“Lodge of Terror”
Writer: Dan Parent
Artist: Dan Parent
Publisher: Archie Comics
It’s no trick. This special Halloween edition of Betty & Veronica Double Digest is the perfect treat for Betty & Veronica fans. There’s not a bad story in the bunch.
The two part “Lodge of Terror” is a fun take on the hoary old tale of teen-agers holding a Halloween party in a creepy old house rumored to be haunted. To liven things up, Veronica and Betty arrange for some spooks of their own; but when an unexpected ghost shows up, it means trouble for Ronnie.
Dan Parent’s art elevates the story into the “Something Special” category. He eschews for the most part the traditional looking grid readers (unfairly) associate with Archie Comics for a more dramatic design. The panels are jagged. They overlap. They tilt. There are panels that look like photographs and some that look almost 3-D. The three page spread showing the characters in costume is absolutely beautiful.
The coloring is gorgeous. The palate is dark – heavy on the navy, black, and deep greens. It’s perfectly appropriate for a Halloween story and it makes the brighter orange, red, and white accents leap off the page. Another interesting coloring choice was filling in part of the gutters with black. It gives the page a unique layered or textured look.
And speaking of the layered look, the cover of this issue has a photo-look foreboding castle as the backdrop for a devilish Veronica and angelic Betty. Parent has again outlined the girls in gel pen-like colors that pop out against the black and maroon background. It’s a cover that will definitely stand out on the rack.
As I said before, all the stories in this particular collection are good. Most follow the Halloween theme, and even those that don’t usually have a mystery element to them. Following are just a sampling of the delights in this digest:
“Your Date with Veronica”— an unusual format, as Veronica continually talks to the reader. It’s a good introduction to the main male characters in the cast, and worth a glance for the first panel alone. Veronica preparing for a date is not pretty.
“Freddy Icicle”— a takeoff on Edward Scissorhands that works even if you haven’t seen the movie. The happy ending will make many fans of the Archie-Betty pairing sigh with delight.
“Fairy Tale”— a Cinderella story with a twist that could only happen in Riverdale. I mean, where else would the fairy godmother fall in love with Prince Charming?
“Vengeance of the Ancients”— a trip to Peru involves the gang with missing emeralds and ancient Incas. Oh, and Jughead and Veronica get married. A well-told, short adventure that allows Archie to play the hero in a believable way.
“What Kind of Ghoul am I”— Josie and the Pussycats play at a ghostly estate for a creepy group of characters. There’s a lot of movement in these panels and some great angles. That, and the little musical notes that decorate Melody’s word balloons, make this story look like one of the cartoon episodes caught on paper.
“Witch Switch” – an old-look Sabrina story. In this one, she teaches a warlock what true magic is. Though I love the manga-style Sabrina, this more mature looking version has her points too. The story and style of “Witch Switch” are very much in the vein of a 70s romance comic. Its expressive art and positive moral make this one a stand-out.
“Dinosaur Date” – Betty and Veronica visit a dinosaur exhibit, giving Ronnie a chance to both crack bad puns and discover it’s not just old bones who hang out at the museum. The dinosaur dioramas make a nice change of background scene.
And to end the issue, “Halloween Memories”—probably by Dan Parent again. This is a charming photo-like array of past Halloweens with Betty and Veronica. Ronnie makes a stunning looking vampires, and they’re just too cute as children.
If you don’t pick up any other Betty & Veronica Double Digest this year, give this one a shot. It’s well worth your time and money.
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