Harley and Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica #3 – Paul Dini, Marc Andreyko, Writers; Laura Braga, Adriana Melo, Artists; Laura Braga, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 8/10
Corrina: Thinks Are Getting Nuttier
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!
Ray: The wackiest crossover DC has done in a long time continues to unfold, as our wayward teams of best friends/girlfriends find themselves trapped in each other’s bodies thanks to the unfortunate magical accident caused by Sabrina and Zatanna. This goes about as smoothly as you’d expect. It all begins with Harley and Ivy waking up in Veronica’s mansion and being ushered out of the house to Riverdale High. With Harley being a former Queen Bee at her high school, and Ivy never actually going to high school due to being a child genius, it’s clear from the start that this isn’t going to go smoothly. This segment has a lot of fun with the characters, and this is where the team having no real experience with the Archie characters actually pays off because the writers get to lampoon all the classic tropes from the comics through the eyes of the duo.
As fun as watching Betty Cooper become a wild party girl and Veronica become a brainiac is, the real action is over in Gotham, as Betty and Veronica wake up in the bodies of their distaff supervillain counterparts. Veronica is most freaked out about being in her twenties, naturally. There’s growing pains with their powers, a Catwoman guest appearance, an attack by a villain with a peach for a head, and of course Reggie is lurking around, convinced he’s the Joker. This isn’t anything like most of the other crossovers – there’s no massive threat to anyone except the main characters, and even then…not really? It’s more of a fantasy screwball comedy combining two of comics’ most iconic pairs, and you can tell just how much the writers are enjoying cutting loose with them. It’s all completely ridiculous, and we could use a little more of that in comics. Archie continues to take a lot of chances lately, and they usually pay off.
Corrina: This series started with a slow setup that brought Harley & Ivy to Riverdale but now that we have the patented Freaky Friday swap, it’s become ridiculous and hilarious. Just the thought of Harley and Ivy in high school brings a smile to my face and what’s done with their actual day at school is terrific and even has room for a more in-depth character moment, with Ivy confessing that she never went to high school, having skipped so many grades. I also love how Harley takes the body-swap in stride and sees what she can get out of Betty’s body, and Archie’s reactions to their “change.” (Incidentally, I suspect Betty/Veronica shippers will love this part of the plot.)
The flip side is just as much fun. Veronica and Betty have no real clue what to do in Gotham and have a worse time of passing as their other selves. To be sure, they’re in more trouble, given who is after them, but the humor in the situation is not lost, especially Catwoman’s appearance. But, hey, Harley usually acts off-beat so it’s hard to tell when she’s been body-swapped.
This miniseries is now a blast.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
