It's rather comical (no pun intended) that by the time it becomes acceptable for a character like Jughead to be acknowledged as being gay, the people writing & drawing the books then will say "But of course he was always gay! Everyone knew that!" and it'll be no big deal. After all, somewhere in the Archie universe there has to be a gay character, and if Archie is to maintain any kind of relevance to real life--and real life love interests--Jughead, or Dilton, or Mr. Weatherbee, or Miss(!) Grundy, or Pop Tate...somebody will have to come out. It doesn't have to mean that Jughead will start chasing after his friends, or even Pride Parades in Riverdale, but there might be a Gay-Straight Alliance at Riverdale High. Wouldn't Jughead's relationship with his friends be more poignant knowing that he might be attracted to them, but won't risk their friendship by admitting it? Wouldn't that speak volumes to every gay teen that ever read an Archie comic more powerfully than any clumsy attempt to "fix up" Jughead with a girl? Imagine the drama and suspense in such storytelling!

"Teenie weenie magic beanie, pointing towards the sky-give me muscle, vigor, strength, form a SUPER guy!"

and bickity-bam, Captain hero arrives!

Jughead's hat is a regular men's hat (like a fedora, but with a smaller crown. Maybe a derby?) with the brim cut into points and bent straight up. It's something kids do to their father's old hats for fun, or auto mechanics do to create a hat that will keep grease out of their hair but won't have a brim that may obstruct vision. Look at comic strips from the 1920's thru the 1940's -- it it shouldn't take too long to find a kid wearing a hat like Jughead's. Or watch the Andy Griffith Show -- Goober Pyle (an auto mechanic) usually wore one.

Except Jughead's hat has "points" that are impossibly long. But that's just because even the artists have forgotten how you make a Jughead hat...

He needed to wear the hat in order to access his super powers. No, really!

It's the curse of Al Milgrom.

It does keep them away from the 'is he gay' issue, as well as taking them past the "He Man Woman Haters Club" from Our Gang.

I like how they've handled Jug and his romantic entanglements. He hasn't truly 'flipped', and is interested in more than just a body. When the right woman comes along, he'll handle it.

I also am very pleased with how they've improved Ethel. Once they stopped going for 'ugly', they made her lovely in her own way. And more than a few times, they've played on her being tall and gawky, and how she handles it. (Too gawky for cheerleading, but that height is good in Volleyball...).

Elaborate, Michael!

That’s a conveniently placed sand dune on the cover of that digest there.

I don't get it.

That was a Bloom County story.

And wasnt Jughead's first true love Betty Crocker? I remember a story where he was all in love with her because of all the good food, so his friends had to convince him she wasnt 'real' or something like that.