Harley & Ivy Meet Betty & Veronica (2017-2018) (Harley & Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica (2017-2018))

Fun throwback book, my kind of thing.

“Harley & Ivy Meet Betty & Veronica” collects the six-issue mini-series featuring a crossover between Archie Comics and DC Comics.Normally, these DC crossovers with other companies end up being just another Elseworld story, but bearing in mind the cartoony origins of both parties, the two worlds don’t collide but just slide into each other without any join being visible.There is a fairly simple plot – Hiram Lodge has bought Riverdale’s local nature reserve with the intent to redevelop it, which brings Poison Ivy to town, with her partner in crime Harley, to put a stop to it. They need to get out of Gotham as their recent activities have not gone so well, and they are in debt to various henchmen, loan-sharks and gangsters.Infiltrating the Lodge fancy-dress party being held to launch the new project – do I have to spell it out for you – the magic act starring Zatanna, helped by a certain volunteer from the audience named Sabrina gets a couple of wires crossed, and a double body-swap ensues. And so it goes.The artwork is excellent, and the look of the characters is mostly in-line with the Mark Waid revamped version of the Archie characters, with carefully-staged introductions so you can tell who is who; though I did wonder if it was Midge in the Catwoman costume at the party for a while, until we were carefully directed to her in her own costume…This really puts the ‘light’ in Light Entertainment, which is what you want and expect from Archie, but with Harley and Ivy fitting right in to the feel of it all.I read a local library copy, which they kindly ordered for me.

First, a thank you to Edelweiss and DC Comics for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.I generally love crossovers across all media – having a preference for character-driven stories myself, the interactions between different characters, particularly when it’s their first meeting or they are from different worlds, really intrigue me. I think this story would have landed with me more if I were a huge fan of the Archie Comics – they’re on my TBR, I’m getting there – but being pretty new to that world, I was more interested in the Harley & Ivy part of this story.The main focal point of the book is really the relationships within the two pairs, as both Harley & Ivy and Betty & Veronica get a fair bit of development in their own core relationships, which was nice to see. In all fairness though, when it becomes apparent that two of the most notorious super-villainesses in Gotham have a healthier interpersonal relationship that you do, it probably signifies time for a change, don’t you think?The writing itself was pretty good, though I found the inclusion of the Reggie/Joker arc a bit superfluous. Personally, I don’t think Harley requires a version of the Joker in this story, or any for that matter, and I didn’t see how it added anything or moved the plot along. The art was a different style from what I’ve seen before, and fit the backdrop and story quite well. Whilst, it was an interesting filter to see Gotham through I think I prefer the cover art style personally – but that is just my preference.Overall, this double Freaky Friday adventure with two of the most iconic all-female duos was a fun, colourful read, even if it was slightly uneventful and I didn’t actually find it all that hard to envelope Riverdale into the ranks of the DC Universe’s fictional, caricature cities. I’d recommend this to lovers of both Archie & these 2/3 Gotham City Sirens but if you’re not big on either, you can perhaps give it a miss.Writing Quality – 6/10Image/Illustration Quality – 7/10Character Development – 6/10Overall – 6/10Find my full review on my blog, Bloodthirsty Little Beasts.

Product is great was for my girlfriend but I payed extra for gift wrap and it did t come wrapped