Archie #204 for Sale - First Appearance of Curly Neal - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Archie (Archie, 1959 series)
Issue: #204
Publication date: November 1970
Key date: 1970-11-00
On-sale date: 1970-08-18
Indicia publisher: Archie Comic Publications Inc.
Price: $0.15
Pages: 36
Rating: Approved by the Comics Code Authority

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

First appearance of Curly Neal - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Meadowlark Lemon - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Geese Ausbie - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Gip Gipson - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Pab Robertson - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Bobby Joe Mason - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Granny - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	-	cover	1	pencils: Dan DeCarlo; inks: Rudy Lapick; letters: Bill Yoshida	Archie Andrews, Fred Andrews, Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle, Ethel Muggs
2	Star Gazers	comic story	6	script: Frank Doyle; pencils: Harry Lucey; inks: Marty Epp; letters: Bill Yoshida	Archie Andrews, Hiram Lodge, Veronica Lodge, Smithers
4	-	letters page	2	letters: typeset	Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Hot Dog, Veronica Lodge
6	Now and Then	comic story	5	script: Frank Doyle; pencils: Harry Lucey; inks: Marty Epp; letters: Bill Yoshida	Archie Andrews, Fred Andrews, Mary Andrews, Jughead Jones
8	One Good Turn	comic story	5	script: Frank Doyle; pencils: Harry Lucey; inks: Marty Epp; letters: Bill Yoshida	Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle
10	That's a Fact	comic story	1	script: Joe Edwards; pencils: Joe Edwards; inks: Joe Edwards; letters: Joe Edwards	Greg, Li'l Jinx
11	Take a Chance	comic story	6	script: Frank Doyle; pencils: Harry Lucey; inks: Marty Epp; letters: Bill Yoshida	Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle

Plus 9 pages of advertisements and other matter across 9 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Archie Giant Series Magazine #237	1975	On eBay ›
Archie Comics Digest #26	1977	On eBay ›
Archie Annual Digest #31	1977	On eBay ›
Archie's Double Digest Quarterly Magazine #6	1983	On eBay ›
Archie's Double Digest Quarterly Magazine #7	1983	On eBay ›
Archie's Double Digest Magazine #30	1987	On eBay ›
Archie Comics Digest #50	1981	On eBay ›
Jughead's Double Digest #69	2000	On eBay ›
Laugh Comics Digest / Laugh Comics Digest Magazine / Laugh Digest Magazine #11	1977	On eBay ›
World of Archie (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #30	2013	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Check the price box: Marvel ran 30-cent and 35-cent test-market price variants in 1976-77.
Canadian and Whitman editions exist for many bronze books; match the barcode area to the plate.
Look for Mark Jewelers inserts and date stamps - they affect collector preference, not authenticity.

Series context

‹ #203103 of 565#205 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com