Archie Comics
Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.principal of Riverdale High School, where Archie Andrews is a student. To Riverdale students and (most) staff, he is commonly called Mr. Weatherbee, due to his authority position. Sometimes, Archie and his friends playfully call him ''The Bee''. Mr. Weatherbee is a heavyset, no-nonsense man who dresses in fairly old-fashioned clothes, including wearing pince-nezeyeglasses perched on the tip of a vermiform nose and a tiny wisp of a toupee that perpetually flies off whenever he is upset or startled. Principal Weatherbee is portrayed by Peter James Bryant in '' Riverdale''.
Fictional character biography
Pre-New Riverdale
Mr. Weatherbee's first appearance may be in '' Pep Comics'' #25 (March 1942), as a passenger of a taxi driven by Archie. The man grumbles about the poor driving and remarks to himself how his headmastership of the high school will prevent "go-nowheres" like him. When he begins school, he suddenly again runs into Archie, realizing that he is also a student at his high school, and that chance ride has caused Archie to start off on the wrong foot. However, this character is not named, and he is not overweight. The first unambiguous appearance of Mr. Weatherbee is in ''
Jackpot Comics
''Jackpot Comics'' was the name of an American anthology comic book magazine series published by MLJ Magazines Inc., more commonly known as MLJ Comics, for nine issues between Spring 1941 and Spring 1943. It featured new stories of a number of cha ...
'' #5 (Spring 1942), where he is named, and has his customary girth.
Mr. Weatherbee is sometimes stated as having once been in the United States military, and saw conflict in war. Due to retconning and the " floating timeline" principle, the specific war has changed over time. Weatherbee's stated specific branch of the military has also varied over the years. According to a story in one of the digest magazines, Weatherbee was a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War; however, a previous story had placed him as a veteran of World War II's Battle of the Bulge. Another story states Mr. Weatherbee was a former member of the United States Marine Corps. In a later story Mr. Weatherbee jests that his claim towards being in the "Battle of the Bulge" refers to his own battle against weight gain, which he has lost.
Mr. Weatherbee is shown in ''
Little Archie
''Little Archie'' is a comic book published by Archie Comics from 1956 to 1983, lasting 180 issues. ''Little Archie'' #1 is considered to be "scarce" by the ''Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'' (only 20-100 copies exist).
Beginnings
According t ...
'' stories as having been the principal of Riverdale Elementary School during the gang's grade school years. He eventually transferred to Riverdale High School at about the same time Archie started high school, as shown in a 2008 storyline.
In one story, Coach Kleats, explaining to Archie and his friends the value of not underestimating Weatherbee's physical prowess, mentions that Weatherbee was a good athlete in high school, excelling in football and baseball.
In ''
Archie at Riverdale High
''Archie at Riverdale High'' was a comic book title published by Archie Comics from August 1972 to February 1987, focusing on the Archie gang's day to day exploits at Riverdale High School.
''Archie at Riverdale High'' differed from most Archie ...
'' #6 (April 1973), Archie's father accidentally reveals that Weatherbee was known as "Wild Willie" in high school. All subsequent reprints replaced "William" with "Waldo" and "Wild Willie" with "Wild Wally". Wild Wally was a troublemaker, and, after the kids find out, contrary to what he expects, they learn to appreciate it. However, this conflicts with other stories suggesting Waldo was quite studious in his teen years. Many stories feature Archie and his friends discovering that Mr. Weatherbee in his younger days was thin with red hair and had many adventures similar to Archie's. These stories often result in Archie worrying that as an adult, he will become more like Mr. Weatherbee.
He is a semi-active explorer and discovered some Malooka Indian relics on Mr. Lodge's grounds.
Weatherbee is constantly annoyed by Archie, so he often tries to avoid him. However, he cannot escape from Archie even in the summer months, as seen in various stories. One such story featured Mr. Weatherbee as the head of the
camp
Camp may refer to:
Outdoor accommodation and recreation
* Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site
* a temporary settlement for nomads
* Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
where the Riverdale teens serve as junior counselors. He constantly dreams of the day when (or if) Archie graduates from high school and keeps a special calendar that counts the day until that event, although there are numerous stories in which Archie and his friends save him from various crises. There are also times when Weatherbee takes an interest in teaching Archie valuable lessons about life, nature, or things he enjoys. At times he even tries to hang out with the gang to be, as he says, more "in". Although Archie often annoys Weatherbee, Weatherbee has admitted on several occasions that he is "really fond" of Archie and that he is one of his "favorite" students.
Mr. Weatherbee was particularly prominent in the comic series ''Archie and Me.'' Running from 1964 to 1987, the series featured stories specifically starring Mr. Weatherbee and Archie.
New Riverdale
Waldo Weatherbee first appears in ''
Archie
Archie is a masculine given name, a diminutive of Archibald. It may refer to:
People Given name or nickname
*Archie Alexander (1888–1958), African-American mathematician, engineer and governor of the US Virgin Islands
* Archie Blake (mathematici ...
'' #1 (July 2015) while Archie is setting up for the school dance. In '' Jughead'' #1 (October 2015), he is forced into an early retirement due to the school board's decision to update to a modern curriculum meaning some of the teaching staff was replaced. But later, he is reinstated to his old position as principal. It is shown in Jughead #7 (vol.3) that he has a wife named Ramona.
