Hmmm. Got a lot of replies, but I don't think people are actually clicking on the buttons for the poll, which kind of defeats the point of doing a poll. Only 5 people actually clicked, so there's no way of seeing how the responses break down. Oh well.

Quote from: Archiecomicxfan215 on June 27, 2016, 02:13:25 PM
okay, what happened here?

Some kind of kinky fantasy dream sequence of Archie's?? 

Oddly enough or not, this is not a topic to which I've ever given any thought. There just seem to be SO many characters in the Archieverse, and so little space for some of the ones I like who haven't gotten much "screen time" (and are getting even less now than they were 5 years ago or so) that I seem to spend most of my time thinking about THEM.

Also, I'm not really feeling any particular void where there's a certain character type that I'd be dying to see, but no existing character that approximates that type, or some kind of "Mary Sue" type character that's a stand-in/identifying character for ME.

Quote from: Jabroniville on June 27, 2016, 05:29:40 AM

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 26, 2016, 05:11:03 AM

Maybe it's because I have absolutely no interest in sports myself, but know of many women who do. Generally they are the active type participants in sports, not the sit-on-the-couch-watching-the-game-on-the-tube type. Which is definitely the case with Betty, who takes part in many sports herself, but isn't overly competitive with some kind of driving need to dominate and win (Reggie), which is the only trait associated with sports that I'd define as masculine. Betty likes sports because she enjoys the physical challenge and keeping herself in good physical condition (to be attractive to boys... duh). When she plays against Archie, she often lets him win (unless she's setting him up to win a bet in the form of a date with him). Then there are several stories I've seen where Betty plays the role of the typical "sports widow" or commiserates with the other girls in sharing the same fate. Is she "energetic and sometimes boisterous"? Absolutely. But so are Veronica, Midge, and Nancy. You pretty much just described the basic requirements to make the cut for the cheerleading squad (that and physical conditioning). Are cheerleaders all viewed as "tomboys"? I'd argue that they aren't.  You know why Betty learned auto mechanics? Not so much for any inherent interest in mechanical things on her own part, but simply as a means to an end (dating Archie, of course).

Betty learned auto mechanics to win Archie? I don't think I've ever seen a story so much as imply that - more often than not you'll see her work on the car with her dad with or without Archie.

Yes, she did. More often than not, you'll see her working on ARCHIE's car -- which is famously in frequent need of repair. While I'm pretty sure you can trace this rationale back to whatever was the first story where Betty worked on Archie's car, I'll simply refer you to BETTY #19 (Nov. 1994), as that's an issue (Part II of the "Love Showdown" crossover which ran in 4 issues: ARCHIE #429, BETTY #19, BETTY AND VERONICA #82, and VERONICA #39), that's not only one of the most easily accessible stories, but because it spells things out for you in black & white.



Specifically, on pages 4 through 6 of the story. To recap briefly: In Part I, Betty and Veronica discover that Archie is swooning over some mystery love letter he received, and B&V demand to know who it's from. Both girls already have the suspicion that the mystery letter came from the other. Archie's reply is delayed by a gust of wind that whips the letter out of his hand, and the girls charge off in pursuit of it. After chasing it through a series of obstacles, they just miss retrieving the letter before it lands in a burning ashcan. Meanwhile, Archie has decided to play the mystery letter to his advantage, but when Reggie learns of it, he separately tells both Veronica, and then Betty, that the other girl wrote the mystery love letter. The former BFFs have a falling-out, and want nothing to do with each other. It's all-out war between the two.

On page 4 of BETTY #19, Mr. Cooper gives her two tickets to the Lodge Foundation's Summer Charity Dance, hoping that Betty will get Archie to go with her, to get her over the foul mood she's been in since she broke up her friendship with Veronica. She calls Archie to ask, and making small talk, asks what he's been up to. He tells her he's been trying to fix his car, but "Uhhh... I'm not the most mechanically-minded person in the world..." Betty says she's free tomorrow night, maybe she could come over and take a look at it. Archie says that'd be great, but he's not going to be home. Betty says that's okay, she'll still come and look at his car as long as he agrees to go to the Summer Charity Dance with her. Archie says "Sounds like a deal I can't pass up!"

