BETTY AND VERONICA DIGEST MAGAZINE #185 (August, 2008) Thoughts and Comments

written: Saturday, October 11, 2008, 8:00 PM - 10:53 PM; Sunday, October 12, 2008, 7:00 PM - 10:23 PM


Note: I am reviewing only the new stories in this digest.


The front cover shows old Betty and Old veronica peering over the top of a small stage from behind. They are angrily looking at Veronica and Betty holding onto old Archie. The cover is an homage to the Archie's Girls Betty and Veronica, No. 1, cover from 1950. A blurb on the center-left says "Featuring Betty & Veronica Issue No. 1 From 1950", which is slightly misleading. It's a lame cover that ties into the feature story. I gotta wonder why modern Veronica and Betty would be interested in old, buck-toothed Archie. The cover is by Jeff Shultz and Bob Smith.


Did You Know...
by Jeffrey Branch
3 pages

This is a text history of Archie with some old artwork throughout.


Reprinted stories in this digest include:

Archie's Girls Betty and Veronica #1 front cover
by Unknown
Character(s): Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Archie, and Reggie
1 page

"circus daze!"
by Unknown
Character(s): Archie's Girls Betty and Veronica
6 pages

The Rain-Maker
by Unknown
Character(s): Archie's Girls Betty and Veronica
7 pages

"What's Cookin'?"
by Unknown
Character(s): Archie's Girls Betty and Veronica
6 pages

"Poor Little Rich Girl!"
by Unknown
Character(s): Archie's Girls Betty and Veronica
6 pages

"You Can't Win!"
by Unknown
Character(s): Archie's Girls Betty and Veronica
3 pages

"Sail Tale"
by Unknown
Character(s): Betty
1 page

"The Competitive Edge"
by Unknown
Character(s): Betty and Veronica
6 pages


There are then 6 pages of Betty's Paper Dollbook.


There is then 1 page of Betty's Assorted Fashions.


"Comic Relief!" Parts One and Two
by Unknown
Character(s): Veronica
11 pages


There is then 1 page of Beachy Keen Fashions (Betty and Veronica).


"Heads Up, Reggie!"
by Unknown
Character(s): Betty and Veronica
5 pages


There is then 1 page of Veronica's Summer Style.


"Out of Consideration"
by Unknown
Character(s): Betty and Veronica
6 pages


When Betty and Veronica Meet Betty and Veronica
by Fernando Ruiz
Character(s): Betty and Veronica
12 pages

Two old women walk by on the sidewalk and badmouth the "shameful" Betty and Veronica for "squawking at each other right on the street" "and over a boy", claiming that wasn't seen in their day. Betty and Veronica wonder if they're right. They see "Riverdale's Romeo", Archie, and chase after him to put an end to this and make him choose between them once and for all. Each girl thinks Archie will choose her. They run around a corner and see Archie flirting with a cute girl. They scream at him. He gets scared and runs away. They chase after him. Archie goes around a corner. Betty suggests a shortcut through an alley to cut him off. Veronica agrees. They go down Memory Lane. They end up in the 1950s, surprised. They see old cars and a billboard advertising "The New Vista Bruiser". Betty believes the town is "done up" like the 1950s. Veronica points out old Betty and old Veronica and calls their dresses "soooo old school", confusing them. Old Betty and old Veronica insult Veronica's midriff-baring shirt and short skirt, and old Veronica insults Betty's t-shirt and pants. Old Veronica and old Betty laugh. Veronica is convinced that the girls are actresses, and they're on a movie set. Betty is doubtful, saying there was something familiar about the girls. Betty spots an old jalopy and believes it's cool. Veronica jokes about the rolled-up cuffs on the pants of the guy under the jalopy. Betty explains about girls knitting argyle socks for their boyfriends in the 1950s and the guys rolling up their pant cuffs to show off the socks. The guy comes out from under the jalopy, explaining that his girlfriend made his socks, but he stops before he can name his girlfriend. It's old Archie, and he's shocked by the "crazy threads" that Betty and Veronica are wearing. Veronica says they were going to ask him the same thing. Old Archie is confused. Betty says he looks like their Archie, "but something's not quite right". Veronica is attracted to old Archie and invites him to share a soda with them at Pop's, surprising and confusing Betty. Later, outside Pop's, old Veronica is still going on about Betty and Veronica's outfits. Old Betty asks her if they remind her of anyone. As they enter Pop's, old Veronica is about to agree, but then they're surprised to see Veronica and Betty sharing a soda with old Archie at the counter. Old Betty and old Veronica scream at old Archie. Old Archie exclaims their names in surprise, surprising Betty and Veronica. Old Betty and old Veronica demand to know what's going on from old Archie. Veronica yells that's what they (Veronica and Betty) want to know. Old Betty says it looks like "a couple of phoneys" are trying to steal their boyfriend. Betty says the only thing that's phoney is the color of old Betty's hair. Old Archie decides to date the 4 girls on a rotating basis, causing someone (or someones) to throw food at Archie as he runs out of Pop's. Betty exclaims "What nerve!" Old Veronica agrees. Veronica says there must be something to a guy that has 4 girls fighting over him. Betty tells Veronica that she thinks they've gone back in time. Veronica is surprised. Betty says Archie told her about his trip "back to 1941" where he met an early version of himself. Betty says, later, the same thing happened to Jughead. Betty says, now, it's happened to them. Veronica says it sounds so fantastic. Betty explains the way back home as explained by Archie and Jughead. Old Betty laments the extra competition and says Archie will never ask her out. Betty is surprised that old Betty is waiting for old Archie to ask her out and asks her why she doesn't just ask him. Old Betty is surprised and it wouldn't be proper; a girl always waits for the boy to ask her out. This surprises Betty, who suggests to Veronica that they go back to their own time. As they leave Pop's, Veronica says "Some things never change...but it's good to see that other things do!" This surprises and confuses old Veronica and old Betty.

