The Adventures of Little Archie #33
Published at the height of Bob Bolling's celebrated run on the title, Adventures of Little Archie #33 (Winter 1964–65) captures the series at its most genre-fluid, mixing Mad Doctor Doom villainy, a James Bond spy parody, and a quiet Christmas vignette across 68 pages — a breadth of storytelling almost unmatched in contemporary all-ages comics. It represents one of Bolling's final issues as primary creative engine before Dexter Taylor assumed full stewardship of the title in 1965, making it a milestone in the series' creative transition. The issue also marks the first time Chester Plunkett appears independently of Mad Doctor Doom — a subtle but noted character development that confirmed he had a criminal life beyond his partnership with the series' signature villain.
In "Secret Agent 007 2116 32 110 Smashes the Hot Bicycle Racket," Little Archie finds himself stranded on a mysteriously adrift Idle Island, unaware that it's the center of a daring scheme by Mad Doctor Doom and Chester to uncover buried pirate treasure. With the island floating freely at sea and no way off, Archie must outwit his would-be captors while staying one step ahead of the danger. Written and illustrated by Bob Bolling, this 1964 adventure features his signature playful style, with cover art by Bolling himself.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Bob Bolling had been the sole architect of Little Archie since its 1956 launch, writing, drawing, and lettering stories with a creative latitude that editor Harry Shorten afforded few Archie contributors. By issue #33, Bolling shared the book with both Dexter Taylor and Joe Edwards — Taylor handling humor and holiday fare while Edwards contributed his recurring Li'l Jinx pages — reflecting the collaborative studio arrangement Bolling and Taylor maintained throughout this era. Bolling was relieved of his primary Little Archie duties in 1965, making this Winter 1964–65 issue one of the last produced under his stewardship; the complete original color guide art for all ten stories survives as a documented set of production materials.
Trivia · 9 facts
- Published Winter 1964–1965 by Archie Comic Publications; 68 pages; cover art by Bob Bolling.
- The issue contains approximately 10 stories with script and art divided among Bob Bolling, Dexter Taylor, and Joe Edwards.
- The story 'Secret Agent 007 2116 32 110 Smashes the Hot Bicycle Racket' is an explicit parody of the then-peak James Bond film craze, with Little Archie adopting a spy persona to expose the South Side Serpents' bicycle theft ring.
- Chester Plunkett (Chester Punkett in GCD spelling) appears here without Mad Doctor Doom for the first time in the series — the Grand Comics Database specifically notes this as the first such solo appearance, suggesting a petty-criminal life independent of Doom.
- The main Mad Doctor Doom story, 'Lost Island,' has Doom and Chester physically sawing an island off its foundation and setting it adrift to search for buried pirate treasure — a characteristically absurdist Bolling adventure.
- Fangs Fogarty, the series' signature snaggle-toothed childhood bully, appears in a story in this issue — his run in Little Archie established him as Riverdale's pre-teen antagonist before Moose Mason filled a comparable role in the teen books.
- Hap Holliday appears in a Li'l Jinx humor page written and drawn by Joe Edwards — these single-page fillers were a recurring feature across the run.
- Multiple stories from this issue were reprinted in later digest formats: the 'Lost Island' Doom story was reprinted in Archie Andrews, Where Are You? Comics Digest Magazine #7 (August 1978), and the Chester solo story was reprinted in Archie's Double Digest Magazine #111 (November 1999).
- This is among Bolling's last issues as the primary contributor before Dexter Taylor took over Little Archie full-time in 1965.
Cast · 17 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Mad Doctor Doom and Chester plan to finance their world domination schemes with pirate treasure buried on Idle Island. To be able to search without interference, they saw the island off at its foundation and set it adrift in the sea. But fate has decreed that there should be one other person on that island when they steal it: that "meddlesome brat," Little Archie.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).