If you are a fan of Archie Comics, you know the beloved character, Archie. However, his first appearance in Pep Comics #22 reveals that he didn’t like the name “Archie”. In fact, he hated it and wanted everyone to call him “Chick”. He despised his name so much that he threatened to beat up if anyone called him by that name. So, when in a recent tweet the information was revealed with a poster of Pep Comics #22, fans were left scratching their heads.
Archie Comics’ History
Archie Comics is a well-known comic, in fact, it is so popular that non-comic fans also know about Archie. Also, the recent CW show Riverdale is based on the comic and hence has exploded the popularity of the character. However, when Pep Comics first started, he was never the main character.
Harry Shorten and Irv Novick introduced Pep Comics #1 with a superhero named The Shield. He wore a red, white, and blue patriotic costume similar to Captain America. The comic book hero was introduced as a way to boost the morale of America before they enter World War II.
Archie, Betty, and Jughead were first introduced in Pep Comics #22 and Veronica came into the picture in Pep Comics #26. However, the teen friends became so popular that the original publisher of Pep Comics, MLJ changed their name to Archie Comics Publications, Inc. Hence, he has been known as Archie for so many years that it doesn’t make sense as to what he wanted to be called by another name.
Pep Comics #22 Poster
One of the tweets shows the first page of Pep Comics #22 that introduces the character to the world. The first caption sentence says, “He hates Archie, so if you value life and limb, call him ‘Chick.’” Readers see him introducing himself to his blond neighbor Betty Cooper. He first introduces himself as Archie, however, asks her to call him “Chick.”
But the name Chick doesn’t appear in the future comics. Some fans say that it was due to a creative dispute. Whereas some fans say that Betty Cooper’s brother was called “Chic” which might be the truncated version of his name as a homage. Check it out.
Debut of Archie Andrews, from Pep Comics 22 (1941). “Chick”, huh? I learned something today! pic.twitter.com/3ZkZ9haopW
— Bronze Age Babies (@BronzeAgeBabies) October 24, 2021
Although fans will never know why Archie wanted to be called “Chick” in the first place. However, several fans say that the affinity to name “Chick” might be due to the time period. The name was popular back in the 1940s and depicted a small-town boy. Amidst the World War II chaos, people wanted someone they could relate to.
Source: ScreenRant
