COMIC BOOKS: Betty & Veronica Friends Forever: Rock N Roll

Dean Poling, The Valdosta Daily Times, Ga.
·2 min read

Jan. 14—For a generation — granted an older generation, Archie was more of a Saturday morning cartoon than a comic book.

Even more the animated Archie and gang were pop stars with a cartoon performance of the 1969 hit "Sugar, Sugar." While Archie, Jughead and the guys played guitars, drums, etc., Betty and Veronica kept the beat with tambourines.

In an upcoming, one-shot comic book, "Betty & Veronica Friends Forever: Rock N Roll," the gal pals trade the tambourines and backup singing gig for the spotlight.

"In a story written and drawn by Holly G!, the duo quit The Archies band and team up with drummer Jola Kitt, also making her first appearance in the issue," according to a statement released by Archie Comics.

"Rock Candi proves that girls can rock," Holly said in the statement. "No more tambourine shaking or backup vocals; these girls are shredding guitars, writing their own songs and singing them. The story is more drama than comedy — it's about not letting someone keep your light from shining and how a band is supposed to support one another. I'm excited for more Rock Candi stories to come."

"The upheaval caused by Rock Candi marks a rare status quo change in Riverdale's music scene, which has remained steady since The Archies debuted in 'Life with Archie' No. 60 in 1967," according to the statement. "The fictional band was part of a wave of multimedia pop music acts at the time and the concept took off with a tie-in animated television series and original music releases, most notably 'Sugar, Sugar' in 1969."

The comic is the latest to challenge preconceived notions of Archie and the gang. New looks that have included a werewolf Jughead and a vampiric Veronica, Archie fighting in World War II, Archie becoming an Elvis-style 1950s rock star, Archie getting married, the "Riverdale" TV show, etc.

"Betty & Veronica Friends Forever: Rock N Roll" is scheduled for release March 8.