teenage
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the ...
fictional character published by
Archie Comics
Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.Riverdale, and is the friend of
Archie Andrews
Archibald "Archie" Andrews, created in 1941 by publisher John L. Goldwater and artist Bob Montana in collaboration with writer Vic Bloom,
,
Betty Cooper
Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper is one of the main characters appearing in American comic books published by Archie Comics. She is the lead guitarist, percussionist and one of the three singers of The Archies. The character was created by Bob Montana ...
,
Jughead Jones
Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III is one of the fictional characters created by Bob Montana and John L. Goldwater in Archie Comics who first appeared in the first Archie story, from ''Pep Comics'' #22 (December 1941). He is the drummer of th ...
, and other students at Riverdale High School. Chuck first appeared in ''Life With Archie'' #110 in 1971.
Chuck was created as a means of adding diversity to the cast of Archie characters, although Valerie (of '' Josie and the Pussycats'') predates him by several years. Jordan Calloway portrayed the character on '' Riverdale''.
History
Chuck is
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
and the son of Floyd Clayton, who works at Riverdale High School as the school's coach, and Alice Clayton, a housewife. In earlier stories, including his recurring appearances in ''Archie at Riverdale High,'' Chuck was usually shown as one of Riverdale High's top athletes. Chuck was also depicted as a close friend of Archie, often spending time together or engaging in various adventures.
By the early 1990s, Chuck's interest in cartooning was added to round out his character, and also serves to promote the comics he appears in. In modern stories, Chuck is depicted primarily as a cartoonist, whose greatest ambition is to someday become a professional comic book and comic strip illustrator. Despite the long hours he spends practicing his craft, he attempts to be a well-rounded individual by engaging in other pursuits; such as participating in sports, studying his bloodlines, and spending time with his girlfriend, Nancy Woods.
While Chuck is a minor character in most stories, one story showed him as a major character where he competed against Veronica on a game show which was a clear takeoff of '' Win, Lose or Draw''. Chuck recruits two men who own the local comic book store to be on his team, while Veronica has two professional artists on hers. Veronica loses when her drawings are not deduced while Chuck's are deciphered. (It is then revealed that Veronica unknowingly hired abstract artists). Chuck spends his winnings at the store owned by his two teammates; buying as many comic books in order to further research professional illustrators.
Relationships
Chuck's steady girlfriend is Nancy Woods, one of the series' few steady couples. While Nancy shares some of Chuck's interests in art, she often berates him for sometimes focusing more on his art than their relationship.
In other media
Animation
* Chuck appeared in 1974's animated Archie series ''
The U.S. of Archie
''U.S. of Archie'' is a Saturday morning cartoon show on CBS from September 7 to December 21, 1974. A spin-off of the popular Archie comic books and television show.
It ran for a total of sixteen episodes, but due to its educational agenda, la ...
'' and 1977's ''
The New Archie and Sabrina Hour
''The New Archie and Sabrina Hour'' (advertised as ''The Archie-Sabrina Show'') is the seventh and final animated series featuring Archie Comics characters under the Filmation banner. The series premiered on NBC in September 1977, rebroadcasting ...
'', voiced by Dal McKennon.
* Chuck also was shown in an Archie parody in an episode of ''
Robot Chicken
''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The writer ...
'', where he was derisively called a " token" African-American character.
* Chuck is a minor character in ''
Archie's Weird Mysteries
''Archie's Weird Mysteries'' (French: ''Archie, mystères et compagnie'') is an animated television series based on the characters by Archie Comics. The series premise revolves around a Riverdale High physics lab gone awry, making the town of R ...
''; he is often seen alongside Nancy Woods, although their exact relationship is unclear. Both of them only spoke in the episode, "Driven to Distraction", before being relegated to silent cameos throughout the rest of the series.
Live action
* Chuck appears in the TV series '' Riverdale'' and is portrayed by Jordan Calloway. He takes on a more antagonistic role as a womanizer rather than the considerate and sweet-natured personality of his previous portrayals. Late in the second season, he expressed a desire to reform and demonstrated his artistic side by joining the school play, where his professional, hard-working, and above all, respectful demeanor gained the forgiveness of the other students, and brought him closer to his traditional portrayal. Like his counterpart in the comics, Chuck's ambition is to become an artist and illustrate children's books.