Betty & Veronica: Vixens Vol. 1

Betty & Veronica: Vixens #1-5

by Jamie Lee Rotante, Eva Cabrera (Illustrator)

The toughest gang in Riverdale is one you'd least the Vixens, led by Riverdale High's own Betty and Veronica!

Rising stars Jamie L. Rotante and artist Eva Cabrera (Black Mask's Kim & Kim) assemble The a squad brought together to take out the dangerous Southside Serpents gang! These aren't "Archie's Girls" -- they're starting a revolution in Riverdale.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Ebooks, Feminism

136 pages, Paperback

First published July 24, 2018

About the author

Jamie L. Rotante is a New York-based writer, proofreader and editor. She works full time as an Editor/Writer at Archie Comic Publications, Inc. She also writes about punk music, women's issues and being a neurotic. In her free time she is a mentor and crisis text counselor and collects vinyl records just for fun.

Reviews

[Calista]

This is Thelma and Louise if they started their own biker gang.

I like these Archie comics where they just take their characters and imagine them as different in some way like Jughead being a Zombie or Betty and Veronica being leaders of a Biker Gang. They are a whole lot of fun I feel like.

There was Roller Derby, Drag Racing, Fighting and Cheerleading to name a few things happening in this series. The neighboring serpents are harassing Riverdale and no one is doing anything about it, so the girls will just have to take care of it.

This was all about fun and entertainment. Pure and simple. Don't expect much but Fun. I enjoyed this and I have become a big fan of the new modern Archie comics. They are so much fun.

[Bookish]

I’ve been reading Archie comics ever since I got hooked on Riverdale! Most recently I read Betty and Veronica: Vixens, one of many new spin-offs to the main line of new Archie comics. In this female-focused comic series, Betty and Veronica go up against the Southside Serpents, Riverdale’s infamous gang, and form their own girl gang, the Vixens, to defeat them. This book was all about standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. I liked that it focused on the amazing female characters of Archie, especially minor characters like Toni Topaz, Midge Klump, and Evelyn Evernever. Even when Archie comics focus on Betty and Veronica as characters, their story is usually centered on Archie. This was a breath of fresh air! Importantly, this story worked to devillainize certain female characters like Penny Peabody and Cheryl Blossom. You definitely have to suspend disbelief with this ride, but it is a fun change for the Archie line! —Dana (excerpted from Bookish's Staff Reads)

[Rachel]

As excited as I was about this, I just couldn't get behind it. The art felt awkward and out of place with the attempt at a more mature tone, and the inclusion but censorship of swearing was distracting. I would have preferred a more cohesive feel between the writing and the art. Plus, the character development was fast and awkward. On one page Midge was having a panic attack and on the next she was ready to race and presumably over her anxiety. The girl power motif was nice but poorly developed, leaving the whole volume feeling like an obligatory scolding of sexism instead of a genuine approach to the issue.

[Dakota Morgan]

I'm all for the strong girl power vibes in Betty & Veronica: Vixens, but oh my god is it dull and poorly illustrated. There's a gang in Riverdale and no one's doing anything about it so Betty and Veronica create their own gang! They learn how to ride motorcycles and stuff. Some girls in the gang have clashing opinions. There are zero surprises or interesting developments here.

And the art! It's barely at the level of fan art. Maybe they wanted something cartoony since it's an Archie comic? Just compare the beautiful Fiona Staples cover art to the interior work. Not even close.

[Sen]

Don’t be fooled by the cover, the inside art doesn’t match the cover. Amateurish is too nice a word to describe the art in this book. The price and the lack of effort put in that book proves that whoever is behind it has no respect for the readers. The whole book has the quality of a fanfic. They use characters we love and put them in a empowering position to gain points with us but they don’t care enough to develop the story. If you want to support someone learning to draw paired up with a repetitive writing that doesn’t go anywhere and pay full price for it then this book is for you.

[Olivia Froedge (Cloer)]

I’m a fan of Riverdale who could never really identify with Archie comics because their female characters were just boy-obsessed flat characters. Vixens is a turning point.

This volume is full of well rounded female characters who aren’t afraid to take matters into their own hands, rather than waiting for the boys to protect them. Cabrera’s art, especially his covers, were fun, 50s inspired and fitting with the storyline. Overall, I really enjoyed this volume and will continue reading!

