Ivy’s determined to stop the Riverdale wetlands being destroyed in favour of a new development by Veronica’s wealthy pops – and Harley tags along for funsies! But first they decide to stop by a fancy dress party because plot! One Freaky Friday-type spell from Zatanna later and Harls and Ives are in the bodies of Ronnie and Betts and vice versa – wooooahh keraaazeee comics gubbinz!
If anyone can make me like the bland, cheeseball Americana of Archie, it’s Paul Dini… is what I thought prior to reading Harley and Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica. Nuh uh to that uh huh!
Dini’s in full-on kiddie-friendly mode so what little edge Harley and Ivy had has been completely rounded off. And that’s largely why I found this one yawn-tastic. Dini doesn’t do much with the Freaky Friday situation – Veronica and Betty in Harley and Ivy’s bodies get into some scrapes but coast by easily enough, while Harley and Ivy manage just fine in Riverdull – not that it’s rife with exciting possibility anyway.
I guess there’s some cute moments like Reggie getting hit on the noggin by Harley’s mallet and thinking he’s Mistah J; Catwoman showing up to the costume ball as she’s, of course, a fan of Josie and the Pussycats; and Veronica and Betty dressing as Harley and Ivy before they cross paths. The plot was just too fluffy for my blood. It’s like reading a Scooby-Doo comic, replete with the “And I woulda gotten away with it too if it weren’t for you meddling kids!”-type villain at the end.
It’s an inoffensively readable comic with some decent, if very generic DC house-style, art from Laura Braga. But, even with Harley and Ivy’s added naughty and nice (tame) spice, I still don’t find Archie’s world at all interesting. Harley and Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica is only for Archie fans or anyone looking for a book with all the depth and intrigue of a Saturday morning kids’ cartoon!
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