Archie Comics Artist Dies at 85
Feb 14, 5:51 PM EST


The Associated Press

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. -- Joe Edwards, an artist who worked on the 1942 debut issue of Archie comics and later created the character Li'l Jinx, has died.

Edwards, who was 85, died Feb. 8 at his home after years of treatment for heart problems, said his son, Todd Edwards.

A Manhattan native, Edwards served in the Army during World War II, illustrating training manuals. While based in Italy, he drew animated cartoons warning of minefields around Naples.

Edwards worked for Demby Studios, which produced comic book stories for a number of publishers, and then joined the former MLJ Comics, the precursor to Archie Comics.

Todd Edwards said his father always carried a sketch pad, and despite failing health in later years, would delight doctors and nurses with sketches drawn personally for them. "He loved it when he could make people smile," his son said.

Along with drawing the popular redheaded teenager, Archie Andrews, and his pals Jughead, Betty and Veronica, Edwards created Li'l Jinx, a precocious girl who had her own comic book for a time and still appears as a character in others, said Victor Gorelick, vice president and managing editor of Archie Comics.

Many of Li'l Jinx's adventures were based on Edwards' experiences with his own two sons and daughter. "He was a very funny cartoonist, and a good ideas man," Gorelick said.

Edwards was a member of the Berndt Toast Gang, the nickname for the Long Island chapter of the National Cartoonists' Society.

Besides his son Todd, Edwards is survived by his wife, Eda Selnick, another son, Ken, a daughter, Naomi, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A graveside service was held on Sunday.

With more than 60 years of a certain…shall we say, style behind them, Archie, Betty, Veronica, and the whole Riverdale gang will be getting a new look in 2007, courtesy of artist Steven Butler.

Rather than moving to a manga style, which has worked on Sabrina by Tania del Rio, this change will move the art towards a more contemporary comic book style, more realistic, and less cartoony. The move, an Archie Comics representative told Newsarama, is a continuing experiment and exploration with the characters, showcasing not only their timlessness, but theur adaptability as well.

The first of the “new look” Archie and company will appear in May’s Betty and Veronica Double Digest #151, in “Bad Boy Trouble” written by Melanie J. Morgan. In addition to the look, the stories themselves will change format, switching from short tales to fuller-length stories. As such the digests will contain four stories, spanning issues #151-#154 which will run 25 pages each, when fully told.

Look for more on Archie’s changing look later this week on Newsarama.