THE BEST OF ARCHIE COMICS STARRING BETTY AND VERONICA by Various
No matter how you feel about Betty and Veronica, you have to admit that they're an important part of comic book history. Not only that, this is one impressive collection. It contains over 400 fully colored pages and has a price tag of $9.99. I really feel other publishers should follow suit. Featured within are many definitive and fan favorite tales from the 1940s to recent years and each story has a foreword written by notable comic creators and fans. This isn't just a history of Betty and Veronica; it's a history of comics as well. Archie books are often described as encapsulating Americana and that certainly applies here. While the core of these characters remains constant over time, there are slight changes over the years. Slight adjustments are made as time passes and it's quite interesting to see how teenage life changed in America as each decade passes. You might even notice minor variations within decades as well. Years ago, I took a college course titled "The History of Rock and Roll" and my professor said that pop culture tends to run in three year cycles. That statement is somewhat evidenced here and adds to the intrigue.
Cover art is provided by the legendary Norm Breyfogle. I had the privilege of meeting him at a convention last year and he signed some old Batman books of mine. Should I ever get to meet him again, I'll definitely have him sign this book. As for interiors, seeing the art throughout the ages is a visual delight. Archie has always been an average Joe when it comes to looks, but he was no adonis in the '40s; I was bewildered as to why Betty and Veronica fought over him during that era. I feel the artwork of the '50s really established the look of Archie characters and the world they inhabit, influencing even the visuals of today. The '70s also stood out for me and the stories from 2000 and on have a crisp look and could be confused for screen captures from an animated series.
A 400+ page volume has been one of my biggest challenges in my time of reviewing comics. To better express some of my thoughts, I'll simply list some of the standout moments below:
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Mr. Weatherbee's comments about females' inability to fly and drive in "Women Flyers" would certainly land him in hot water today and possibly cause him to lose his job. (In all fairness, there's a disclaimer at the start of the book that says some stories were written at less sensitive times. In fact, this is quite tame compared to other comics I've read from that time period.)
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Betty and Veronica #1 features a terrific, timeless "money can't buy happiness" story.
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The above is the perfect complement to Betty and Veronica Annual #8, in which Veronica shows Betty that not all wealth is monetary. Betty finds out just how much she is appreciated by the townsfolk, as Ronnie shows her.
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"Video Vexation" (1977) takes place at the dawn of video gaming and we get to see that even then women hated it when video games consumed the attention of their boyfriends. Also like today, it's found that video games are enjoyable for both genders. This is, of course, stumbled upon in signature Archie comical fashion.
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There's one peculiar story in which Betty surprises the people of Riverdale by kissing unsuspecting victims, sometimes springing forth from shadowed bushes. This could've turned out like an episode of Law & Order: SVU, but luckily it didn't.
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The stories of the past decade or so get rather ambitious. Betty and Veronica have adventures as spies (which caught the eye of this Splinter Cell fan), one involving vampires, and even a Snow White parody.
If you're a fan of Betty and Veronica or Archie Comics in general, then this is a must buy. Collections rarely get more definitive than this. If you're not, cast aside any preconceived notions because these are some enjoyable and well-written humor comics. Take me as an example: until I started reviewing Archie books, I didn't think I would find some of their titles to be my cup of tea. I was proven wrong. Also, if there were to be an Eisner Award for fantastic smelling books, Archie would get it. I'm serious.
Score: 8/10