RIVERDALE #6 features the story of Pop Tate and Pop's Chock-Lit Shoppe. Betty has approached Pop Tate for an interview with the school's newspaper, in honor of Riverdale's 75th anniversary.
We learn in RIVERDALE #6 that Pop's has been around longer than the town of Riverdale itself. It started out originally in the 1930s by his father as a pharmacy and soda shop. We learned that a variety of celebrities have stopped by Pop's over the decade -- including Bonnie & Clyde, the notorious gangsters.
Through Pop Tate, we learned a little more about the history of Sweetwater River. We learned that this area has a long history of mysterious disappearances and odd drownings -- as well as a possible river monster!
In fact, this researcher, who young Pop sent off on a possible lead for Riverale's very own fresh water cryptid ends up disappearing himself. Pop discovers the man's camera and comes across this image:
Despite the picture, Betty remains skeptical about whether or not Riverdale has its own river monster. To her, it looks like the water with shadow of a cloud formation on it.
We then learned that Pop's began struggling in the 1970s, the victim of a rival restaurant that actually served food. A mysterious traveler stopped by Pop's one night and talked the young entrepreneur into frying him up a couple of hamburgers. He was so appreciative that he gave Pop Tate some advise -- add hamburgers to the menu.
Creepily enough, Pop stated that he would do anything to put the other restaurant out of business. Which met the traveler's approval. And sure enough, the rival restaurant burned to the ground within one week and never reopened. But the implication is that Pop Tate sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for Pop's renewed success.
Which got me wondering... How old is Pop Tate? He really doesn't look that old and yet his father was old enough to start up a business in the early 1930's. Maybe he had Pop late in life, but Pop was at least in his twenties back in the early 1970s. This nagged at me long enough to check out the IMDb page for Alvin Sanders, the actor who plays Pop Tate on "Riverdale." Turns out that he was born in 1952, so he's certainly old enough to have lived through this time frame. But he'd be in his late 60s by now. Which leaves me hoping that there's a third (or fourth?) generation version of Pop Tate running around to take over Pop's in the near future.
Because young Pop Tate really needs the opportunity to retire someday soon!