Betty Cooper has passed up the chance for a date with Archie Andrews in order to baby-sit and earn some money. While babysitting, the kids beg her for a story, so Betty starts to tell them fairy tales with a twist. The Wizard of Oz, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, and Cinderella all get the Archie Comics treatment.
While Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, and The Wizard of Oz all cast Veronica as the villain, when it comes to Cinderella, Veronica puts her foot down and Betty ends up telling the story of two sisters, Cinderonica and Cinderbetty, who drive to the ball in their magic eco-cars and both find a prince. The stories are full of fun cameos by the whole Archie gang. Jughead and Reggie are Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Jughead’s dog Hotdog gets to be the Cheshire Cat. Veronica’s parents appear to keep Veronica in line when she gets out of hand.
Since this is a long running series, consistency in the art is important. These are all characters you recognize and identify, regardless of the artist. Fans of the Archie Comics series will enjoy this humorous edition to the Archie world and first-timers to the series will appreciate the silliness of this version of these fairy tales, although may miss some of he inside jokes that comes from long familiarity with the characters.
Betty and Veronica Storybook
by Dan Parent
ISBN: 978-187979460
Archie Comics, 2010
Publisher Age Rating: Age 11 and up
