After breaking up with Reggie, Cheryl Blossom became a contestant on the “Lonely Hearts Club,” a reality dating show. Following her dates with Austin, Brandon, and George, readers were given the opportunity to vote for their favorite. Well the votes have been counted and the winner is -- ! I’m not going to tell, but the girls who’ve been following the story in my library were happy.

Before the big reveal, writer-artist Dan Parent cleverly recaps what’s come before with “bloopers” from the dates and comments from the regular cast. Reggie’s are particularly insightful, while his interaction with Cheryl’s suitors makes for a fun scene. Finale though it may be, this installment acts as a fair introduction to the character of Cheryl. The real question of course is, will future writers do anything with Cheryl and her new man? The only time Cheryl really shines as a character is when she’s in conflict with Betty and Veronica. If she could gain some depth, along with the new boyfriend, it would open up some new storytelling avenues for the writers.

The fun doesn’t end with Cheryl though. This double digest is packed with some great stories. But what’s really special about this digest is the different art styles it showcases. There’s a wide selection of designs on display here and any student of art should check them out.

First up is “The Pledge.” George Gladir’s fluffy plot has the girls trying to avoid saying Archie’s name for a day. It’s fun, but lightweight. However, penciller Pat Kennedy and inker Ken Selig’s design work is eminently eye catching. They create a Pop Art look for the story that seems to have been influenced by Roy Lichtenstein. The girls are almost like cut-outs that have been glued onto the scene. For readers not familiar with Lichtenstein, the art is similar in appearance to Joe Staton’s “new-look Jughead” style, only softer.

“Surprise” has smart writing and a non-speaking role for Josie of “Josie and the Pussycats” fame. No seriously. She’s right there in the crowd scene in the second panel on page three. If it’s not her, it’s her double. Her appearance suggests that this might be a Dan DeCarlo story and those are always worth looking at. His characters are attractive and flexible, and he had a strong sense of design.

In “Snap Flap,” Ronnie decides to become a photographer to get access to the football team. The story ends with a wonderful pair of lines. The art here is attractive and bold. The lines have weight to them, heft. Ron’s coat actually looks like it’s swinging in certain panels and the poses are dramatic.

The uncredited artist of “The Cheerleaders,” experiments with layout and perspective, even going so far as to change the latter within the same panel. Figures start in one panel and end up in another. Expressions are simple, but natural. The panel showing Betty reacting to Archie’s complimenting Veronica is stunning. There’s also a splashpage focusing on Mr. Lodge that’s gorgeous. It’s an experiment in page layout that succeeds on all levels. In some ways it reminds me a bit of Osamu Tezuka’s work.

Two Katy Keene reprints from her '80s revival are collected here. While the art is beautiful, Katy comes off as almost mean-spirited, vain, and empty-headed. Fans of the latest incarnation would do well to skip these particular stories.

Other standouts in this issue include “Rater Daters,” which has the girls exchanging worst date stories, and which looks to be drawn by Bob Bolling; “Candy Caper” which pits Jellybean against Mr. Lodge; and “Science Friction,” a Betty’s Diary story that has Dilton offering to cook up a love potion for Betty. The art here is beautiful -- Betty in her Daisy Duke shorts with her over-sized stuffed tiger is a sight to behold -- and the story, sweet. The two characters play off each other well and the readers feel like Betty and Dilton really are friends.

Summing it all up, Cheryl Blossom isn’t the only winner in this issue. Readers will be too.

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