Joe Edwards, 85; helped launch Archie Comics, created Li’l Jinx

Joe Edwards, 85, an artist who worked on the 1942 debut issue of the Archie comic books and later created the character Li’l Jinx, died of a heart attack Feb. 8 at his home in Central Islip, N.Y.

A Manhattan native, Edwards was an illustrator of training manuals in the Army during World War II. While based in Italy, he drew animated cartoons warning of minefields around Naples.

Edwards worked for Demby Studios, which produced comic book stories for a number of publishers, and then joined the former MLJ Comics, the precursor to Archie Comics.

Along with drawing the popular red-haired teenager, Archie Andrews, and his pals Jughead, Betty and Veronica, Edwards created Li’l Jinx, a precocious girl who had her own comic book for a time and still appears as a character in others, said Victor Gorelick, vice president and managing editor of Archie Comics.