I just made Betty & Veronica #1 my “Pick of the Week,” but I decided to move my comments into a discussion of its own because I know not everyone reads that thread. Here’s what I said in the other discussion.
Betty & Veronica #1 is witty, well-drawn, and, thanks to writer/artist Adam Hughes, it has its own unique voice. I don’t know that I’ve ever read a comic written by Hughes before, but if this is a sample of what to expect, I want to read more!
Like Archie, B&V has a classic reprint backing the main story (although the introduction is not as entertaining or informative as those written by Mark Waid). This story is shaping up to be a two-parter. If I have one quibble about #1 (and this new line in general), is that it should have more done-in-one stories. If I were the editor of this issue, I would have presented one complete story for this first issue with no reprint. Don’t tell me the continued story will draw readers to #2; the quality of the comic itself will do that.
One other problem: This comic book just didn’t have enough variant covers!
Replies
I don't normally read Archie stuff but Hughes involvement has me interested. Maybe the backup stories will help him stay on schedule?
I had B&V #1 as my pick as well. So I'll swipe your trick and reprint my post on the other thread:
I go with Betty & Veronica #1 as well. I was surprised that Hughes was so good with dialogue -- it was crisp and amusing. And the story was well-constructed, too. A very pleasant surprise, given that I'd only seen Hughes do artwork before.
Speaking of which, I guess I don't have to mention that the art is spectacular. He does take a cheap way out of drawing two pages, which makes me wonder if he can really do 20 pages a month. It was funny, but still.
I like how he differentiates between Betty & Veronica visually. I think Veronica Fish is trying to do that in Archie, too. I'm guessing they're trying to do it line-wide, but not all artists are able to pull that off.
Whoops. I just realized that I responded with my thoughts to this in the All-New Archie thread.
I agreed that the writing and the art both were beautiful and unique. Hughes showed that he has some nice writing chops with a very singular voice and style.
I expected to like this a lot -- but I didn't expect to love it. I knew it would be gorgeous, but I was surprised by how funny I found it. Betty's speech in Pop's -- highlighted by an amazing soup pun! -- was simply phenomenal. And Hot Dog's narration is fantastic, up to and including the two pages he ate. This book is a blast.
I thought it was a riot too. While I wouldn't say the dialog sounded like "real people talking" (which I personally can find pretty annoying when Brian Bendis tries to hard on his books), I found it really enjoyable to read. Kind of like when you're watching a show where everyone is extra-witty. It doesn't feel real, but then you wouldn't want it to, either. These teenagers certainly like to hear themselves talk--and so does Pop--but in a non-annoying way.
Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod) said:
Oh, yeah -- it wasn't realistic, but stylized verbosity, like in an Aaron Sorkin or Kevin Smith script. (Or maybe John Hughes is a better example, considering the high-school setting.) AH makes it work, not just by virtue of his art, but by making the words be entertaining in and of themselves.
And out of all the variant covers, i got... none of 'em. Or rather, the sketch cover, which was blank (and unlike sketch covers from other publishers, doesn't have a standard cover underneath). I'm a total sucker for those things, and absolutely love bringing them to conventions.
Yes, exactly what I was going for--Sorkin is a perfect example. I loved the two pages that were eaten by Hot Dog, and also the scene where they all fell off the curb and the scene just froze right there and he went on to tell more about the story.
I've read a couple things that Adam Hughes has written before--there was a Gen 13/Superman crossover back when that was an intercompany thing, and a Gen 13 miniseries called Ordinary Heroes. I wasn't all that impressed with the writing. But he has come a long way since then. This is by far some of the more inventive storytelling I've read in awhile.
Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod) said: