REVIEW: ‘Betty and Veronica: The Bonds of Friendship’

Betty and Veronica: The Bonds of Friendship is published by Archie Comics, written by Jamie Lee Rotante, art by Brittney Williams, colors by Matt Herms and letters by Jack Morelli. It’s Career Day at Riverdale High School. With so many fields to pursue, our lovely duo has plenty to consider. As each presentation sparks their curiosity, we are treated to their shared dreams of what might be. While these possibilities will cover everything from running a country to exploring space, there is always one constant in the future: The bonds of friendship.

Betty and Veronica have faced all kinds of crazy challenges during their many high school adventures. From class exams and dating to the occasional alien invasion, the girls have seen it all. And through it all, these BFFs have always had each other’s backs. So it’s no surprise that as they look to the future, neither can even fathom the possibility of the other not being there. While Betty and Veronica: The Bonds of Friendship highlights many aspects of friendship, the thing it shines the brightest spotlight on is acceptance.

Betty and Veronica are two very different people. But rather than trying to gloss over this fact to make the prospects of an eternal friendship between them more plausible, writer Rotante embraces their differences. With each possible career considered, the story shows how both of the girl’s interests could guide them to the given career field. So even though Veronica is more about money, and Betty is driven more by people, the two find that these differing motivations can easily lead to similar goals.

The other overriding theme of Betty and Veronica: The Bonds of Friendship is simply never stop striving. With each career presentation Betty and Veronica receive, the reader is presented with an inspirational story of struggles with adversity and the rewards for conquering them. With things being as gloomy as they often are right now, a little ray of positivity is most welcome.

This feeling of positivity is reinforced by Williams’s wonderful artwork. Clean, easy-to-follow panels highlight the story’s warmth and energy. The line art possesses a classic comic book style but with a sleekness that makes it feel modern. It provided a wonderful aesthetic that kept its appeal throughout my read. Also, I wanted to give a special tip of the cap for a wonderful bit of inclusiveness I noticed in Williams’ art.

In a large, wide-angle shot, we get a bird’s eye view of the career day festivities. The first thing that pops out to me of this image is the student walking down one of the aisles accompanied by a service dog. I don’t often see this sort of detail included in such large, complicated images. And even though the individual just appears in this one panel, it was nice to see the range of students attending Riverdale High being shown to be just a little bit broader.

Further enhancing the artwork is Herms’ bright, vibrant colors. With so many promising futures for Betty and Veronica to explore, this book needed a bright visual presentation to match. Thanks to Herms, this comes through with flying colors.

Lastly, Morelli’s lettering is a textbook example of cleanliness and placement. Every box is easily read, and the text never gets in the way of the art itself. Providing the final piece to this enjoyable book.

Betty and Veronica: The Bonds of Friendship is a fun, lighthearted story that pushes the themes of friendship, and overcoming adversity. While there isn’t anything too deep explored here, it nonetheless provides an enjoyable, uplifting narrative. May we all find friends that will stick with us like Betty and Veronica.

Betty and Veronica: The Bonds of Friendship is available now wherever comics are sold.