[Cale]

Pop culture icons as bikers. I wouldn't have bought into the concept until I read Gotham City Garage, which did an impressive job with the concept. Betty & Veronica had a high bar to clear. They didn't even get off the ground.
It doesn't help that setting Betty and Veronica as bikers is completely counter to the personalities. Or that the art style makes the characters look like emotionless Barbie dolls. Or that it's actually a take-off of Lil Archie characters (which I will admit I knew nothing about, but I don't think that had any impact). Or that the writing is stilted at best and painful at worst. Or that it uses profanity a lot, which is extremely jarring from these characters. Or that most of the secondary characters aren't fleshed out at all, including the antagonists. Or that the plot is laid out in a near-incoherent fashion, with flashbacks and flash-forwards indistinguishable by anything other than a quick text block.
I appreciate the Me-Too and Feminist positive attempts, although they don't seem very consistent (and Betty's characterization is horrible throughout). But that's about the only thing in this I got any enjoyment from. If you want to see female-positive pop culture icons as bikers, do yourself a favor and check out Gotham City Garage. If you want to see Archie characters in non-traditional roles, check out any other title in the reboots, which have ranged from good to great.
I'm sorry I'm being so harsh on this, but it was a really disappointing read. It just didn't work for me at all.

[Sonia]

I mean, did i think the first book I finished in 2019 was going to be a Betty & Veronica comic collection of a title in which they form a motorcyle gang? No, but we live in a strange world now. This is an excellent example of a fantastic idea that was executed in a sort of lackluster way. Betty and Veronica as the leaders of a motorcycle girl gang? YES PLEASE. But also the writing in this is not great. The art is fine but not super-interesting. Everyone’s super gay for each other, which I love, and bonus points for one of the girl gang members actually referring to an ex-girlfriend and that being a plot point and not just a throwaway. Is it wrong that I wanted more character development? Is that too much for me to expect from an Archie title?

[Haley]

This is definitely a series to read! I have been anticipating Vixens since I heard of it last fall, and I have to say, it exceeded my already high expectations.

The story takes place in the present day in terms of the technology and social media references; however, the style and mention of gangs give it a 60’s vibe. The illustrations did a great job of capturing this blend. This may be my favorite art work in any of the Archie Comics I’ve read to date (thank you, Eva Cabrera!).

Vixens covers such important topics. It shows the power of girls working together and teaming up to do good for everyone. The characters form a community together, and it’s really amazing to see all different women from Riverdale interacting in ways the comics have never previously shown. The comic truly exudes girl power and shows women standing up for women.

If you have not picked up Vixens yet, I highly encourage you to do so! You will not regret it.

[The Lost Dreamer]

Is this comic book silly and targeted to teenage girls? Well, maybe. But I don't care. It's fun, empowering, capable of creating and alternate, female-led, and original narrative in the Archie universe. And, as a plus, Cabrera's artwork is impressive. There are so many pages that I'd love to hang along my walls... The whole subversion of the boy-motorcycle-gang narrative and the inclusion of important girl matters as self defense or sorority really caught my attention. That these comics are designed to be read by the young girls that are enjoying the Riverdale TV show seems like a wonderful idea, as the show doesn't always get these female and queer representation matters too seriously. In the end, even if you're not a teenage girl, you can still enjoy Rotante's unaplogetic sense of humor and recognize many of the conflicts presented in this story as real and serious stuff, although they are portrayed in a much lighter way.

[skylar lokota]

Support your local girl gang

Definitely exciting to see B and V leading a group of independent ladies on a mission to protect Riverdale from the Serpents. Finally get to see the girls from the Archie comics get their time to shine! What was disappointing was that Fiona Staples (of the acclaimed Saga series) did the art for the cover of the volume, but she didn't do the art for any of the issues. Cabrera's style is cutesy and I did get used to it by the third or fourth issue... but I was expecting Staples. I will say that this volume felt like a foundation to a larger storyline, so not too much happened, but I'm very excited for volume two.

Also, Cheryl Blossom is my all-time fav. Bless her.

[Rachel]

Betty and Veronica running a biker gang and kicking the Serpents’ ass? Yes. Please.

I love the cover art by Fiona Staples and wish the whole book had been illustrated by her. Cabrera’s art is fine, just so different from the cover that it’s a bit jarring.

[Kelly]

Christmas gift, and a great one! Love the feel and look of it, the storyline is female dominated and shakes up the Riverdale universe. I got this one in paper but will be reading the next in the series courtesy of hoopla.

