Meet Betty & Veronica's new band Rock Candi — and Betty's new boyfriend

Betty & Veronica Friends Forever: Rock & Roll interior art
(Image credit: Archie Comics)

Later this month, there's gonna be a seismic shift in the Riverdale music scene as Betty and Veronica quit The Archies to form their own band, Rock Candi, as told in the upcoming one-shot Betty & Veronica Friends Forever: Rock & Roll from writer/artist Holly G!. 

The iconic pair of Betty and Veronica have been part of The Archies since the '60s, when the band debuted alongside a successful real world single titled Sugar, Sugar, performed by studio musicians and billed as a song by the fictional Archie Comics band The Archies.

Now striking out as the leaders of their own band, Betty and Veronica will be joined in Rock Candi by a new character, drummer Jola Kitt, who makes her debut in a batch of brand new interior pages from the one-shot. 

"New character Jola Kitt is the comic book embodiment of rock and roll. Betty and Veronica, along with Jola, strike out on their own to form a new band, Rock Candi (how great is that name?), leaving The Archies," states Archie Comics editor-in-chief Mike Pellerito. "It's the first new band we’ve come up with in a while, and I can't wait to show people where this is all going."

Check out the pages and meet Jola Kitt here:

"I love that Mike Pellerito encouraged me to create the all-gal band Rock Candi!" states writer/artist Holly G!. "In the story, you’ll see Betty struggle to balance what’s expected of her with what she feels inspired to do; we all need that support system to help make our dreams come true.And I think the friendships in Archie Comics are a wonderful microcosm, where we can see the best of that happen!”

“If there’s anyone out there that feels like their light is being kept hidden, I hope the story helps you feel understood and gives you some encouragement!”

The formation of Rock Candi isn't the only new development in Betty & Veronica Friends Forever: Rock & Roll. Along with her new band, Betty Cooper has a budding romance with Trev, the brother of Valerie from Riverdale's other big rock band sensation, Josie and the Pussycats.

Betty & Veronica Friends Forever: Rock & Roll goes on sale March 8.

If Betty and Veronica had superpowers, they would certainly be among the best superhero best friends ever.

George Marston

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)