Archie Comics’ famous girl next door is getting her own horror comic one-shot. The archetypical good girl, Betty Cooper, will be the archetypical slasher film “final girl” in a new anthology, Betty: The Final Girl.
The latest from the Archie Horror imprint will tell the tales of Betty and other female characters from the Archie roster in a slasher homage hitting shelves Feb. 15.
“This anthology pays homage to a number of iconic horror films, including When a Stranger Calls, My Bloody Valentine, and You’re Next,” said Archie Comics senior director of editorial Jamie L. Rotante. “We love when we can take horror media and incorporate the Archie characters — but the characters always drive the stories.”
Main writer Micol Ostow’s framing story, “Rosemary’s Babysitter,” with art by Laura Braga, takes Betty and Veronica to a secluded mountaintop chalet for a weekend of skiing. When Betty is left alone, her mind begins to race and dangers appear around every darkened hallway and every creaky door. Each new fright introduces a new story, including “Be Mine or Die” by Casey Gilley and Natalie Nardozza, and “Melody’s Next” by Sam Maggs and Carola Borelli.
“I’m a diehard horror fan, and I’ve been obsessed with how seamlessly Archie’s been able to integrate different styles, levels, and aesthetics of spookiness into their Archie Horror library,” Ostow said. “And while I don’t have one favorite scary movie or book, I’ve always been a sucker for the ‘final girl’ trope. It hit me that Betty would make a fantastic final girl — blonde, kick-ass, capable.”
Archie Comics have sold more than two billion comics worldwide in multiple languages and the characters appear weekly on The CW’s Riverdale TV series.
