2-in-1 Review: B&V Spectacular #75, B&V #220
	B&V Spectacular #75 Script: Dan Parent Pencils: Dan Parent Inker: Rich Koslowski Colorist: Barry Grossman Letterer: Jack Morelli Editor: Victor Gorelick Editor-in-Chief: Richard Goldwater Published by: Archie Comics   Betty & Veronica #220 Script: Barbara Slate Pencils: Jeff Shultz Inker: Al Milgrom Colorist: Barry Grossman Letterer: Jack Morelli Editor: Victor Gorelick Editor-in-Chief: Richard Goldwater Published by: Archie Comics
	Reviewed by: Bruce Logan

A comic in a magazine format and a magazine that looks like it is a comic. Those are what were my first thoughts about these two titles starring the big two gals of the Archie-verse, namely Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge. As for which is which is which, that is an easy tell. While both titles carry the ‘Betty & Veronica’ header, the second one sports only their initials, along with the added ‘spectacular’, and that is one that is the magazine that looks like a comic.

While both of these titles are clearly aimed towards the tweeny and early-to-mid teenage-y girls, Betty & Veronica (BV from now) treads the line between ‘for one side’ and ‘for all readers’ more than B&V Spectacular (BVS). This is not to say that the stories in both of them are not enjoyable for anyone and everyone who might read ‘em, those are in the same vein as the rest of the Archie tales (or Jughead tales), but that along with the usual stories, BVS has a few additions that set it apart from its twin. Even the stories, which are about longer (even if they are half in number than BV), are slightly more ‘dedicated’ towards their intended target(s).

Going the Spectacular route first, the first half’s story deals with the usual teen things i.e. fashion, music i.e. boy/girl bands, celebrities, aspirations for fame, and (especially in Jughead’s case) a whole lotta free food…and who doesn’t love free food, hells, free-anything. Even BV has two similar ‘fashion/clothing-related’ stories. However, instead of the scale of the one here those two are generally limited to just the two girls, whether it be Veronica being adamant to remain in fashion at all times (sometimes at the expense of comfort and enjoyment), or just her wanting to get her Christmas gift (from Betty) sooner…how about months before the actual day.

Continuing with music, BV also carries a story about it, and even more so than BVS it is this one that ‘borrows’ from real life. Its something called Puff Diddy….P Diddy…uh, P Daddy, well, whatever name it is this week, ‘Purple Party’. Happy (for her) and (at least) on Cloud-Four, Veronica takes a quick tumble to the hard ground on realizing that just about everyone around her got an invite to what was/is supposed to be a highly exclusive event. An event for which she has spent countless hours and lots of Daddy’s money…all to be seen in the right place, at the right time and in the right clothing. There is a moral here and I am sure that even though it is not blared out at the end, it would be clear enough to the reader…especially if he/she is someone who stresses a bit too much on the materialistic/physical appearances. (Like many a teen is wont to do, even me from a decade or so ago)

As for the last remaining stories in both titles, both of them share the common thread of being about the two friends (B&V) spending time together and enjoying themselves. Apart from this, Ron’s Dad (Hiram Lodge) appearing is also something that the two have in common. However, while in BV things end on a happy note for him, the mail and the credit card bill in it make for the usual blow-up in BVS. Also differing is the ‘where’ of the stories. For BV starts and carries on in the sweltering heat of summer (at the Lodge Mansion), it ends in a cool ice-skating rink. In BVS, the start and finish both are at the Mansion but the main stories takes up in the Lodge’s mountain cabin, complete with snow capped peaks in the background.

Conclusion: New bit of info I came out with after reading these two? There is a (two-girl) band/group called ‘The Veronicas’. Who woulda guessed?

RATING:
B&V Spectacular #75: 7/10
B&V #220: 7.5/10
(8 for those in the ‘target demographic’)