Betty Cooper is Weary of the Universe
Check out the Joey deVilla (Accordion Guy) post about an Archies comic in which Betty goes goth to get attention. Joey's comment:
It's a little-known fact that your subculture is over the minute it becomes a plot point in an Archie Comic.
Of course, if Al Hartley had inked the comic, perhaps Stryper or Undercover would have dropped by.
Blake Reitz says, "I'm a little sad now that Archie has no continuity." What, did Jughead go outlaw country in the previous month?
Caitlin links to an easy-to-read version of the comic at statusbar.com, and offers the following comment:
I love how they have to say "V Box" instead of X Box, but are free to use Sonic the Hedgehog since the same people that publish "Archie" publish the Sonic comic books.
And here's what the Sketch Pad says:
Are you passive-agressive and lonely? Are your friends ignoring you? Well, Betty’s got the perfect solution!
Go goth! All the cool kids are doing it!
Sketch Pad says more, but I'd be giving away the ending of the comic.
I wonder if the Archie comics still feature the band (late 1960s version), or if that has been dropped. You'll recall that Betty played the tambourine in the band, something that attracted Graeme Burk:
My relationship, if you want to call it that, with Betty Cooper began when I was about six or seven. Back then she was a backing musician to the musical group The Archies. I didn’t really know a lot about her then....In those days, Betty didn’t have a whole lot to do except play tambourine and do backup vocals....
What was the appeal of Betty? It’s true she’s a pretty blonde. Back in her classic days in the 1970s and 1980s being drawn by Dan DeCarlo, she was gorgeous. However, don’t let the golden locks fool you. Betty Cooper was no bimbo. Next to Dilton, Betty was the smart one of the Archie gang—she always had good grades and she was the one in Riverdale High you could picture eventually graduating from law school or med school and have a professional career helping people before going into politics for the noble reason of public service. It’s safe to say she probably has the brightest future of any of the gang. Veronica would probably get an MBA and run the family firm and become a female Donald Trump. It’s clear Archie’s never going any further than perhaps managing Pop’s Malt Shop once Pop retires. And, mark my words, Reggie’s going to be running a strip joint one day.
Ah, but Betty is the Helen Marnie (Ladytron) of the Archies:
Helen Marnie covers the other end of the spectrum: she's the pouty, breathy pre-teen disco queen, ruling a hazy, undulating wonderland of Human League/New Order melodies and broadly licentious grooves. She sounds like she exists only to please, and in songs such as the creepily-sexy "Seventeen" and the deliciously naughty "Evil", it's an offer that's hard to refuse.
Betty and Helen both want to be loved. So Betty goes goth. And Helen (especially in the "Blue Jeans" era) puts on Tammy Faye levels of makeup.
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