PAGE 5
Panel 1: Betty: "Not only will I impress Archie by fixing his car, but then we'll go to the dance together!"
Panel 3: [NEXT DAY...] Mrs. Cooper: "What are you doing, Betty?" (She has her nose stuck in a book.) Betty: "A little trouble-shooting for Archie's car problems!"
Panel 4: Betty: "I got the manual for his model car to try to figure out what the problem is and how to fix it!"
Panel 5: Mr. Cooper: "If you want some practice on a newer model, I could use a brake job!" Betty: "Very funny, Dad! But I'm doing this to show Archie I'm much more practical to have around than Veronica!"
Panel 6: Mrs. Cooper: "Whatever happened to the helpless act?!" Betty: "This is the '90s, Mom! A guy likes a girl who rolls up her sleeves and lends him a hand!"

PAGE 6
Panel 1: Betty grabs a toolbox and is leaving: "See you two later! I've got a job to do!" Mrs. Cooper (to Hal): "Do you think the hospital gave us Mr. Goodwrench's baby by mistake?"
Panel 2: Archie is in his yard, working on his car, with the hood up, as Betty arrives, toolbox in hand. Betty: "Hi, Arch! How are you doing?" Archie: "Not too good! This thing still has me stumped..."
Panel 3: Betty: "Well, I've been doing a little studying and I think I know what your problem is!" Archie: "You've got to be kidding!"
Panel 4: Betty is removing the air cleaner: "A-HA! Just as I thought!"  Archie: "What is it?"
Panel 5: "Your fuel pump's got too much pressure at the carburetor! ...I'll just have to make a few adjustments..."  Archie is just gazing at her as she works, wide-eyed: "I just love it when you talk mechanical!" [voice from off-panel]: "Unhand that boy, you grease-monkey!"
Panel 6: Sure enough, it's... "VERONICA!?!" Betty looks surprised. Veronica: "I've got dibs on him tonight!"
And so it goes...

But you see what Betty did there. She learns that Archie has a problem. She'll do anything to impress him, and to get him to promise to go to the dance with her. She's intelligent and resourceful, not to mention determined, and not afraid to get her hands dirty, if it accomplishes her goal, which is getting a date with Archie. So she gets the manual for Archie's car and studies it (she IS an "A" student, and a quick study). In the course of a day, she's studied that car manual so thoroughly that she thinks she already has an idea of what Archie's problem might be, and it turns out she was right.

Quote from: Jabroniville on June 27, 2016, 05:29:40 AM
It's rather weird to think of Betty only engaging in these kinds of activities just to win boys. And VERY against the message the comics try to send across with stories featuring Betty playing sports or doing "guy stuff" (ie. their point is that "See? You can do this too! It doesn't make you any less of a girl!" and not "See? You can pretend to enjoy this crap too, and then boys will like you!").

[/size]

Quote[/size][size=78%]Virtually everything she does and everything she thinks is done from a female perspective. If you want to know who the real tomboys are, just look at their bedrooms, that would be the dead giveaway. Betty's bedroom is full of stuffed animals, craft items she's made, her diary, scrapbooks filled with sentimental stuff, and other books (she likes romance novels), and has pictures of Archie and various male heart-throbs covering the walls. She enjoys participating in various sports but they don't dominate her thoughts. Sorry, but I'm just not seeing anything the slightest bit "masculine" about Betty.[/size]

Yeah, she's into the girly stuff too- the contrast in the Greasemonkey Lady Jock thing combined with the Diary-Writing Dress-Making Domestic Goddess is part of why I like modern Betty. Heck- there's a story in which Betty & Archie try the "Duo Surfing" thing, and find that Archie's too weak to lift Betty for the stunts- instead, Betty lifts ARCHIE. More than one story has her as his physical superior (which is a pretty "masculine" trait). And heck- compare her to Veronica- Betty can be all about the flowers and the dresses, but only one of the two looks natural in torn-up jeans and a backwards baseball cap.

