Betty Cooper As Played By Ned Beatty?

I do love to mock 70s and 80s Archie comic stories for the way they constantly, cluelessly hop on the "latest" trend (about a year or two too late, at least).

But man, oh man, I never expected to see this.

Less than two years after the movie Deliverance enthralled the nation, this was the cover to Life With Archie #149 (1974):

 Uh-oh.

So our tale starts when Archie and Betty decide to take a little tour of Riverdale's federally-protected wetlands:

Then...

They flee, but...

Ye gods!!

Oh. My. God.

Betty as a present for his "brudder"?? He's going to make her squeal like a pig, isn't he?

What? Really?

Yes, really.

PHEW!

I know I usually say this with ironic derision, but I've never been as sincere as this: Don't ever change, Archie!!