Betty #88

A sunny beach setting gives Betty plenty of opportunity to show off her lifeguard duties in this August 2000 issue — though the cover gag, rendered with Stan Goldberg's characteristically warm linework, suggests her skills are being tested in unexpected ways. Betty stands in her red lifeguard swimsuit looking bemused as a lipstick-kissed Archie hovers over a laughing girl in a black bikini, the speech bubbles asking whether mouth-to-mouth is really necessary for a sprained ankle — "No… but why take chances?" It's a lighthearted, sun-drenched snapshot of the playful humor that makes Betty's solo title such a cheerful corner of the Archie Comics universe.