Betty #161

May 29, 2008

Title: The Perfect Gift and other stories

Betty plays Santa for the Riverdale Seniors Residence.

Writers: Mike Pellowski, Kathleen Webb & Barbara Slate
Pencils: Stan Goldberg
Inks: John Lowe
Colors: Barry Grossman
Letters: Jack Morelli
Editor: Victor Gorelick
Cover Art: Stan Goldberg
Publisher: Archie Comics

It’s Christmas in Riverdale, but the Riverdale Seniors Residence doesn’t have the funds to make the season Merry for the residents. Unwilling to see the old folks unhappy, Betty sets out to round up the gang and make it a good Christmas. This is the sort of sweet, heartwarming story that only Archie can do this well.

“Sick Joke” is the next story – Betty’s parents are down with a nasty virus that has put half of Riverdale on bed-rest. Betty is caught in the middle – she wants to care for her ailing parents, but she also has a big date coming up with Archie, and she doesn’t want to be sick for it. Then there’s “Only Dreamin’,” in which she attempts to imagine her favorite redhead in more exciting venues than we usually see him. This is a so-so comic, but it’s worth it just for the panel where Pirate Archie refers to Betty as “Beautiful Booty.”

It’s back to the holidays for the last story, “Pink Ballet Slippers.” As Betty starts to decorate the Christmas tree, the different ornaments begin triggering a series of Christmas memories, including her favorite gift of all time. This is a nice little piece that speaks to the relationship between Betty and her mother.

A fun issue, a nice read.

Rating:8/10

Betty and Veronica (1987 Series) #221

October 17, 2006

Quick Rating: Good
Title: The Big Prize and other stories

Veronica’s out to win the big Halloween costume contest – but she needs Betty’s help!

Writers: George Gladir, Kathleen Webb & Barbara Slate
Pencils: Jeff Shultz
Inks: Al Milgrom
Colors: Barry Grossman
Letters: Jack Morelli
Editor: Victor Gorelick
Cover Art: Jeff Shultz
Publisher: Archie Comics

With Halloween coming up, I thought it’d be fun to throw out some reviews of seasonal comics that don’t usually get the coverage at CXPulp that Superman or the X-Men enjoy – hence this spotlight on Betty and Veronica #221, which has a suitably wholesome Halloween tale as its lead. In “The Big Prize,” rich girl Veronica has come up with a sure-fire bet to win this year’s big costume contest. She’s bringing not one, but five costumes, with quick changes planned at various points in the evening to impress not only the judges, but a major fashion designer who’s in the area and just may be in the market for a new model. Veronica can’t pull it off alone, though – she’s going to need Betty’s help.

Archie comics are famous for their formulas, and this is a fine example – one member of the gang sets her sights on a goal, but the ending gives us a cute twist. It’s a fun story, perfectly suitable for the kids, and that’s what you want from Archie.

In “Code in the Head,” Veronica sees Betty drop a slip of paper written in what appears to be a secret code. Ever-suspicious, she comes to the conclusion that Betty and Archie have developed a code to cut her corner off their eternal love triangle. I’ll admit it, I’m a Betty fan, and any story that shows Veronica treating her like a legitimate threat or Bets getting the upper hand in the Battle For Archie gets a thumbs-up in my book.

In “Career Daze,” Veronica blows off the professions lined up for discussion on Career Day, and Betty launches into a description of how those jobs – scientist, teacher, dentist and so on – could each very well be an adventure. Then in “Bag It,” Veronica snags an expensive handbag, while Betty goes for a lookalike at a cheaper price… and a mix-up teaches Veronica a lesson.

It takes a lot to make an Archie comic exceptional, but it also takes a lot to make one terrible. Most of them, like this one, are simple, wholesome fun – the sort of comic that you can give to kids without fear in the hopes that it will entice them to start reading and maybe lead them to other comics in the future. And I, for one, am eternally grateful that there’s anyone left making comic books like that.

Rating: 7/10

Betty #174

By Barbara Slate, Kathleen Webb, George Gladir & Stan Goldberg

CAPSULE REVIEW

School’s out in Riverdale, and Betty and company are taking advantage of it! In the first tale this issue, Betty is down on an overcast day, and decides to boost her spirits by painting her room — but making a color choice isn’t as easy as she would have thought. It’s a cute little story, if not a spectacular one. “The Late Late Show” features a Betty whose sleeping patterns are being disrupted by staying up late reading books (do teenagers still do that?) and watching movies — something that seems unimportant, until it impacts her love life. The final story, “Weather Tether,” is the best in the issue — Archie and Betty decide to defy the overcast skies and spend the day at the beach, but when they get there, the sand is deserted. Of course, the benefits of an empty beach aren’t lost on Betty. I guess I’m just an old softie — I like stories like this one, where Betty gets to put one in the “win” column of the neverending battle for Archie’s heart. Good issue, overall.

Rating: 7/10

(2010 Note: in 2007, Comixtreme began to host shorter capsule reviews in a once-a-week column. As those, too, have been purged, they’ll be re-presented here as well.)