Harley and Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica

Mr. Lodge wants to convert a swamp into a shopping center. Unhappy with this project, Poison Ivy, with Harley Quinn in tow, travels to Riverdale to persuade Hiram to cease production. But when Mr. Lodge refuses, Ivy goes to plan B- kidnap his daughter Veronica.

Seeing their chance at a costume ball, Ivy and Harley are poised to snatch Veronica. However, a little magical snafu, thanks to Sabrina, causes Harley and Ivy to switch bodies with Betty and Veronica. Oh, and Reggie now thinks he's the Joker! Plus add a cadre of unusual villains to the mix, such as a gangster with a peach for a head, and you've got an odd-ball tale that could only come from Paul Dini and Marc Andreyko!

I had previously reviewed the first issue of this series sometime last year. Or maybe it was 2016. Anyways, I really enjoyed what I read and I wanted more. But my budget not being infinite, I wanted until everything was collected in one volume. 

Finally getting my hands on the hard cover collection, I enjoyed the funny romp through Riverdale and Gotham City. However, it's wasn't as good as I think it could have been. See, this crossover takes place in the rebooted modern Archie universe. Here Mr. Lodge is a businessman of questionable ethics. Betty and Veronica despise each other. Archie is a floundering typical teen with very little direction in life. (He's also pretty boring as a modern American teen!) There's just too much millennial teen angst here! The only one who is sheer perfection is Jughead!

I would have preferred that this adventure take place in the original Archie realm. But during both the planning stage of this miniseries and when the series first debuted in stores, a revival of Classic look Archie wasn't on the horizon. Thankfully, that has now changed with Dan Parent leading the renaissance of good feels Riverdale. 

The art by Laura Braga was done in the DC style of Harley Quinn. I enjoyed it. Braga captures all of the characters very well. Plus I love the timeless touches she adds to the story like using a Classic Archie era image on the cover of Archie's copy of 'Captain Pureheart' comic.

There was also a ton of awesome cameos and Easter eggs. That was thanks in very large part to the nostalgia heavy Paul Dini. I don't want to give them all away. But in this mini we see the return of a L'il Archie staple- L'il Jinx! 

I had fun reading this book. As I always say, Paul Dini is the definitive Harley Quinn writer, having been her creator and all that. There's lots of old school nods and cool Gotham City twists. But let's face it, this is modern style Archie Comics. For fans of the TV show Riverdale, this is great. But it's not my cup of tea. I don't want to know the seedy side of the River's Edge. 

Should there be a sequel, hopefully they'll give Dan Parent a go at it. That more wholesome, good-time version of America's oldest teenagers is the one I want to see interact with Harley and Ivy. It worked for Archie when he meet The Punisher. It could work here too!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Harley & Ivy Meet Betty & Veronica #1

Written by Paul Dini and Marc Andreyko
Art by Laura Braga
Covers by Amanda Conner & Paul Mounts, Adam Hughes
Published by DC Comics and Archie Comics

Let's Hear it for Ecology

Mr. Lodge is planning on putting up a state of the art community atop of Riverdale's Sweetwater Swamp. This includes a mini mall and new university with free education for all of the teens of the township. But the destruction of the swamp will mean that dozens of rare species of plant-life indigenous to the area will go extinct. For Poison Ivy, that simply cannot be.

So Ivy and Harley Quinn travel to Riverdale in hopes of changing Hiram Lodge's mind. But if that doesn't work, then maybe a little kidnapping for ransom might change old Mr. Lodge's mind. Of course Mr. Lodge is going to say 'No!'

Thus Veronica Lodge is in the cross hairs of Harley and Ivy's latest scheme to save the area wetlands. Add a costume party gala to the mix. Turn the rivalry between Betty and Veronica to eleven. Then watch the sparks fly when the two sets of ladies end up wearing the same costumes to the ball! You've got a recipe for disaster that will hopefully come to a head in the next issue.

The Chemistry of Crossovers

I've mentioned in the past that typical comic book crossovers follow a certain formula. The first issue has to bring the two parties together- first by establishing a motif and then the pathway narrows to a point where on the very last page, the groups finally meet face-to-face. That pattern is followed here to the letter. In other words, Harley & Ivy have yet to actually meet Betty & Veronica. But believe me, next month, it is going to happen and I expect the results to be epic.

One thing a little off putting about this issue was the sheer cattiness between Betty and Veronica. Maybe it's because Harley Quinn creator Paul Dini isn't quite as familiar with writing an Archie Comic. But he's got Archie scribe Marc Andreyko helping him out. So maybe the two Archie love interests really are that obnoxious in the rebooted Archie universe.

There were a couple of things really going for this book. The addition of Kevin Keller and Sabrina the Teenage Witch really added a much needed dash of humor to the petty rivalry between Cooper and Lodge. Plus I really liked the scene in which Archie is dressed as Captain Pureheart. In the 60s, there were a series of stories in which the Archie gang were superheroes. Having the new Archie refer to a comic book that shows classic Archie as Pureheart was a nice nod to the rich history of Archie Comics as well as DC.

The Verdict is...

I enjoyed this opening issue. It wasn't the most perfect team-up. NO- that's not right. The formula was executed flawlessly. I just think I had my expectations for this miniseries ramped up to high. I was suckered into believing that the two universes would really get into it sooner than they would.

Plus Harley Quinn is way too lucid in this. She's actually the voice of reason to a very off-the-rails Poison Ivy. An interesting twist. But I wanted a little more insanity in this story and less soap opera between all parties.

The art by Archie reboot mastermind Laura Braga is very good. I don't have any complaints there. But man are the regular and variant covers awesome! I love Amanda Conner's regular cover having the villains take Betty and Veronica's iconic place on both sides of Archie sharing a soda. And the Adam Hughes variant- OH MY GOD! He does stunning work of the ladies in a very tongue-in-cheek situation. It's my wish that he'll continue to be the artists on the remaining variants in this series.

Harley& Ivy Meet Betty & Veronica was a nice start that promises to only get better. Hopefully, more laughs and less drama will be infused. Often a crossover has great readership that dies off by the last couple of issues. Don't fall into that trap! Stick with this story. I have faith that Paul Dini will pull off one of the great crossovers in modern comics history. He just needs a little time to really get cooking.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.