Betty & Veronica Double Digest Recommended

Publisher
Archie Comics
Writer
Melanie J. Morgan
Artist
Al Milgrom, Steven Butler
Country of origin
US
Year
2007

Betty & Veronica Double Digest #153

By David Rasmussen
14th Sep 07

This week we’re focusing a batch of reviews on the people over at Archie Comics. Americana with a twang of AmeriManga here and there.

For the past few years, Archie Comics has been slowly but surely reinventing itself from the ground up in several interesting ways. Manga style Sabrina, a new 21st look for Betty & Veronica, a 2nd Sonic title. Still not quite enough innovation (more is always welcome) but a good start of things if I do say so myself.
These are the reviews for a new month of titles.

Yes, if the topic is Betty & Veronica Double Digest then odds are we are continuing the review of the four part “evolution” of Betty & Veronica (they who are the best of friends but, sadly, not lesbian lovers) with their newest incarnation look in “Bad Boy Troubles” (which span from B&V DD #151 to #154, concluding next review of this title with the final part of the four parter).

Looking in this one though, I can see Archie Comics wants everyone’s opinion on the newest evolution of the Betty & Veronica franchise. Now sure, I’ve said my piece in the past about this, but what’s one more interaction of my thoughts on the “new” Betty & Veronica… after the review that is.

Since the new story is onlyso long, and the rest of Double Digest #153 is classic reprints of the long history of Betty and Veronica, let’s get into that first. With the exception of Bad Boy Troubles, the rest of this issue is themed to the rapidly departing Summer, and all the things you can do during the hot summer (regardless of what decade it is from the distant 40‘s to present day). For instance…

Garden of Delights
Yes, the delights in question being a skimply (for the time) clad Betty & Veronica. Sure to attract certain male interest, Veronica talks Betty into doing gardening work while getting a suntan at the same time.
Naughty you.

The Party
So how do you start off with a pro Archie party only to end up anti-Archie by the end of the story?
I don’t know, ask Betty & Veronica.

In “The Makeup Shakeup”, Veronica learns that the Raccoon look only works for Raccoons.

“Triangle Angle” proves that three is a crowd, and signing up for lifeguard duty is no cure for it (unless of course Betty is the kind of girl I constantly wish she would be).

“Are you A-Dressing Me?” is all about (un)dressing for a 5 star restaurant, and how panty flashing can really bring two girls together (just not in that way, I wish).

“Green Dumb”, no it’s not a prequel to “Inconvenient Truth”, but it is another attempt at gardening. Only with halfway exposing clothing and all the danger two inexperienced people can bring to the use of dangerous gardening tools including a runaway lawnmower.

In “The “Voice” of Choice” Veronica discovers country music… and wins an award for her discovery… too bad the award doesn’t come with a return policy.

OK. Part 3 of “Bad Boy Trouble”.
It looks like if Betty wasn’t getting bad vibes off of this new guy by now, she should be getting a geiger counter full of “Danger Will Robinson” warnings by now.

It only gets worst when Archie ends up intervening when the new guy starts to bully some of the students around in school, only to end up in a boxing match with him when the gym coach “intervenes”. Somehow this isn’t going to go so well, especially since I am sure the new guy fights dirty (of course).

Next time, however, it looks like Betty (after getting hit on by the new guy this volume) decides to do something drastic to take him down… like get him to jump on her bandwagon and totally ruin Veronica’s image of him… which isn’t too hard because it isn’t hard to ruin the image of a loser to begin with.
It’s for your own good. Accept it.

Now as for the question posed by Archie Comics in this issue.
What do I think of the new look?
Well first off I’d like to know what the hoopla is about.
Look at any issue of Double Digest. Any.
This isn’t the first time Betty & Veronica went through change visually as they progressed through their immortal Dick Clark lives. They (like Mr. Clark) seemingly haven’t changed in forever. Yes, eventually Mr. Clark did age, and so did Betty & Veronica (this new incarnation with new artistic team is the result).

So then, in this regard, while I do like the change don’t make it sound like a brief infautation.
This is the look of the duo for the 21st Century, and I plan to see more of it.
What I’d like to know is why ask unless you’re not so certain you want to stick to this new artistic team (and the new look). Why ditch it? I don’t see any reason to it, but maybe Archie Comics would like to go on the record and interview about it? I am more than willing to lend an ear to their words.

Otherwise we’re almost done with this four parter. What happens after this? That remains to be seen, but for now Betty & Veronica Double Digest gets one more positive vibe from me with another 4 out of 5.
How will the title hold up when Double Digest #155 comes and whatever happens happens post “Bad Boy Troubles”? We’ll see then my friend, we’ll see… until then, however, expect a new review in October (certainly around then). See you then.

-- David Rasmussen 14th Sep 07