Archie Comics icon Betty Cooper — identified for 80 years because the woman subsequent door with a prepared answer for each drawback, may need lastly discovered her match in CHILLING ADVENTURES PRESENTS… BETTY: THE FINAL GIRL, a one-shot anthology from the famend Archie Horror imprint, on-sale in February!
The slasher sub-genre’s most generally cherished trope, the “final girl” is the intelligent survivor who carries a relentless plot throughout the end line, taking it to the unhealthy man within the final scene. Writer Micol Ostow (Fear the Funhouse, Riverdale: The Ties That Bind) instantly turned to Betty when she considered marrying the style with Archie’s core forged of characters.
“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,” Micol stated. “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!”
Micol’s framing story, “Rosemary’s Babysitter,” with artwork by Laura Braga (Blossoms 666), takes Betty and Veronica to a secluded mountaintop chalet for a weekend of snowboarding. When Betty is left alone, her thoughts begins to race and risks seem round each darkened hallway and each creaky door. Each new fright introduces a brand new story starring a distinct woman from the Archie Comics roster: “Be Mine or Die” by Casey Gilley (Return of Chilling Adventures In Sorcery) and Natalie Nardozza (Gemini Crisis), and “Melody’s Next” by Sam Maggs (Critical Role) and Carola Borelli (Deadliest Bouquet).
“When Micol Ostow first pitched the idea of doing a ‘final girl’-style story with Betty as the eponymous final girl, I was immediately interested; the idea of a ‘final girl’ is so synonymous with horror that it would be silly NOT to do it,” stated Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante. “Every good teen/college horror flick utilizes that idea, so fitting it into the Archie universe was a lay-up. In keeping with our practice of horror anthologies, we also wanted to have there be more than one ‘final girl,’ so, the final girls of Betty, Brigitte, and Melody all came into play!”
A love letter to slasher films and horror normally, the comedian options two open-to-order covers by Laura Braga and Megan Hutchison celebrating the heroic closing woman archetype. Archie Comics Art Director Vincent Lovallo stated, “When considering the covers for BETTY: THE FINAL GIRL, we kept in mind the survival themes of fear and dread. Laura hit the mark perfectly with the eerie atmosphere of the forest, the frightening figure in the distance, and a battle-bloodied Betty who’s prepared to face the unknown. And from Betty’s bewildered expression to the neon-like glow of the surrounding demons, Megan’s variant creates an air of uncertainty; which horrors are real and which are fake?!”
BETTY: THE FINAL GIRL, with colours by Matt Herms and lettering by Jack Morelli, releases February 15 in comedian outlets nationwide and is accessible for pre-order now.
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