Fast Willie Jackson

    (Fitzgerald, 1976-1977)
™ and © Fitzgerald Co. Inc.

Until Chuck Clayton entered Riverdale, Archie and the gang was basically an all-white community. Fitzgerald Publications felt that a little “color” needed to be added to their adventures and so this series was born that featured characters of different ethnic backgrounds drawn in the familiar “Archie” style. Prior to this, Fitzgerald concentrated on more serious storytelling with their Golden Legacy series, which celebrated important African-American heroes throughout history. Amazingly, Fast Willie Jackson started to catch on in popularity just as it was canceled, as the first issues lost money. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if they had kept publishing.

— Mark Arnold
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