I noticed this was still on the newsstand, so I thought I'd put up a review.

Why did I buy this?
Mostly because it listed Cheryl Blossom and Katy Keene on the cover.  I hadn't
read any Cheryl or 80's Katy before and wanted to try them out.

What's good?
Both Cheryl stories.  She is an interesting character and a good foil for the gang and by herself.  Honestly, the script and art were a bit weak.  Having seen Dan Parent's artwork before in Betty & Veronica Spectacular #86 and loving it, I think my problem was with the inking and colors.  Instead of going for a "realistic" look, perhaps more stylized look would be a better option.  As for the script, I wish they'd go for a "G" rating in the writing, as opposed to writing for kids.  There's a difference.  Cheryl's character just seems to demand witty dialogue. 

The two Katy Keene stories were well done in art and story, and if you love the
80's, you'll love the look. 

"The Art of the Heart," was a good commentary on the love triangle.  "Plaster
Parting" was a good character piece with Betty, as was "Paper Caper" (the
artwork was also very good).  "Third Friend" with Archie, I'd also single out for
its story.  My favorite of the digest would have to be "Beautiful Dreamer."  First, any story featuring Betty and Veronica having a sleepover is going to get an A+ from me.    Second, just the cleverness of the girls fighting over Archie, even in their dreams, was too funny.

Any clunkers?
"Birds of a Feather," "Litter Perfect," "Inside Job," and "Weaker Sex" all had the
same problem of either a bad story or no story.  "Lucky Charmed Life," is the
only story I'm going to have to single out for the artwork as well.  Tim Kennedy's art style just didn't work for me.

Overall?
Hey, I liked 9 out of 23 stories (thereabouts), that's not bad.  I went through two X-Men comics in a half-hour over the weekend without liking either, except for the artwork.  This digest I chewed on for about three days and did like, so I got my money's worth and at nearly half the price. 

Recommended.  Get it while you can. 

Wow!  There are people at Archie reading these boards.

I've never seen Woggon's original Katy, but Mr. Lucas, judging from your work and Andrew Pepoy's, Katy's artistic staff clearly loves her.  She is a special character and, much like the Archie gang, never gets old or outdated.  The writing in Katy's stories perhaps exemplifies what I meant by "G" rated, as opposed to writing down to kids.

Good to here from you Mr. Lucas, and Las Cruces is still lovely if you're ever looking for a new home.

I remember picking up Josie and the Pussycats issues of Archie Giant in high school in the 80's.  More recently, I'd say it was the Veronicas promotion that got me to pick up some more (as you might guess from my avatar).  I'm not sure why I've been buying these lately.  Maybe it's been accounts of the imminent demise of the floppy that I've read.  Marvel, DC, and the independents have mostly run off my business.  So, I'm supporting Archie instead.

You people are awfully friendly around here.  Thank you, Alex and Athena.

Alex, if you'd like a bunch of Archie comics, quick and cheap, find the Archie, Jughead, or Betty & Veronica Bronze Age DVD's.  I'm reading my Archie one now.         

I just got through reading this.  I was kind of disappointed because, except for the first and last story, the Katy Keene stories, and I think one other one (which I didn't particularly like), I'd read every single one of the stories before.  Some of them, though, I was very pleased to see again, such as "Beautiful Dreamer."

I really enjoyed the Katy Keene story, "Katy's Incredible Secret," and it really surprised me because it made a serious reference to death (the death of Katy's and Sis's parents).  I'd always kind of assumed their parents were dead, but I never knew there was a story where they openly discussed it.  As people have written elsewhere on these boards, that's quite a rarity for Archie Comics.

Has anyone seen the Betty & Veronica Double Digest #169?  They have an ad for "Vintage Katy Keene" items available from Archie on their website.  It features a Katy Keene Pin-Up I did for the book years ago with fans' designs on Katy in a major Butterfly Theme Gown.  Makes me feel good they want to use that for an item they're selling along with the reprinting of the stories I did for them some time ago.  The only problem I have with it - and I've told them about it - is the fact that they may want to put Katy's name on the piece so people know who she is.  They don't usually put Archie's name or Betty & Veronica's names on their items, but they are so internationally recognizable they really don't need it.  And, pardon my ego here, but wouldn't it be great if Archie would keep the names of the artists on the work that is reprinted in their digests?  There are so many people that have contributed to their books over the last 65 years - it would be nice to honor them all for their past work.  What's your take on this Archie Fans? - Take care and thanks again - John Sterling Lucas, Katy Artist.

And, pardon my ego here, but wouldn't it be great if Archie would keep the names of the artists on the work that is reprinted in their digests?  There are so many people that have contributed to their books over the last 65 years - it would be nice to honor them all for their past work.  What's your take on this Archie Fans?

Well, according to Rik, the stories in the digests aren't really reprints. The artwork and the dialogue have been altered. Therefore, if credits existed in the original story, they're removed in the digests for this reason.

Of course, we all know that's a very flimsy excuse. Changing a word or two or drawing a roof on Veronica's convertible aren't so huge changes that the original writers/artists don't deserve to be credited.

As for stories from before Archie Comics started printing credits, does anyone honestly believe that Archie Comics kept records of this information?

If not show the credits in digests, at least start putting them in the Americana Series, if that isn't already being done (as big an Archie fan as I am, I don't own a single one of those books yet).