Ferdie

Gawkish, nerdy and nebbishy, Ferdie is Suzie’s best friend and confidante. Acting very much like the platonic male friends in the Doris Day movies of yore up through the lovable sitcom characters of today like Kenneth on “30 Rock,” Ferdie is constantly doing “damage control.” Whether covering for Suzie so yet another boss doesn’t fire her, or doing his best to clear up a misunderstanding Suzie’s flightiness has caused for one of her beleaguered boyfriends, Ferdie is always there to help.

Ferdie was the primary suitor to Suzie in Suzie Comics and other Archie/MLJ magazines. He was a gangly, awkward young man who could match Suzie for clumsiness. As the series progressed Ferdie to on more of a major role in the stories and became Suzie’s permanent boyfriend. By the end of the original run with Suzie Comics #100, he was arguably the real star with Suzie more of a supporting character in her own book reduced to the status of the love interest and, bizarrely enough, the Straight Man.