SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

July 1, 2020 by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Review: ‘Betty and Veronica: The Bond of Friendship’

July 1, 2020 by J. Caleb Mozzocco   Leave a Comment

Betty and Veronica: The Bond of Friendship
Writer: Jamie Lee Rotante
Artist: Brittney Williams
Archie Comics; $14.99

This short and sweet original graphic novel uses career day at Riverdale High as a sort of prism through which to shine the friendship of Betty and Veronica, creating four possible futures for the pair as they embark on different careers in different fields.

The studious Betty Cooper is excited about the possibilities of the day, which she calls the best day of the year, while the already wealthy and well-connected Veronica is significantly cooler to it. After hearing an inspiring speech from a local politician, though, she is far more open, and she convinces Betty to abandon her detailed list and go with the flow.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

They hear the stories of four accomplished women, each of whom give a brief talk, which is then followed by an extended imagined future for the girls. Most of the presenters are extant Archie characters: Katy Keene, the latest version of superhero The Shield and even the politician Elena Martinez, who had a brief role in a weird 2012 “Occupy Riverdale” issue of Archie. They inspire the girls to imagine lives as celebrities, superheroes, and even running for president together someday…not as president and vice-president, mind you, but as co-presidents (“It’s just not feasible for one person to act in the best interest of various groups,” a future Betty explains).

The fourth is an astronaut, inspiring a sequence in which Betty and some fellow Riverdale brains grow up to become astronauts, eventually carrying out a daring space mission in which they discover alien life. In that fantasy Veronica, wanting to help make her friend’s dream come true, handles PR for NASA, but accidentally ends up on the launching shuttle and accompanies them into space.

There’s a subplot involving Kevin Keller, who is not entirely sure he wants to carry on the Keller family tradition of serving in the military but is afraid to break it to his father, that plays out between the speeches and daydreams. The other more familiar faces from Riverdale’s student body make brief appearances throughout, sometimes in the halls of the high school, sometimes in the fantasy futures, sometimes in both (Reggie Mantle’s appearance as the prime minister of the newly sovereign island nation of New Reginwald probably being my favorite).

Notably, Archie Andrews plays a relatively small role in the book and doesn’t come into play in any of the possible futures as a potential husband or boyfriend, which comes as something of a relief. Not only have we already seen stories of possible futures in which Archie marries either Betty or Veronica, but it’s refreshing to see that things don’t always have to revolve around Archie, even if the publisher is named after him, especially when we’re talking about Betty and Veronica’s careers and futures.

Artist Brittney Williams, whose sharp, simple and expressive style will be familiar from her Goldie Vance and Patsy Walker, AKA Hellcat comics, was apparently born to draw Betty and Veronica comics, as is apparent on every panel of every page of the book. She seemingly effortlessly ages and de-ages the various characters as she tells stories of their pasts, presents and possible futures, and is equally comfortable in every genre that writer Jamie Lee Rotante’s  light dramedy takes a detour into. It’s almost a shame the girls don’t visit more speakers, as it’s fun watching Williams mastering whatever Rotante’s script throws at her.

Ultimately, it will come as no surprise what the girls will be when they grow up, as it’s the same thing they’ve been for decades now: Friends. Not that they ever will grow up, of course, as doing so would jeopardize their real careers as comic book characters.

Filed under: Graphic Novels, Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
Archie ComicsBetty and VeronicaBrittney WilliamsJamie Lee RotanteThe Bond of Friendship

About J. Caleb Mozzocco

J. Caleb Mozzocco is a way-too-busy freelance writer who has written about comics for online and print venues for a rather long time now. He currently contributes to Comic Book Resources' Robot 6 blog and ComicsAlliance, and maintains his own daily-ish blog at EveryDayIsLikeWednesday.blogspot.com. He lives in northeast Ohio, where he works as a circulation clerk at a public library by day.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

June 2022

Review | Mickey Mouse: Zombie Coffee

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

May 2022

Review: Red Scare

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

April 2022

How To Spot A Sasquatch | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

April 2022

Review: Miss Quinces

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

March 2022

DC Super Hero Girls: At Metropolis High | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

The Yarn LIVE at ALA 2022!

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Shining A Light Cover Reveal: A Talk with Author Veeda Bybee About the Trick With Collected Biographies

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Ghosts of Science Past | This Week’s Comics

by Lori Henderson

Heavy Medal

Mock Newbery Update – Our List of First Half Suggestions

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Book Review: The Loophole by Naz Kutub

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Shark Week, Vanilla Ice Cream, and the Honda CRV: Bob Shea and Brian Won Team Up for ADURABLE

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

PEN America and Trust Project Release Newsroom Transparency Tracker | News Bites

Saturday Morning Comics | Stellar Panels

Shoujo Manga Is Back: 8 New Comics Made for Girls

Introducing “Stellar Panels,” SLJ’s New Graphic Novels Column

YA Books Reflect the Activism of Real-Life Teens

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2022


COPYRIGHT © 2022