of driving mishaps-- the man shares his ride with a goose ("I also run an express and have to deliver this, too!," exclaims Archie), Archie gets lost, and ultimately the man lands in the mud trying to push the car out of it. To say the least, Archie has not endeared himself to the man and is horrified to learn he's Riverdale's new principal! However, he's not exactly Mr. Weatherbee-- while he shares similar features (he's bald), he doesn't share the Bee's girth--in fact, he may be 200 lbs. lighter!...

The first "official" appearance of Mr. Weatherbee in JACKPOT #5 cannot be disputed, however-- he appears on page 2 and is identified as "Mr. Weatherbee, the principal!" The hijinx are fast and furious in this story as Archie, forbidden from going on the class trip-- a boat ride to Bear Mountain-- gets into one jars after another! Ultimately, the Bee winds up with honey spilled on his bald head, which proves to be a sticky situation in more ways than one, when he pokes his head into a bear cave in search of Archie! This landmark story also features the first "glimpse, of Reggie Mantle in a cameo appearance. Reggie would show up full blown in the next issue, JACKPOT COMICS #6 (Summer, 1942).

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