Here is the concept. Reggie and the "Goodwill Girls" (whoever they are) organize a speed dating event at Pop Tate's Chocklit Shoppe. Archie is enamored with this unique opportunity to date most of the girls in Riverdale, so he and his wingman Jughead decide to check out the show.
I have been regularly reading Archie Comics comic books for a few years now. But it's been recent enough that I missed out on the "New Kids" storyline. That's when a bunch of new kids got uprooted and deposited into Riverdale High School. Most of them haven't been seen since then, but pretty much all of them showed up for the Riverdale Date-O-Rame 2014 speed dating event, which is great because I finally get to see all of these kids (plus a few familiar faces) in action!
My favorite of the new kids? He's some kid named Simon AKA Prankenstein! He doesn't seem terribly interested in finding dates, but he sure likes to prank the other kids. Most of his pranking efforts were targeted towards Reggie in this story. Can you imagine if those two prankster put their minds together? I doubt Riverdale would ever be the same again!
My two favorite potential matches?...
1. Jughead and Toni Topaz: Toni Topaz has an interesting reputation among the fans. She appeared in roughly four stories (plus one panel in the most recent LIFE WITH ARCHIE comic book), but she has managed to become the number one cover girl for most of Archie Comics' digests during the past year -- behind Betty and Veronica, of course. I'm not terribly interested in an actual comic book romance between Jughead and Toni, but I'm all about Jughead being pursued by yet another female fan! Maybe this potential romance will carry on into the future -- thereby getting Toni off of the covers and into the comic books themselves!
2. Big Ethel and Chunk: Big Ethel saw the sparks between Juggy and Toni in this issue. In a remarkable example of self-respect, she decided to stop mooning over the guy who's avoided her for decades. Right now, she's looking into Chunk. He's not the nicest of guys, but maybe a little affection from Big Ethel could turn his hungry frown upside down. This potential match is another one that I'd really like to see more of in the future!
At the end of the speed dating event, everyone in the Riverdale Gang identified their favorite date on a piece of paper and those who matched got the opportunity to go on future dates with each other. There were lots of mismatched dates, but a handful of couples actually connected. You'll have to read the comic book to see if any of your favorites got chosen for future dates!
"Speed Date-O-Rama" is written by Steven Duvall Scott and penciled by Jeff Shultz.
By the way, my buddy Jimmy up in an advertisement for "Archie: Riverdale Rescue" in this issue. His game got selected for the latest "My Riverdale Rocks!" contest. He's been Archified and will appear in ARCHIE #656. I told Jimmy that he looks a lot like Reggie in the following picture -- and he agreed!
Congrats Jimmy on winning this honor! I told you before and I'll tell you again: I'm jealous!