CENTRAL ISLIP: Joe Edwards, an artist who worked on the 1942 debut issue of Archie comics and later created the character Li’l Jinx, has died. Edwards, who was 85, died on February 8 at his home after years of treatment for heart problems, said his son, Todd. Along with drawing the popular redheaded 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. Many of Li’l Jinx’s adventures were based on Edwards’ experiences with his own two sons and daughter. Todd said his father always carried a sketch pad, and despite failing health in later years, would delight doctors and nurses with sketches drawn personally for them. “He loved it when he could make people smile,” he said.