Did Archie Comics Predict the Pandemic in 1997?

So, this is weird. Really, creepy weird.

The Twitter feed of Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) usually posts up a lot of information and images relating to the CW's "Riverdale", and the occasional old comic strip from back in the day.  This week, they unearthed an old panel from a "Betty" comic book from February of 1997.

In case you were confused, Betty is the hot blonde.

In the panel featured on Twitter, the scene shifts to what they imagine High School would be like in the year 2021.  The Mom calls to her daughter that its almost time for school, and then we see Betty waiting for class to begin.

Stop us if any of this looks awfully familiar.

Virtual Learning.

Now, admittedly, back in the day a lot of innovations such as videoconferencing and the like were already in place, so it wasn't a massive stretch to think that someday, we would be in our flying cars and virtual jobs and schooling.  I mean, if you watch Back To The Future 2, they tried to get close to what they thought 2015 would look like but were still way off.

"DOC! We don't have hoverboards or flying cars yet!"

"Quiet Marty, I'm going back in time to invent Tik Tok."

Even better, how many times have we seen something happen that we KNOW the Simpsons predicted first?

Like the flashforward of President Lisa Simpson complaining about all of the problems she inherited from former President Trump? They KNEW something.

Honestly, I don't think Milhouse was the best choice for Treasury Secretary, in hindsight.

So, yes. Comics do get things right every once in a while. Maybe they have a sense of future events, or maybe it's just a damn lucky guess.