Betty is naturally superior to Archie in just about every way, especially in the thinking department. I just don't think you really understand a few things about Betty. While the Coopers certainly raised her right, and gave her a kind-hearted and optimistic outlook on life, virtually everything Betty has done with her life so far has been motivated largely by (a) her obsession with Archie, and (b) her competitiveness with Veronica. Betty is the hands-on, do-it-yourself type. She's smart enough to recognize that there are some areas in which Veronica has insurmountable advantages. She's also smart enough to realize that she has to take advantage of any areas in which Veronica is weak, areas in which her brains, willingness to work hard to accomplish a goal, and natural talents outclass Veronica in every way. She can't compete with Veronica's financial resources, her ability to buy her way to solutions to her problems. Betty has to use talent, brains, and sheer determination to overcome Veronica's advantages that come from wealth and the ability to manipulate boys using her natural sexual attractiveness. Not to say that Betty's any less attractive, but she's honest, straightforward and above-board in all her dealings -- manipulation isn't her strong suit, nor her natural inclination. She's got to IMPRESS the boys. The sports thing is a way to do that, because she's got fewer female competitors who can measure up to her ability in that area. Truth to tell, few boys are as good as she is, either. You don't think boys NOTICE her because of it? That's not to say she doesn't enjoy doing those things, like it's some odious task that she hates and is only doing for the results it's going to get her. But is IS the thing that is Betty's general motivation for doing MANY of the things she does, not just sports. Cooking and baking as well. How this can possibly have escaped someone's perception about Betty, I don't really understand. She's got a can-do attitude, and she enjoys learning new things and the feeling of accomplishment she gets from excelling in some new area that she challenges herself to do, but don't dismiss the admiring looks she gets from boys as a powerful incentive. Especially if it's something directly related to impressing Archie.

Quote from: Gisele on June 26, 2016, 06:53:52 PM

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 26, 2016, 06:15:09 AM
Here's a question. Was the format for the strip decided upon with an eye towards its potential as a feature for inclusion in various alternative newspapers? And has that actually happened?

I've always loved the newspaper strip format. If you look at all my projects, that's how they all started: Cool Cat Studio, Penny & Aggie, Menage a 3, even Eerie Cuties. Penny & Aggie was the only one that I REALLY tried to get in the newspapers, and we almost did with the Washington Post. Once that didn't happen, T Campbell and I decided to switch the comic to a full page format to do more complex storylines. Plus, it's what the readers wanted. After a while of that, I felt the need to draw gags again, and Menage a 3 was born. I knew going in that it would never be in newspapers, and I didn't care. I wanted to do something fun, and something where I didn't have to take myself seriously. Doing more absurd humor was something I had never really done, and here was my chance. I honestly didn't think it would catch on either but it did, and boy did it ever. It surpassed anything I had ever done in terms of readership and support from readers. I guess many were looking for something like Ma3 when it came out back in 2008. So to answer your question, no, we never thought Ma3 would be in newspapers, and we never tried to either. I did make a conscious decision at the very beginning that the strip would split in half so it would be easier to collect in a more standard format. I honestly fell in love with the format as it's very flexible.

Maybe it's time for you to reconsider shopping it around to various alternative press newspapers or magazines. According to Wikipedia:

QuoteMénage à 3 is consistently rated in the top 50 webcomics on the internet and is one of the top 25 most read.

Surely those kind of statistics might cause an alternative press editor to give it some serious consideration for inclusion in their comix section? Congratulations are in order in any case -- it seems you really tapped into the current cultural zeitgeist with MA3.

The air conditioner.

SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATER - BOOK 1 TPB

DC ARCHIVES - THE SANDMAN VOL 1 HC


ARCHIE COMICS DIGEST #29 (1978)

JOKEBOOK COMICS DIGEST #2 (1978)

LAUGH COMICS DIGEST #16 (1978)

TALES FROM RIVERDALE DIGEST #4, 5, 7, 9

I should think about getting a few of those lifesize cardboard cutouts if they're still available. I get the feeling they might disappear if I wait too long, but they're a little expensive. Still, what could be better than having life-size representations of your favorite Archie Comics characters?

Eh... Riverdale casting. What's the point? It's never going to amount to any approximation of "see the characters come to life" or anything like that. That's just not much of a consideration on the part of the casting department. It might turn out better if they had a bunch of skinny guys just moving around hiding behind those cardboard cutouts. They can just dub in the voices in post.

Quote from: Gisele on June 26, 2016, 03:34:18 AM

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 26, 2016, 01:43:02 AM
They do rearrange the panels into a 4-panel 2x2 grid for each page (so I assume that the 4 same-sized panel format is an unbreakable rule for each strip).

The only rule we have is that the comic needs to split in half. We can do as many panels as we want in each half. PDFs are also available here https://gumroad.com/pixietrixcomix/ but you won't get the panel to panel guided view like comixology. I'm behind in sending stuff to comixology for them to add but all books will eventually be there.

Here's a question. Was the format for the strip decided upon with an eye towards its potential as a feature for inclusion in various alternative newspapers? And has that actually happened?