Well, it's another Memory Lane story. Let's get into it.

The beginning is almost a copy of Jughead's Memory Lane story - with two old people complaining about modern teenagers.

So, back in the 1950s, it was shameful for two girls to get into a shouting match on the street?

Why does it take these two old women to make Betty and Veronica realize that fighting over Archie is silly?

How could Betty and Veronica not catch up with a walking Archie by running after him?

Veronica already knew about Archie's womanizing ways, judging by her calling him "Riverdale's Romeo". Betty and Veronica then see him shamelessly flirting with a girl. He then runs away when confronted. Why are they attracted to him at all?

It wasn't unheard-of for girls to wear pants in the 1950s (or, presumably, t-shirts). Old Veronica's criticism of Betty's outfit makes no sense.

Girls used to knit socks for their boyfriends in the 1950s? It might be just me, but that seems like a bit much.

Also, why would boys roll up their pant cuffs to show these socks off? That would have looked silly even back then.

Why is Veronica attracted to old, buck-toothed Archie? Betty rightly looks baffled by this behavior.

We get a "three-on-a-soda" pic with Veronica, old Archie, and Betty. Old Archie is focusing entirely on Veronica.

I like Betty's insult of old Betty regarding her hair.

The year that Archie visited wasn't specified in his Memory Lane story. If you go by the front cover, it was 1942, not 1941. Either Betty misremembered what Archie told her, or Archie was told that it was 1941 (perhaps in the largely-unseen hour-long conversation that he had with old Betty).

Old Betty completely dismisses Betty's time-travel explanation, instead focusing on Archie. Old Veronica doesn't comment on it either. You'd think they'd say something about it.

Speaking of Betty's explanation, did she just then realize that they'd gone back in time? I thought she'd already figured it out when she went into the explanation about the socks.

So, back in the 1950s, it was improper for a girl to ask a boy out? That's pretty stupid.

I like the ending. It's refreshing that, unlike Jughead, Betty and Veronica aren't impressed by the 1950s and prefer the 2000s instead.

Overall, this story is dumb.

In fact, I fail to see the point of the Memory Lane stories at all. If Archie Comics wants to do nostalgic stories, they could always have the characters dream that they were living in previous decades. They could even save money by recycling old artwork and rewriting the scripts to be dreams.

Presumably, this is the last that we'll see of Memory Lane (which, I'll say again, hasn't been explained at all), unless Archie Comics decides to do "When Reggie Meets Reggie", "When DIlton Meets Dilton", "When Moose and Midge Meet Moose and Midge", "When Cheryl Meets Cheryl", etc.

Actually, a 1980s nostalgia story might be fun - or at least more enjoyable than the Memory Lane stories that we've gotten so far.


This digest is pretty enjoyable, moreso for the reprinted stories than the new story. Recommended.