Relationships
Despite Archie and Mr. Weatherbee's conflicts, Weatherbee is friends with Archie's father, Fred, even inviting him to lead the parents' association during one story. During that episode, Weatherbee also acknowledged that while Archie's school work has been careless at times, his grades were quite adequate.
While Weatherbee appears to be unpartnered, there has been speculation about the nature of his relationship with fellow Riverdale High veteran teacher Geraldine Grundy. A flashback in ''Veronica'' #200 (July 2010) showed the two having dated in their teen years.
In one Archie story where Dilton builds a time-machine, Mr. Weatherbee is shown to have been in love with a fellow student named Gwendolyn in his youth. After hearing his regrets about not getting together with her, Archie and Dilton go back in time to help him get the girl. Initially successful in introducing Weatherbee to Gwen, the plan ultimately fails when she finds out his ambition to become a teacher, which she says has no money in it. She then dumps Waldo. This was her only appearance in the series.
Despite the students' fear of Weatherbee, they still recognize his affection for the school and appreciate his efforts. In a story titled "Sheer Gratitude" in ''Archie's Double Digest'' #167 (March 2006), Weatherbee's age is said to be 65, the required age of retirement according to the rules of the
Board of Education
A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution.
The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...
. Archie produces a petition from the entire school, however, and the Board agrees to let Weatherbee continue working at the high school.
Mr.Weatherbee used to have a wife in the golden age era. However, she was retconned out from the series. She is later reintroduced in the New Riverdale era as Ramona Weatherbee.
Relatives
In one story, Mr. Weatherbee's motorcycle-riding mother visits the school. During her visit, she refers to him as "Willy".
Mr. Weatherbee's niece Wendy Weatherbee first appeared in ''Tales From Riverdale Digest'' #10 (May 2006). She became a minor recurring character, noted for her quirky, eccentric interests, such as odd fashions and exotic pets. She is the daughter of Mr. Weatherbee's twin brother, Tony, as revealed in ''Tales From Riverdale Digest'' #28 (May 2008). The Weatherbee twins were very different as teenagers: Waldo focused on his career and education, while Tony focused more on girls and motorcycles (he opened his own motorcycle shop). Tony dated Miss Grundy when they were teenagers, but they parted. His friend Hiram Lodge apparently wanted to follow Tony's example, but instead settled down as a businessman and married Hermione.
Moose Mason
Marmaduke "Moose" Mason (often referred to as Big Moose) is a fictional character in the Archie Comics universe. He attends Riverdale High School where he is typically depicted as the best athlete but the poorest student. His difficulties with sch ...
Nancy Woods
Nancy Woods is a fictional character who appears in ''Archie Comics''. A friend of the whole gang, Woods dates Chuck Clayton, a football player at Riverdale High.
History
Nancy was introduced in ''Pep Comics'' in 1976, and appeared infrequently. ...
Archie Comics
Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.Life with Archie
''Life with Archie'' is a comic book published by Archie comics from 1958 to 1991. It featured Archie Andrews in adventure stories that were more dramatic than the standard Archie tales. In 2010, it was revived as a magazine-sized comic devoted t ...
'', Miss Grundy and Mr. Weatherbee realized they loved each other, and the couple finally married. However, in this series, the former Miss Grundy died from
kidney disease
Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Inflammation can ...
soon afterwards, leaving the portly principal a broken-hearted widower.''Life With Archie'' #6, February 2011
In '' Afterlife with Archie'', Mr. Weatherbee is chaperoning the school dance with Miss Grundy. While on break, he reminisces with her about the time they snuck into Cypress Cemetery on Halloween when they were younger and makes references to '' Night of the Living Dead''. He tells her there's nothing to be afraid of but is then mauled by a zombified Jughead.
In other media
Mr. Weatherbee has appeared to date in most Archie media adaptions.
Animation
* In the Filmation animated series, Mr. Weatherbee has certain fears about his mental health, owing to the "hallucinations" that he sometimes experiences. However, his fears are wholly unfounded and stem entirely from his accidental witnessing of Sabrina Spellman's (or sometimes her Aunt Hilda's) witchcraft. Typically, upon seeing such things as an elephant and a giraffe poking their heads out of the windows at Sabrina's house (as in the episode ''Hexter's Day Out'') or
Pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
, the local malt shop proprietor flying by an aircraft window on a broom followed by Sabrina (as in ''Zelda's Racing Broom''), he turns away and in a rather perturbed voice says "I didn't see that! I did ''not'' see that!" and often shouting "Nurse!"
* Weatherbee appears in '' Archie's Weird Mysteries'', voiced by
Tony Wike
Tony Wike is a retired voice actor and broadcaster based in Omaha. Previously, he was morning anchor and reporter for radio stations KFAB-AM and KGOR-FM, where he won the Nebraska Broadcasters award for Best Newscast in 2010. He also anchored m ...
Wendy Weatherbee
The following is a list of members of the families of Archie's Gang appearing in Archie Comics. Primarily featured are the parents of Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge and Jughead Jones.
The Andrews family
Fred Andrews
Frederick "F ...