Archie Comics' fan-favorite Archie Horror imprint is back in action with a new anthology one-shot that puts a horror twist on Riverdale's blonde girl next door, Betty Cooper, in Betty: The Final Girl #1.
If you're not up to speed on your horror movie lingo, "Final Girl" is a term given to the horror movie trope of leaving one surviving cast member, usually a young woman, to face off with whatever evil is at hand all alone.
Now, Betty Cooper will embody the trope of the Final Girl in her own anthology one-shot, anchoring a series of stories each featuring a different woman from Riverdale including 'Be Mine or Die' by Casey Gilley and Natalie Nardozza, and 'Melody's Next' by Sam Maggs and Carola Borelli.
The whole thing is wrapped in a Betty-centric framing story titled 'Rosemary's Babysitter,' from writer Micol Ostow and artist Laura Braga. The entire one-shot is colored by Matt Herms and lettered by Jack Morelli, with covers from Laura Braga and Megan Hutchison, seen here.
"In hindsight, it's a little bonkers that it's taken this long for a final girl to make her appearance in Chilling Adventures..." Ostow tells Newsarama. "But since it means I get to help add her to the library, I'm not complaining!"
Here's a gallery of interior pages from several stories in the one-shot:
"Thrillingly, when I saw the sketches for our story in BETTY: THE FINAL GIRL, it was as Laura Braga had glimpsed the inside of my brain somehow," states Ostow of working with artist Laura Braga on their framing story.
"All of the details—Veronica's cabin, Rosemary's smart house, the screening room, the masks—it was all exactly as I'd envisioned," she continues. "But better, of course. In my experience, that's how you know you're working with the real deal. I'm so happy with the way this comic looks."
"Because of its anthology structure, Betty: The Final Girl features artwork by three super-talented artists: Laura Braga, who provided line art for the 2019 Blossom's 666 series, and two newcomers to the horror line, Carola Borelli and Natalie Nardozza. Each expertly captured a sense of dread and isolation, all while incorporating their own unique styles," adds Archie Comics art director Vincent Lovallo.
"It's topped off with appropriately eerie colors by colorists Matt Herms, who has colored countless Archie projects, and Ellie Wright making her Archie Comics debut; we've been eager to work with for a while now," Lovallo continues.
"Finally, we have lettering by Archie veteran Jack Morelli, who masterfully incorporates the word balloons, captions, and sound effects to blend seamlessly with the artwork and complete the horror movie vibe.”
Betty: The Final Girl #1 goes on sale February 15.
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