Quote from: Jabroniville on June 26, 2016, 03:45:41 AM

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 25, 2016, 05:11:38 PM

Quote from: Jabroniville on June 25, 2016, 04:06:50 PM

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 20, 2016, 03:41:18 AM

Quote from: Jabroniville on June 20, 2016, 01:46:28 AM
BETTY COOPER: A) The scheming, somewhat-dim loser ('40s & '50s); B) The All-Around Girl-Next-Door Nice Girl Tomboy (most eras)

I really HATE it when someone refers to Betty as a tomboy. Sure, she likes sports, and is good at most of them, and she can fix a car or play videogames. That doesn't make her a tomboy, just talented.

To me tomboy implies a girl that gives no thought to typically "feminine" things, like hairstyles, makeup, clothes/fashion/shopping, looking pretty, romantic movies and books, domestic stuff like cooking/baking, sewing, artsy/crafty stuff, etc. Betty cares a lot about what guys think of her and whether they find her attractive, and all things "girlie" like drooling over male celebrities, gossiping with her gal-pals, and so on.

It always sounds to me like Betty's getting slagged simply for being capable of doing something as well as a guy can. She's NOT a tomboy. She's just what they call in England "sporty".

What tomboy means is thus: "an energetic, sometimes boisterous girl whose behavior and pursuits, especially in games and sports, are considered more typical ofboys than of girls."

It doesn't mean "never does anything feminine ever", nor is it an insult. I also included the "Girl-Next-Door" comment, because Betty is truly a MIX of both things. She's sporty, athletic, tough and can fix cars- all "tomboy" traits. But she can and has worn dresses and been the "nice girl" archetype, right down to domestic pursuits.

Both Betty's Wikipedia page and http://christinculture.com/archie-relaunch/]This article and this other one casually refer to her as, and argue for her to BE, a "tomboy", and I don't think that's inaccurate.

Well, that is ONE definition. By which it would mean that over half the women in the world are tomboys. Which to me, makes it kind of a meaningless distinction. Any woman interested in sports is a tomboy? Preposterous. Maybe by some antiquated 1940s view of gender roles, but certainly not in THIS century. That said, not all definitions are in agreement with the one you cite.

The other, more stringent definition would be that a tomboy isn't defined simply by her interest in some typically male things, but by that AND her LACK of interest in typically female things. Simply put, Betty's interest in typically feminine things FAR outweighs her interest in typically male things. She's not a female genetically (sexual orientation being a moot point here) with a predominantly masculine mental perspective and interests, although such females definitely exist, but they are the rare exception.

And further to the point, interest in sports is nowhere near the exclusive domain of males that it was more than half a century ago.
By YOUR chosen definition of tomboy, I DO consider it an insult, as it implies that gender roles should remain at some kind of standstill arbitrarily decided upon sometime in the last century.

Should I call a man who is interested in fashion or cooking, a "tamgirl"? Let's see, what would be the actual opposite-gender equivalent here?  I think the term "girly-man" would be pretty close. Yes, it's insulting, as calling Betty a boy is an insinuation that she's somehow less than 100% female, or lacking in some way in the kind of traits that a male partner would find ideal in a woman.

*shrug* I've never considered the term an insult, and I know plenty of women who's admitted to being tomboys. If anyone takes offense to it, that's their hang-up.

And the definition (which I got from Webster's Dictionary, btw) says "considered more TYPICAL of boys than girls", not "traditional" or "correct" or whatever- it's not loaded with any kind of hidden "You should behave in THIS manner!" coding. It's perfectly okay to act atypical. I'm a 35-year old male who keeps Ever After High and Disney Fairies toys right next to my Dino Riders & Transformers stuff, and doesn't care a lick about sports- trust me in that I'm not about to judge people for not catering to some societal expectation of their own gender .

---

Betty is, of course, a girly-girl AND a tomboy, which is what I meant by "Girl Next Door Tomboy" (in retrospect, I should have just SAID THAT). And, bringing this back to the topic, that's how I see Betty- at home either with the culinary arts, at the school dance, or being a grease-monkey fixing a transmission. I see a lot of her in Sailor Jupiter from Sailor Moon- equal parts feminine & masculine-"typical" traits, combined to make a very fascinating character. Though I wish some of the manic nature of 1950s Betty would come about today- sure she was psychotic, but some of that can be fun .

