Betty and Veronica #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeBetty and Veronica #1 (2016) marks the third distinct volume-launch for the characters' solo title, arriving as the final pillar of Archie Comics' ambitious New Riverdale relaunch that had already modernized Archie and Jughead. Crucially, it was the first time the two women's conflict was structured around an issue entirely independent of Archie Andrews himself — the corporate takeover of Pop Tate's Choc'lit Shoppe — nudging the franchise toward stories where Betty and Veronica drive the narrative on their own terms. The issue generated genuine critical debate about what a 21st-century female-led Archie book should look like, making it a flashpoint in a broader industry conversation about the treatment of young women in mainstream comics at a moment when the medium was actively courting new female readership. It stands as a notable, if contested, artifact of the New Riverdale era, documenting both the ambitions and the growing pains of that creative moment.
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Adam Hughes — best known to readers for his pin-up-style cover work on Wonder Woman, Catwoman, and Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan — took on both writing and interior art duties, a rare full-package assignment for an artist primarily celebrated for covers. The project had a rocky pre-publication path: it was originally conceived as a Kickstarter-funded venture before that plan collapsed and Archie Comics folded it into their standard publishing line. Archie announced the series as a marquee part of their New Riverdale slate in early 2016, scheduling it for a July 20 on-sale date; the Grand Comics Database records the cover date as September 2016. Colors were handled by José Villarrubia and lettering by Jack Morelli, completing the creative team.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Written and illustrated in full (interiors and covers) by Adam Hughes, with colors by José Villarrubia and lettering by Jack Morelli — Hughes handling both script and art was unusual for an artist whose reputation rested almost entirely on cover illustration.
- Part of Archie Comics' 'New Riverdale' publishing initiative, the same line that produced Mark Waid's Archie and Chip Zdarsky's Jughead, relaunching decades-old characters for a modern audience.
- Central conflict: Betty organizes a grassroots fundraiser to save Pop Tate's Choc'lit Shoppe from a hostile corporate coffee-chain buyout, placing her in opposition to Veronica — whose father's company is behind the takeover — for reasons that have nothing to do with Archie Andrews.
- The story is narrated throughout by Hot Dog, Jughead's dog, an unconventional meta-narrative device that drew strong reactions — both amused and critical — from reviewers.
- The issue shipped with 25 covers in total: one regular Adam Hughes cover, one blank sketch cover, and 23 variant covers by artists including Mahmud Asrar, Cliff Chiang, Stephanie Buscema, Colleen Coover, Bilquis Evely, Veronica Fish, Francesco Francavilla, and Chip Zdarsky, among others.
- The project was originally conceived as a Kickstarter-funded title before that plan fell through and Archie Comics published it through their normal distribution pipeline.
- Issue #1 was reprinted in its entirety as a bonus feature in Volume 2 of the New Riverdale Archie collected edition, broadening its reach beyond its standalone readership.
- The series ran from 2016 to 2017, with its first three issues later collected in a trade paperback (Betty & Veronica Vol. 1) published by Archie Comics.
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