Betty and Veronica get their chance to steal the spotlight in the Archie line-wide reboot; however, the results leave a lot to be desired. Read on for our review of “Betty and Veronica” #1 but be warned, there will be spoilers.
Written by Adam Hughes
Illustrated by Adam Hughes
IT’S BETTY VS. VERONICA! The most highly-anticipated debut in comics history is here! Betty and Veronica are America’s sweethearts… until they turn on each other! “Pops’ Chocklit Shoppe is being taken over by a huge coffee company. When Betty and Veronica go head-to-head over the issue, all bets are off! Friendships will shatter. Cities will burn. Nails will be broken. Betty and Veronica are back in this ALL-NEW #1 from comics legend Adam Hughes (Wonder Woman, Catwoman)!
On the whole, Archie’s line-wide relaunch has gone pretty well. The main series, “Archie” is delightful, “Jughead” is a lot of fun, and the horror books, despite a wonky release schedule, have been really well-executed. Unfortunately, not everything lasts forever, and Archie finally has a dud with their launch of Adam Hughes’s “Betty and Veronica”. It’s a book that’s wildly out of touch and doesn’t put nearly enough focus on its two leads.
Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge are the original “frenemies;” they fight over everything but, at the end of the day, they are friends and care deeply for each other. In the past, the best stories have understood this. Even in “Life With Archie” (a series where they each married Archie in different timelines), the one who didn’t marry Archie was not subjected to cruelty by the other. They have a complicated bond and, in all honesty, would probably be better off without Archie. In “Betty and Veronica” #1 by Adam Hughes, the two of them are sort of pitted against each other once again as Pops’s shop is forced to close down…again.
From the start, nothing works with the writing. Hot Dog, Jughead’s dog, for reasons that have gone over my head, is narrating the entire issue in a highly intelligent voice. He frequently interrupts the story and even gets a two page blank page spread where he rambles on about nothing until we get to see Betty and Veronica (teenagers, mind you) in swimsuits for no good reason. It’s pages before we get to Betty and Veronica talking and, even then, it’s just quick banter. Jughead and Archie actually have more to do than the stars of this book and by taking away the narration, they don’t even get to tell their own story.
This is the biggest failing of the book. Hughes had a chance here to take Betty and Veronica and give them their own story. Instead, the book just feels like an issue of “Archie” with a generic “Betty and Veronica are fighting” subplot. This isn’t their story and if this is your first time reading these characters, you’ll find everyone unbearable, especially Veronica. Hughes writes her as a caricature of herself – if she’s not being hateful, she’s staring at her phone in silence, not even taking part in the events unfolding. There’s a way to write a popular, rich girl without making her unbearably unlikable and Hughes never finds it. Betty doesn’t fare much better, as she’s a cardboard cutout of the perfect American girl next door (whatever that is). They’re pitted against each other for the entertainment of men instead of being interesting teenage characters that younger readers (specifically younger women) can engage with.
The other big problem with “Betty and Veronica” #1 is that I don’t know if Adam Hughes has actually spent time with young people. I’m 25, so I think it’s safe to say that I’m the audience Archie Comics wants to bring in with these relaunches. “Betty and Veronica” #1 makes me want to run far away from these kids and never look back. I think at one point they were supposed to be making fun of each other in weird voices? I’m not entirely sure because this isn’t how young people talk to each other. Teens and young adults are all different, but the dialogue here is completely tone deaf. “Betty and Veronica” #1 is a book written by an over forty male for an over forty crowd and this whole thing is a massively wasted opportunity for the publisher. Sure, lots of variants will get sold, but in the long run, this doesn’t help these characters at all.
Continued belowI’m a fan of Adam Hughes’s art. I genuinely enjoy the work he’s put out in his career, but he is not the right person for “Betty and Veronica.” For the most part, the interiors are well crafted. I don’t question Hughes’s ability to create beautiful art; what I question is whether it was the right fit. The thing that works so well about “Archie” and “Jughead” is that the teenagers of Riverdale look and feel like teenagers. On top of the already mentioned inclusion of an unnecessary swimsuit shot, these characters feel so much older and a bit too male gaze-y. A lot of the facial expressions are extremely exaggerated to where they don’t make sense in the scene and ultimately, it falls apart. Even the coloring feels too cool and dreamlike as everything looks almost faded out.
“Betty and Veronica” #1 proves how important representation is. Adam Hughes is great (I promise, I really am a fan) but this is not the book he should be working on. Selling book is important but it’s also important to give readers a reason to come back. A book starring Betty and Veronica should not be narrated by a dog and they shouldn’t be drawn like supermodels. There’s almost nothing about this that works and it’s really very sad compared to all the other great books Archie is putting out right now.
Final Verdict: 2.0 – Aside from a couple of really great panels, this is a mess.
