Archie #22 review: Everything changes for poor Betty Cooper

The cover promises that “everything changes.” Does Betty Cooper bare the brunt?

Archie #22

Writer: Mark Waid

Artist & Colorist: Pete Woods

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Can a writer mingle tragedy with comedy? That is a challenge that writer Mark Waid has given himself with this “Over the Edge” arc. Perhaps taking a page from the “big two,” Archie Comics’ main title is promising a status quo shattering story. The company has been willing to do edgy stories before, but always in side series. Horror like Afterlife With Archie or the Life With Archie magazine were big hits in years past. Yet this is in the main title and Betty is in the cross hairs!

Image by Archie Comics

While there have been some comedic interludes, most of this arc has been deadly serious. The rivalry between Archie and Reggie resulted in a drag race. Unfortunately, Betty was caught in the middle, and is now in the emergency room! Everyone from Veronica to Principal Weatherbee has turned out, and is waiting with baited breath. Yet nobody may be feeling the heat more than Mr. and Mrs. Cooper, who are on the verge of losing their daughter. Is America’s sweetheart done for?

Image by Archie Comics

It’s a Crisis for the Coopers!

While the doctors zap Betty with the defibrillator, most of the cast relive key moments of their lives with her. Betty’s parents relive their time as young parents, trying to stay sane with an infant daughter keeping them up at night. It turns out Mr. Cooper is a klutz too, not many shades removed from Archie. Naturally, the Coopers aren’t the only ones whose lives were touched and improved by association with Betty. Few of them more so than poor little rich girl Veronica.

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When Veronica first landed in Riverdale, she immediately became everyone’s best friend. Unfortunately, everyone just wanted a piece of her fortune, or connections. Besides Archie, the only other person Veronica knew who didn’t was Betty. The goodhearted blonde didn’t even ask for change for a soda! The anecdotal memories continue once we get to Principal Weatherbee. He hasn’t had much focus until now, but Waid is getting an interesting handle on the schoolmaster.

Image by Archie Comics

It seems like not even Betty Cooper was perfect, and wound up in detention once! Weatherbee, as always, was a stickler, unwilling to let her leave early. Yet when Betty had a chance to get revenge on him (by remaining silent as he makes an error on some key paperwork), she refuses. She chose to have integrity rather than get petty with her principal. And, in the end, he rewarded her with a little detention mercy anyway. It’s a simple yet effective little scene.

Image by Archie Comics

Archie Is Caught in the Middle!

Naturally, Archie’s memories take up the majority of the book. Betty is his best friend, and his first love. The pair met as toddlers when the Coopers just moved to Riverdale. Archie was a clumsy, lonely kid, but Betty was always right there. And no matter how many times Archie fell off a wall, into some mud, or became a walking cartoon, she was there. Even though things got weird once they became teenagers and tried to date, they’d ultimately reconciled for the greater good.

Image by Archie Comics

Archie naturally has to feel a great deal of guilt for this. While most of this is Reggie’s fault for being a bullying jerk, part of it is Archie’s fault for giving in. He didn’t have to accept Reggie’s challenge, and he didn’t have to go through with it. Betty had been on the way to the drag race after being ditched. It may have begun as Archie defending Betty’s honor, but it ultimately was about himself. He thought beating Reggie at his own challenge would make him a hero.

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In my previous review, while I expressed some doubt that Betty would really bite it, I noted it was possible. Archie Comics have presented a line of comics where strict continuity between them is hardly required. The main Archie title has spin-offs loosely based on the design and the tone, but they’re not in lock step. And that’s to say nothing of their horror titles, superhero titles, or Sonic the Hedgehog. The very fact that it was even possible to fret about it was a huge accomplishment.

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Betty Lives — Now What?

Yet, ultimately, the defibrillator works and Betty survives. However, not all is well in Riverdale, as it seems like she’s suffered a life altering injury. Obviously, a story which promises that “everything changes” has to do something to effect the status quo. While having Betty be crippled from the crash certainly does that, it does raise some questions. Is it possible to quickly shift things back to comedy, or at least halfway comedy, after suffering a life altering injury such as this?

Image by Archie Comics

In the previous issue, Mark Waid successfully mingled comedy with tragedy. This issue, the line is much thinner, with the focus more on drama. There are some cute moments and lines in the flashbacks, but it’s all for the sake of suspense. By showing us how much Betty means to everyone, Waid is raising the stakes and anticipation. A part of me is curious about some of the characters. What were the first times Jughead and Moose met and became closer to Betty?

Image by Archie Comics

The issue is executed beautifully. The slice of life memories from the characters establish the tone wonderfully. It did border on being maudlin, but manages to hit the mark overall. In fact, my biggest consideration is how far Waid, and Archie Comics, are willing to go with this. Will Betty eventually regain mobility via therapy? Or will this be a permanent thing for the title? Ever since Barbara Gordon stopped being Oracle in 2011, comic books have lacked a major disabled heroine.

Just How Far over the Edge Will Riverdale Go?

More to the point, Waid has an opportunity to showcase that a disability doesn’t have to mean the end of life. Sure, it is a devastating event, and something Betty and her friends will have grief over. There will be a period of adjustment. But if things can eventually shift to the point where she can do comedy again with the rest of the cast (and thrive in life regardless), it will be a positive message. Not every disabled character has to have all of their stories be about their disability.

Image by Archie Comics

Pete Woods once again excels on art. His scene with Archie and Betty as toddlers is adorable. Archie’s heartbreaking two-page splash, which highlights his life with Betty leading up to the crash, is an artistic highlight. There’s some physical comedy, but most of the focus is appropriately on the drama of those in the emergency room. And Woods knows how to depict that with tons of emotion. He’s hardly the first artist on this run, but he’s quickly becoming one of the best.

Image by Archie Comics

Next: See how things went over the edge in #21!

This run on Archie has also become one of the best. Mark Waid may be writing Avengers and Champions, and set to reunite with Chris Samnee on Captain America. But his most iconic and defining run in years may be this work right here. He’s redefined Archie in a way no writer has done in years, if not generations. It’s funnier, more dramatic, more romantic and more relevant than ever before. I have no idea how far this arc with Betty will go, and that’s what makes it great!