# Weekly Comic Book Discussion 6/3/2004

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-6-3-2004/248464>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 3, 2004, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-6-3-2004/248464 "2004-06-03T15:56:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-6-3-2004/248464/21 "2004-06-08T12:25:41Z")

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> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#):
>
> Because it is everything Archie _is not_, and everything Archie _will never have the nuts to be?_🆒

Hmmm. That would be “interesting”, I suppose, because Archie’s as dull as dishwater. 😉

Fenris : Interesting observation … now I’ll have to go back and start readina lot of issue #4’s to see if it bears out… 😃 any excuse to read comics is a good excuse to read comics.

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**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weekly-comic-book-discussion-6-3-2004/248464/22 "2004-06-08T14:19:12Z")

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> [@CandidGamera](#):
>
> Hmmm. That would be “interesting”, I suppose, because Archie’s as dull as dishwater. 😉

Sadly it didn’t used to be that way. Archie used to be one of the funniest and best books on the shelves. From the stunning, textured “L’il Archie” stories by Bob Bolling (If I was listing “Top 100 Runs of comics”, the Bob Bolling “L’il Archies” would be in the top 20 and maybe the top 10–they’d be right near the Moench/Gulacy "Master of Kung Fu"s), the fun/exciting “Life With Archie” adventure stories (“NOVEL LENGTH! COMPLETE IN ONE ISSUE!”), a little later you had the hysterical Stan G. “Jughead” stories (which you had to reread two or three times to get all the stuff that he’d draw in the backgrounds that you’d miss the first two times from laughing so hard). Sigh. I agree that Archie has sucked since about…oh, 1978 or so. But from say, 1953-197x, there was a brief, shining golden moment. ☹

> [@](#):
>
> Fenris : Interesting observation … now I’ll have to go back and start readina lot of issue #4’s to see if it bears out… 😃 any excuse to read comics is a good excuse to read comics.

Remember, the trend was most active/noticable in the early Silver Age. It doesn’t hold up quite as well in DC, because DC had Showcase which _was_ the book’s trial period (but note how many characters had either 3 or 4 appearances in Showcase (or Brave and Bold) before getting their own book.

A few more key “#4” issues:

X-Men #4-Intro Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (and 1st 2 part story)  
Showcase #4-Intro Silver Age Flash  
Hawkman #4-Intro Zatanna  
Spider-Man #4- Intro Sandman, Betty Brant/Liz Allen  
Adventure #304 (their regular series started in 300–which means that 303 should be the key issue…I’m guessing force of habit)-Death of Lighting Lad  
etc

Characters with 3/4 appearances in Showcase who went on to their own titles:  
Flash  
Challengers of the Unknown  
Green Lantern  
Adam Strange  
Rip Hunter  
Sea Devils  
Aquaman  
Atom  
Metal Men  
etc.

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