[Lisa]

Finally.. the Betty and Veronica we've been waiting for! Taking charge and standing up for other ladies. Oh, and starting their own biker gang.

[John H]

This was darker than I was expecting. Betty and Veronica actually beat some ass in this book!

[Amory]

This was fantastic! I'm a big fan of Betty and Veronica series that focus on them and not their dating lives, and this not only did that well, but also gave them a way to connect with other women, stand up for each other, and kick some butt! I thought the premise sounded a bit farfetched at first, but this was actually done really well and even felt realistic. I loved every bit of this book, from the plot, to the character development, to the amazing artwork and fashion and I'm excited to continue reading this series!

[Mera]

The vixens are bad ass

[Jaclyn]

I really liked this. There were so many female friendships that made my heart smile. I appreciate how feminist this was and that it came from female writers. I can't wait to see how it progresses later

[Stephanie]

The female characters we know from the Archie comics have become badasses and start a female biker gang! Loved it!

[Alina Karapandzich]

I love the illustrations and I love all the female badassery and empowerment! The vigilante biker gang we didn't know we or Riverdale needed! There is violence and some strong language but the cuss words are always starred out. Would be good for middle school age and up.

[Mari Mankle]

This was a little too rough and tumble for the Archie gang I know and love. Too many asterisked cuss words, fight scenes, and middle fingers for my understanding of these characters.

[Christa Seeley]

The premise of this comic couldn’t be simpler. Craving some excitement and danger, Betty and Veronica decide to start a biker gang. They round up a few of their friends—Midge, Ethel and Toni—and with the help of Veronica’s credit card and Bubbles, the local mechanic, they’re in business. At first, it’s just for fun, but soon they find themselves tangled up with the gang from the other side of the tracks, the Southside Serpents, and they’re forced to rise to the challenge to defend their town and show the Serpents who’s boss.

The initial promise of a biker gang version of Betty and Veronica convinced me to pick this up. But when I actually started reading, I was surprised to find this takes place in a normal Archie universe. Which meant that in only a few issues they had to explain why these fairly normal high school students would start a biker gang when none of them even knew how to ride a motorcycle. And in only a few issues they went from barely being able to keep their bikes upright to taking on the toughest gang in town. It felt far-fetched, to say the least.

Read the rest of the review on Women Write About Comics

[Stefanie]

I loved the art and the overall feminist concept. It was fun eye-candy, but the story and character development were weak. The Riverdale TV series got me into the Archie universe because the female characters are written as actual complex human beings, and the stakes are high. In BV: Vixens, the women are certainly more complex than their original counterparts but still pretty basic. Each of their arcs is the same: "You may think I'm [insert archetype here], but I'm actually a bada** b**** who's got my girls' back! Come at me, patriarchy!" There's a little catharsis from the wish-fulfillment, but it somehow does too much and not enough at the same time.

[20hrsinamerica]

I bought this mostly for the art and the art is still the best part. If I ever get a retro or cliche biker tattoo (not likely but hey), it'll be of some of the art of this trade. I wish I could see Cat Staggs' art a bit bigger, though. Full size replicas of the variants would have been awesome.

That said, I do enjoy how the gals rally around each other and have no issues punching dudes in the face when they deserve it. The boys (Archie and such) are dumb and I love them just getting left in the dust of this story.

[Ashley]

Meh, I didn't love this. The story was interesting, but I wasn't overly into it. I wasn't a huge fan of the art, it was cute and all, but it just didn't jive with me. And every time there was censored swearing, I rolled my eyes, calling the Vixens B*****S and the Serpents saying they were going to cause S**T. That's F*****G annoying to me lol. So yeah, not really digging this series, and I don't know if I'll continue reading. I have enough Archie to follow.

[Ronald]

I don't know, this could have been so much better. The story is as weak as any 50's biker teen rebel movie. The dialog is even worse than the regular series. The comic seems more like an excuse to put the women of Riverdale into skimpy / sexy / leather. The lesson is if there is a problem just beat the crud out of it and things will be fine.

[DJL]

A rather different type of story for Betty and Veronica, but it was a pretty good read. Given the clothes, I wasn't quite sure what era this was supposed to be until I saw the smartphones. Looking forward to seeing what volume 2 will show.

[Sesana]

Absolutely my least favorite of the new Archie books.

[Jan van Es]

Absolutely LOVE this series of Betty and Veronica: Vixens!

Couldn't put it down!

[Ashley]

Great story. Looking forward to reading more.