Archie: When did you first discover Jughead?
Bill Galvan: When I was about 8 years old I used to draw pics of Little Jughead and Little Archie. Then I used to read Archie after that, along with my usual comics.
Archie: How did you decide you wanted to be an artist at Archie Comics?
Bill Galvan: I always liked the characters. I used to draw Archie characters on my t-shirts when I was a teenager. So I always liked drawing them- and could always draw Jughead and Archie from memory.
Archie: What is it about Jughead that you connect with?
Bill Galvan: He's just cool. He does everything different, and goes his own way. He also has that cool hat, which is so different and iconic. He also doesn't get really upset about anything- except the possibility of missing a meal!
Archie: What are the elements necessary to go from a good drawing of Jughead to a funny story with Jughead?
Bill Galvan: The best stories are ones that place Jug out of his element- where he can't eat or he has to go on a date.
Archie: You have written some stories and illustrated stories by other writers, which do you prefer?
Bill Galvan: I really like writing stories, because I get to put my own stamp on the character and do the stories that I as a fan, would like to read. I also love the stories that George Gladir comes up with- a couple of them have come about because of a sketch and idea I had that I passed along to him.
Archie: What inspires a funny story for Jughead?
Bill Galvan: Seeing things in the news or current events. Like the story I wrote where Jughead gets sprayed with the new girl-attracting body sprays that teenagers wear. I saw a commercial for it and thought, what if Jughead got sprayed with one of those? What would happen? Then with the cover image of him being chased by fifty girls- it all came together!
Archie: Do you ever use events from your personal life in Jughead stories?
Bill Galvan: I have a teenage son, and look to him a lot for inspiration on clothing, what’s new and popular.
Archie: You travel a lot to promote literacy, in trade show, libraries and public appearances. What type of feedback have you been getting from the fans?
Bill Galvan: It’s been great. Whenever I mention that I am an Archie artist, people always respond with great memories of reading Archie comics growing up. Also, the all ages book that I draw, The Scrapyard Detectives, goes along really well with Archie.
Archie: What stories do you have coming up?
Bill Galvan: There’s a couple of fun Jughead stories coming up by George Gladir. One has to do with sign twirlers- those guys that dance on the corner and advertise for a business. Another story has to do with Jughead as an “Inaction Figure”. Then of course, there’s “Archie: Freshman Year”, which details the gangs first year in high school.
JUGHEAD & FRIENDS DIGEST #27