Archie's 80th anniversary: Superteen vs. the Consumer

[alicemacher]

Another wacky superhero adventure, this time starring Betty.


From "Food Demon," Betty & Me #6 (Feb. 1967). Story by Frank Doyle, pencils by Dan DeCarlo, inks by Rudy Lapick.

The Consumer, from the planet Dispersia, has a molecular structure enabling him to devour everything in his path, like a malevolent Cookie Monster. (Only more neatly, since he simply sucks it all in.) In an earlier story Superteen, with help from Jughead (to whom he conceded defeat in an eating contest), had foiled his attack on Riverdale High. Now he's returned for a vengeance spree of gluttony, starting with the river bridge and continuing with all the traffic signs he can find.





To save the "light of [her] life before he blushes to death," Betty transforms into Superteen and whips out her "Betty spinner."





The Consumer, in pain from internal hornet stings, hurries to the hardware store to suck in a few cans of bug spray (which he hates almost as much as spinach). Then he goes after Superteen with intent to kill, devouring brick by brick the ledge she's taken cover behind. Fortunately, she has another gadget handy: her "super bounce Archieball." Superteen tosses it into the alien's mouth.





In response to the Consumer's plea for help, Superteen tosses a helium tank down his gullet.





Helium -- the miracle gas powerful enough to... send you beyond the Earth's orbit...? Look, you want actual science, go suck read a textbook. ;-)

Comments

[thanekos]

" Even the Consumer couldn't go against the standards of the Comics Code Authority! "

[ozaline]

It's kinda funny that hornets were used against him... because they're also the weakness of Miroku in Inuyasha who has a similar power. (though he sucks things into his hands).

[cricharddavies]

Two points:

1) Archie is wearing a perfectly modest undershirt and boxers. He would be considered overdressed at the beach. And yet he's supposedly embarrassed to be seen in public. Boy, the good old days were Victorian.

2) I was under the impression that Superteen's appearances were imagined by Betty, as this story is clearly not. Chalk up another inaccuracy in Rovin's Encyclopedia of Superheroes.

[alicemacher]

1) It's not so much the body coverage of his underwear as it is the social setting. If you suddenly found yourself wearing only your underwear in the street, I'm willing to bet you too would be embarrassed. Not because passers-by would consider it obscene but because they'd think it was weird.

2) Superteen's first appearance was, in fact, a daydream of Betty's. Similarly, Pureheart's debut was a dream of Archie's. This was a common way, back in the sixties, for Archie writers to try out new ideas for ongoing scenarios; the original "Archie I" story (in which he and his friends live in the Stone Age) was also presented from the first panel as Archie's dream.

[cricharddavies]

You'd lose that bet. But thanks for the clarification.

[tinygaylaura]

"The Consumer, from the planet Dispersia, has a molecular structure enabling him to devour everything in his path, like a malevolent Cookie Monster"

Cookie Monster clearly left Dispersia for earth to live a peaceful cookie devouring life :)

[leahandillyana]

Superteen is such a good name. I imagine Betty came up with it when she turned eleven - a grown up teenager!

[bradygirl_12]

The Consumer, in pain from internal hornet stings, hurries to the hardware store to suck in a few cans of bug spray (which he hates almost as much as spinach).

The Consumer is no Popeye!