Maybe it's because I have absolutely no interest in sports myself, but know of many women who do. Generally they are the active type participants in sports, not the sit-on-the-couch-watching-the-game-on-the-tube type. Which is definitely the case with Betty, who takes part in many sports herself, but isn't overly competitive with some kind of driving need to dominate and win (Reggie), which is the only trait associated with sports that I'd define as masculine. Betty likes sports because she enjoys the physical challenge and keeping herself in good physical condition (to be attractive to boys... duh). When she plays against Archie, she often lets him win (unless she's setting him up to win a bet in the form of a date with him). Then there are several stories I've seen where Betty plays the role of the typical "sports widow" or commiserates with the other girls in sharing the same fate. Is she "energetic and sometimes boisterous"? Absolutely. But so are Veronica, Midge, and Nancy. You pretty much just described the basic requirements to make the cut for the cheerleading squad (that and physical conditioning). Are cheerleaders all viewed as "tomboys"? I'd argue that they aren't.  You know why Betty learned auto mechanics? Not so much for any inherent interest in mechanical things on her own part, but simply as a means to an end (dating Archie, of course). To the degree that she shares in any male interests, everything she does is with an ulterior motive. She's crazy like a fox, and a little bit of an amateur psychologist in that way, because she believes the way to get friendly with and get to know boys is to try to understand how they think and share in their interests, join in on their conversation. Virtually everything she does and everything she thinks is done from a female perspective. If you want to know who the real tomboys are, just look at their bedrooms, that would be the dead giveaway. Betty's bedroom is full of stuffed animals, craft items she's made, her diary, scrapbooks filled with sentimental stuff, and other books (she likes romance novels), and has pictures of Archie and various male heart-throbs covering the walls. She enjoys participating in various sports but they don't dominate her thoughts. Sorry, but I'm just not seeing anything the slightest bit "masculine" about Betty.

Quote from: daren on May 03, 2016, 04:02:12 AM
I have a complex about reading superhero stuff in public that I don't have about Archie, maybe Im just paranoid about looking like a loser fanboy and people associsate superhero comics with that instead of Archie stuff. And everyone knows superhero comics suck up all your time and money because of all the continuities so in additioin to looking like a loser you look like a loser in hock to Marvel and Image...I know it's stupid, everyone should just read what they want. 

QuoteAnd yet hundreds of thousands of people spend millions of dollars seeing Batman and Avengers movies. And let's not forget Star Wars. But if you READ it instead of see it on a theater screen (or stream it on your computer) then you're a LOSER. Oh yeah, clearly the moviegoer is the owner of superior genomes.

Quote from: daren on May 03, 2016, 04:02:12 AMI dont know how I missed these posts earlier but let me explain I don't think reading superhero comics is anything to be ashamed of and I still do it sometimes. Fanboy is one of those words that has a way of ringing in your head you so I'm paranoid but like I said that's stupid. Superhero stories are awesome, the greatest mix of adventure, humor, drama, romance and sometimes social commentary, yeah, that's why they're clogging up the movie theaters now, and I like comics better than watching movies, reading and looking at art is better for your mind than zoning in front of some screen (not that I don't do that too). It was reading comics that made me try to learn to draw, I bet a lot of other fans would say that too, the only thing movies ever really made me accomplish is eating corn chips.    Maybe comics cost money but you can always sell or donate them or borrow them from the library.

I don't need to explain that I was being sarcastic, do I? I HATE it when people have some kind of attitude about feeling superior to others because of something as stupid as a person's choices of entertainment. It aggravates me even further when fans buy that kind of BS negatory attitude coming from others as if they "should" be ashamed about or something. If you enjoy something or believe in something, you gotta OWN it, and wear it like a second skin, not "change your colors" to blend into the background like some cowardly chameleon, or even worse, begin to believe in the crap they're selling you as having some basis in reality. Let your freak flag fly. Say it loud, you're fanboy and proud! If other people can't deal with it, screw them.

Quote from: daren on June 26, 2016, 03:05:55 AM
Why am I not getting the last one?

Star Wars joke. Boba Fett gets eaten when he falls into the sarlacc pit (it's later revealed that he escaped at the last moment).

Quote from: Midge Klump on June 26, 2016, 12:54:30 AM

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 26, 2016, 12:35:27 AM

Quote from: Midge Klump on June 25, 2016, 01:49:21 PM
I have been a Menage A 3 reader but have not read Magick Chiks. I love the artwork of Gisele and the creative works of Gisele, Dan Parent, and Fernando Ruiz so this and Eerie Cuties will most likely be right up my alley. I will most certainly be taking a look see.

