A cute new lifeguard brings back memories of a certain “Bad Boy” for Betty and Veronica in “Past Problem”.

Mike Pellowski’s script does several things well:

1. It quickly recaps the “Bad Boy Trouble” storyline
2. It sets up a future storyline.
3. It tells a complete story within its eleven pages.

The dialog is slightly clunky in spots as Pellowski tries to get in everything a new reader needs to know about bad boy Nick St. Clair in the fewest lines possible, but that’s forgivable. On the plus side, Veronica shows more emotional range here than the typical Betty and Veronica story allows. We see her angry, determined, arrogant, vain, flirtatious, melancholy, and pensive. If “Past Problem” had just been about the girls going after the new lifeguard it would have been cute. Tying it into the “Bad Boy Trouble” storyline and allowing readers to see that Veronica still hasn’t recovered from that particular relationship gives the story an emotional edge to which readers can relate.

“The Switch” by George Gladir is a more typical story with Betty and Veronica trying to keep Archie out of the clutches of cute Norwegian exchange students. When Archie accepts an invitation to spend the summer in Norway after Betty and Veronica turn it down, Veronica has to come up with a plan – fast! While not a truly memorable story, Gladir makes it fun, sprinkling in facts about Norway between Veronica’s comical overreactions.

In Kathleen Webb’s “On the Outs” Mr. Lodge asks Betty for help in getting the rest of the gang out of the house. To do this, she plays on their dominate personality traits. This is actually a very good introduction to the characters. In an efficient, fun way, Webb lets readers know Veronica is vain, Reggie is competitive, Archie is girl crazy, Jughead is food crazy, and Betty is smart and likes the outdoors. While regular readers know these things, it’s always good to do a story reaffirming the archetypes once in a while for any new readers who might have stumbled on an issue. That Webb manages to do this in “On the Outs” without it feeling like a stale rehash is a testament to her writing abilities. She gives some Betty some sharp dialog – I like the line “Nothing like playing politics with home management” myself – and throws in a surprise ending. A neat little story all around.

Jeff Shultz and Al Milgrom provide a beautiful cover for the issue, portraying the girls as attractive and slightly sexy without making them look sleazy. Veronica in particular has a classic pin-up girl look to her here. Other design details are the sand letters that spell out the main story’s title. This is reminiscent of every mysterious message in the sand that is washed away by the tide. It immediately establishes a feeling of melancholy and mystery before the book is even opened, while at the same time the 3-D like look of the letters adds pop to the page. The laptop sight gag is also fun – “Pear” instead of “Apple”! I love it.

Inside, Shultz sticks strictly to the grid, with little variation in angles or distance of shots. Most panels are done at a mid-distance view, with a few close-ups. In general this gives the stories a static feel. However, in “Past Problem” he provides plenty of background panel action. These silent stories playing out behind the main action give a sense of movement and add to the story’s sense of reality. Betty and Veronica aren’t acting out in a vacuum. Life is happening around them. Shultz also adds some fun visual gags. Check out the kite in panel one of page nine.

Betty & Veronica #236 makes a nice jumping on point for readers who haven’t looked at the books before as well as being an enjoyable issue for old fans.

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