Harley and Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica #1

Written by: Paul Dini and Marc Andreyko
Drawn by: Laura Braga
Coloured by: Tony Aviña and Arif Prianto
Published by: Archie Comics and DC Comics

When I first heard that Archie and DC Comics were teaming up to bring us one of the strangest team ups in comic book history, this was an immediate addition to my pull list. The question now became: how were Dini and Andreyko going to pull this one off? I mean, we’ve seen the Archie universe previously teamed up with other superheroes from the marvellous competition, but Harley and Ivy as the key component from the superhero world? I wasn’t sure how that would work.

Well, Dini and Andreyko answer that question almost immediately in this first issue: Hiram Lodge happens. As is his wont for the past 75 years of Archie comics history, Lodge has been nothing but consistent in his need to continue to expand his empire. In this case, he is looking to open up a college in Riverdale (with a high-end shopping mall just across the street) in the now current location of Sweetwater Swamp. This decision happens to make its way to the ears of Ivy, a well-known conservationist - if a little violent at times - in the DC universe. What does this mean? A road trip to Riverdale for Ivy and her best pal Harley Quinn.

Meanwhile, in the Archieverse side of things, we have Lodge preparing a big gala for the launch of the new proposed college and with that, needed labour to complete the preparations. This is where Betty comes into play: she is currently not doing outstanding in her Geometry class and is offered extra credit, as are most students, to help out the Lodges finish the party prep. This is probably the most unbelievable part of this comic for me - Betty not doing well in school? I thought she was a straight-A student? I digress.

As is the case with many a comic, the help the students provide the Lodges leads to an invite to the gala, and a costume gala at that, which finally leads to Betty and Veronica needing costumes from the local shop. We get a fun cameo from Riverdale’s resident teenage witch, a fun small addition to the comic.

Dini and Andreyko have played it smartly in this debut issue of the crossover. They limit the amount of time that is spent on Ivy and Harley as they make their way to Riverdale - we are not required to see their trip to Riverdale, only their arrival - and they have also limited the interaction between the pair of women in this issue. It’s best to keep those interactions for the rest of the miniseries.

On art, Braga does a good job throughout, but is hampered by today’s comics industry’s need to have a different cover artist than interior artist. I usually don’t mind the disconnect, but in this series, it’s pretty glaring. Braga has her own style that is wildly different than Amanda Connor who provided the covers. That, coupled with the fact that Braga chose t redesign a few characters - I have never seen Mr. Weatherbee that buff - left me wanting more from her. That said, I find she nails the heroines of the book, which is good.