I've read all of Eerie Cuties, Magick Chicks and Dangerously Chloe, but have barely read any of MA3.

I think it's the single strip format that I find daunting, as a webcomic. Too much clicking for too little reading per click, and there are a LOT of back pages to get through, which is why I never got that far into it. I wish it were like a regular comic format page. I wonder what the print format looks like, if they rearrange the panels to fit on a comic format page or how they do it.

I would imagine they would rearrange the panels so it would fit on a full single page.

Okay, I just did a search for a digital copy of the print edition and found it on ComiXology, along with a few preview pages. They do rearrange the panels into a 4-panel 2x2 grid for each page (so I assume that the 4 same-sized panel format is an unbreakable rule for each strip).

Quote from: Midge Klump on June 25, 2016, 01:49:21 PM
I have been a Menage A 3 reader but have not read Magick Chiks. I love the artwork of Gisele and the creative works of Gisele, Dan Parent, and Fernando Ruiz so this and Eerie Cuties will most likely be right up my alley. I will most certainly be taking a look see.

I've read all of Eerie Cuties, Magick Chicks and Dangerously Chloe, but have barely read any of MA3.

I think it's the single strip format that I find daunting, as a webcomic. Too much clicking for too little reading per click, and there are a LOT of back pages to get through, which is why I never got that far into it. I wish it were like a regular comic format page. I wonder what the print format looks like, if they rearrange the panels to fit on a comic format page or how they do it.

Quote from: Jabroniville on June 25, 2016, 04:06:50 PM

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 20, 2016, 03:41:18 AM

Quote from: Jabroniville on June 20, 2016, 01:46:28 AM
BETTY COOPER: A) The scheming, somewhat-dim loser ('40s & '50s); B) The All-Around Girl-Next-Door Nice Girl Tomboy (most eras)

I really HATE it when someone refers to Betty as a tomboy. Sure, she likes sports, and is good at most of them, and she can fix a car or play videogames. That doesn't make her a tomboy, just talented.

To me tomboy implies a girl that gives no thought to typically "feminine" things, like hairstyles, makeup, clothes/fashion/shopping, looking pretty, romantic movies and books, domestic stuff like cooking/baking, sewing, artsy/crafty stuff, etc. Betty cares a lot about what guys think of her and whether they find her attractive, and all things "girlie" like drooling over male celebrities, gossiping with her gal-pals, and so on.

It always sounds to me like Betty's getting slagged simply for being capable of doing something as well as a guy can. She's NOT a tomboy. She's just what they call in England "sporty".

What tomboy means is thus: "an energetic, sometimes boisterous girl whose behavior and pursuits, especially in games and sports, are considered more typical ofboys than of girls."

It doesn't mean "never does anything feminine ever", nor is it an insult. I also included the "Girl-Next-Door" comment, because Betty is truly a MIX of both things. She's sporty, athletic, tough and can fix cars- all "tomboy" traits. But she can and has worn dresses and been the "nice girl" archetype, right down to domestic pursuits.

Both Betty's Wikipedia page and http://christinculture.com/archie-relaunch/]This article and this other one casually refer to her as, and argue for her to BE, a "tomboy", and I don't think that's inaccurate.

Well, that is ONE definition. By which it would mean that over half the women in the world are tomboys. Which to me, makes it kind of a meaningless distinction. Any woman interested in sports is a tomboy? Preposterous. Maybe by some antiquated 1940s view of gender roles, but certainly not in THIS century. That said, not all definitions are in agreement with the one you cite.

The other, more stringent definition would be that a tomboy isn't defined simply by her interest in some typically male things, but by that AND her LACK of interest in typically female things. Simply put, Betty's interest in typically feminine things FAR outweighs her interest in typically male things. She's not a female genetically (sexual orientation being a moot point here) with a predominantly masculine mental perspective and interests, although such females definitely exist, but they are the rare exception.

And further to the point, interest in sports is nowhere near the exclusive domain of males that it was more than half a century ago.
By YOUR chosen definition of tomboy, I DO consider it an insult, as it implies that gender roles should remain at some kind of standstill arbitrarily decided upon sometime in the last century.

Should I call a man who is interested in fashion or cooking, a "tamgirl"? Let's see, what would be the actual opposite-gender equivalent here?  I think the term "girly-man" would be pretty close. Yes, it's insulting, as calling Betty a boy is an insinuation that she's somehow less than 100% female, or lacking in some way in the kind of traits that a male partner would find ideal in a woman.