I always had a guilty soft spot for the Archie comic books. Stories like cotton candy, with good girl art that was pretty stimulating in my early teens. This is the first few years of the daily newspaper strip, which introduced Archie to millions and made him an icon. The gags and stories vary a lot; there are some comic gems here, made more appealing by their unabashed corn. But there are also some pretty grievous lapses in intelligent story and continuity. The art is perfect for the times, yet Betty and Veronica are frequently garbed in outfits that would be deemed too revealing today for high-school juniors. Not that this is a bad thing. All in all, it's like watching an Andy Hardy movie on newsprint. ( )