REVIEW: ‘Red Sonja and Vampirella Meet Betty and Veronica,’ Issue #1

Red Sonja and Vampirella Meet Betty and Veronica #1 is published by Dynamite Comics and features classic characters not only from Dynamite but also from Archie Comics. The comic is written by Amy Chu, with art by Maria Sanapo, colors by Vinicius Andrade, and letters by Taylor Esposito. 

Archie Comics’ characters are known for having some wild crossovers. Previously we have seen Betty and Veronica take on the Predator and Alien so hearing they were going to team up with the leading ladies of Dynamite Comics was exciting but well in their wheelhouse. When a strange murder in Riverdale occurs Red Sonja and Vampirella team up to investigate suspecting a strange and devious cult might be responsible. While at the morgue, the two run into school reporters Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge. The four decide to join forces to find the strange killer but to do so, Sonja and Vampirella have to take on their biggest challenge yet, being in high school.

This issue is solid campy fun and while I wish there was a tad more gore, Chu’s writing overall is a delight. Previously having written a fantastic Red Sonja run, Chu is well equipt to handle the off-the-wall brand of humor necessary for this comic to work. On paper, nothing about this crossover makes sense, but nothing about any Archie Comics’ crossover has ever made sense which is honestly half the fun.

Seeing Red Sonja take on high school geography and P.E. with her classic bravado is empowering fun. Additionally, in the same way, I love the dynamic between Betty and Veronica in Archie Comics, I love the dynamic between these four women. They are all very different but there is never negative chemistry created between them. Having a primarily female creative team on this comic was a wise choice.

However, I did have some issues with the designs and faces of the characters. It may be controversial to say, but I love Vampirella’s skimpy outfits and while her redesign from 2015 is also fantastic, this version of her costume not good. The jean shorts with a modified sports bra is an odd compromise between the two outfits that overall just doesn’t fit the character and isn’t fashionable. Additionally, there were moments where faces on all the characters were just off-putting. I also wish there were more differences in the face and hair between Veronica and Vampirella who despite being wildly different characters look far too similar.

The art isn’t so bad I wanted to put the comic down, but considering how many incredible variant covers Dynamite comics is releasing for this issue, it is disappointing to see how mediocre the inside art turned out to be.

Overall, Red Sonja and Vampirella Meet Betty and Veronica #1 is a solid start to a crossover series and fun more light-hearted comic to add to your pull list. If you can look past the mediocre art, which I do hope will improve in future issues, this is a great read, especially for fans of Archie Comics, Archie Comics crossovers, or the classic leading ladies of Dynamite Comics. 

Red Sonja and Vampirella Meet Betty and Veronica #1 is available in comic book stores everywhere now.